Ilmarinen

Seppo Ilmarinen (aften juist cried Ilmarinen) is ane o the maist important chairacters in Finnish meethology.  He is the "airch-type" o the maister smith in Finnish meethology, sib in some respects tae sic ither maister smiths o fowklair as Vulcan (Roman), Hephaistos (Greek) an the Droichs (Norse).  His maist kenspeckle warks is the makkin o the lift-dome an the smiddin o the Sampo.  Efter it wis taen frae the fowk o Kalevala, he wis ane o curn that tried tae chore it back.

His Name
Seppo is a common Finnish boy's name, an is sib tae the Finnish wird seppä that means blacksmith.  Whaur that's taen frae isna certaint oniemair, it micht be that syne he wis the maister smith, his name wis gien tae the airt o smiddyin; or it micht be that the name wis gien him syne he wis the maister smith.
Ilamarinen means Son o Ilmar, bit wha Ilmar wis isna kent - an he kythesna in ony fowklair.
His name wis uised for the name o a Finnish warship that wis sunk in 1941.

Luve
Tho Ilmarinen wis the maister o aw metal-crafts, an coud mak white'er he wantit frae gowd, airn, bress or copper, he wis kenspeckle for bein unchancy whan it cam tae luve.  In ae meeth, efter the Maiden o Pohjola rejects his offer o mairiage, he maks for himsel a guidwife oot o gowd an siller.  Findin his gowd guidwife haurd an cauld, he ettles tae hae her haundfastit til his brither, Väinämöinen.  Väinämöinen rejects her, an tells Ilmarinen tae pit her back in the smiddy an "mak frae her a thoosand gee-gaws."  Speakin tae aw his fowk, he then says:

Ilka bairn o Nor'land, listen,
Whither puir, or chancy-faurt:
Ne'er lout afore an eemage
Born o meltit gowd an siller:
Ne'er while the sunlicht brichtens
Ne'er while the muinlicht glimmers,
Wale a maiden o the metals,
Wale a guidwife create frae gowd
Cauld the gams o the gowden maiden,Siller breathes the breath o dule.Some fowk haes seen in this tale the auld morals o "siller canna buy ye blytheness.  Modren readers haes seen that the tale coud be anent pride an aw, as in the legends o the Golems, or the novelle Frankenstein - than e'en the maist dab-haundit an skeely o mortal fowk canna match the perfit wark o the divine whan makkin life.

See Forbye
Kalevala
Sampo

Category:Finnish meethologie
Category:Finnish gods
Category:Smithin gods
Category:Chairacters in the Kalevala