Gods of Karelia - Religious studies - Martti Haavio

"Waan the Carians' Eyes were Epeiumalas"

Martti Haavio's classic work The Gods of Karelia opens before us the fascinating mental landscape of the ancient Karelians. What were their old Gods like and how did they rule people's lives? Why was kekir celebrated with sacrifices? How are the gods of Karelia related to Christian saints? The work also presents interesting connections between the ancient Karelian faith and the legends of other old cultures.

Martti Haavio (1899-1973) was a researcher of folk poetry and mythology. Along with his academic career, he published poems under the author name P. Mustapää. Karelia Gods, a landmark work on the study of Finnish ancient faith and religion, was first published in 1959. Ulla Piela, Ph.D., has written new afterwords to the work.