Ahti of the Island

See Lemminkainen

Aino

The character of Aino is Lonnrot's own invention and addition to the Kalevala., On one of his field trips to eastern Karelia, he heard a song about Anni, a reluctant bride who hangs herself in her wedding clothes rather than be married. Seizing on this motif, Lonnrot expanded on the basic story and created the character of Aino. She appears in Poems 3-5 as Joukahainen's sister, promised in marriage to Vainamoinen in exchange for Joukahainen's freedom. Unwilling to marry an old man, Aino runs away weeping. She drowns herself in the sea and is transformed into a fish. Vainamoinen catches her, but does not recognize her until she leaps out of the boat, reveals her identity, and swims away, never to be seen again. The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) named his home "Ainola" after this character.

Death's Daughter

See Tuonetar

Demon