Animals
- Brown Bear; the bear was considered the most sacred of animals, only referred to by euphemisms (see taboo). The killing of a bear was followed by a great feast in honour of the bear (peijaiset), where a substantial part of the celebrations consisted of convincing the bear's spirit that it had died accidentally and hadn't been murdered. Afterwards, the bear's skull was hung high upon a pine tree so its spirit could re-enter the heavens. Kalevala on the bear.
- Swan of Tuonela; (Tuonelan joutsen).
- Elk of Hiisi; (Hiiden hirvi).
Read more about this topic: Finnish Mythology
Famous quotes containing the word animals:
“To err is human also in so far as animals seldom or never err, or at least only the cleverest of them do so.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)
“Humans are amphibians—half spirit and half animal.... As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.”
—C.S. (Clive Staples)
“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)
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