Tuoni
God of the Dead
Finnish Mythology
Tuoni is the God of the Dead and resides in Tuonela, the Underworld. He is the personification of darkness; however, when he takes human form, he is a three-fingered old man with a crown of darkness.
The Swan of Tuonela guards the river that acts as a boundary between the realms of Tuonela and the living. His wife, Tuonetar, greets those who cross into Tuonela.
In Tuonela, the spirits of the dead do not receive judgment or punishment. Instead, they receive a memory-erasing beer to relinquish the sufferings of their former lives. The dead remain in silence and peace as their final resting place.
The aura surrounding Tuoni is enigmatic, cold, and relentless. These properties represent the inevitability of mortality. Tuoni does not seek out souls to collect. Instead, his domain is a place to give the dead quiet solitude for their afterlife.
- Domain: Death, darkness
- Realm: Tuonela (the Underworld)
- Symbol: None
- Weapon/Relic: None
- Spouse: Tuonetar
- Worship: Burial rituals, safe passage rituals
- Offerings: Food, drink, coins, personal mementos
- Holidays: None
Crossing the River of Tuonela
While the River of Tuonela separates the land of the living and the dead, there are three ways to cross it.
- Ferry
- Swimming
- Threaded bridge
Tuonetar guards the river, and those who try to leave must overcome a threaded net. In addition, the Swan of Tuonela guards the river to prevent the inhabitants from leaving.
Lemminkäinen’s Death
As a task from Louhi, Lemminkäinen must slay the Swan of Tuonela. On his travels, a blind herdsman ambushes Lemminkäinen and kills him with a snake. The herdsman then chops his body into pieces and throws them in the River of Tuonela. Eventually, Lemminkäinen’s mother, searching for her son, discovers his body and sows him back together.
This act does not bring life to her son, though. She sends a bee to get a thimble full of sacred honey from Ukko to restore life to her deceased son.
Väinämöinen’s Journey
In one story in The Kalevala, Väinämöinen travels to Tuonela to discover the right words to finish crafting his oak boat. While traveling, he encounters Tuonen Tytti, Tuoni’s daughter, who guides Väinämöinen across the river on her ferry.
Tuonen Tytti is the ferrywoman responsible for guiding the souls of the dead across the river. The pair argue as Väinämöinen is not dead, and she warns that he cannot cross back over once he’s entered.
Once there, Tuonela forbids him from leaving. A net of chains blocks his escape, but crafty Väinämöinen transforms into a snake to slip through. He swims across the river, avoiding the Swan of Tuonela to escape the realm of the dead.
Celebrations for Tuoni
While celebrations of Tuoni are not common, Finns practice some forms of ancestral worship. On Christmas Eve, a common practice is to leave candles on the graves of loved ones.
Offerings of Appeasement
Offerings to Tuoni also occur for appeasement, safe travels, illness, and times of hardship. These offerings symbolize the recognition of mortality and ask for favors to overcome difficulties.
