A Jungian Reading of the Kalevala 500-1300? Finnish Shamanism ~ the Patriarchal Senex Figure Part II: the Archetypal Shaman/Hero
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Volume 8 Number 4 Article 14 12-15-1982 A Jungian Reading of The Kalevala 500-1300? Finnish Shamanism ~ The Patriarchal Senex Figure Part II: The Archetypal Shaman/Hero Bettina Knapp City University of New York Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Knapp, Bettina (1982) "A Jungian Reading of The Kalevala 500-1300? Finnish Shamanism ~ The Patriarchal Senex Figure Part II: The Archetypal Shaman/Hero," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 8 : No. 4 , Article 14. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol8/iss4/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Jungian interpretation of the Kalevala, focusing on the character of Väinämöinen and his role as Shaman. Part 2 analyzes Väinämöinen’s transformation of the land, the felling of the oak, the confrontation with Joukahainen, and the death of Aino. Additional Keywords Heroes in The Kalevala; Jungian analysis of The Kalevala; The Kalevala—Characters—Väinämöinen; The Kalevala—Jungian analysis; Shamanism in The Kalevala; Sarah Beach This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol8/iss4/14 MYTHLORE 30: Winter 1982 page 33 A Jungian R eading of The K A LE V A LA 500-1300? F innish Sham anism ~ The Patriarchal Senex F igure Part II: The Archetypal Shaman/Hero Bettina Knapp Having crossed the "threshold" from unconscious exis w ithin the psyche. Only when such harmony reigns can Vaina tence in his m other's womb to the differentiated world, moinen or any other creative a rtist succeed in arousing Vainamoinen is in a position to fu lfill his calling. As wonderment and dazzling the world w ith his powers. future archetypal shaman/hero he now stands for an awakening consciousness that brings new values and experiences to the A future culture hero, Vainamoinen understands the need personality. The world of light has replaced the long years for ego-consciousness. As such he realized that the oak tree of darkness, an indication of the ego's giant impulse toward in question must be cut down—a paradigm of the necessity to life and activityj libido (psychic energy) cascading forth, shear and shape the prim al forces w ithin him self. To evalu erupting into existence. Energy is no longer closeted, it is ate his earthly situation, therefore, is of the utmost urgen being expended externally, helping him form, shape, and cy. He looks at a world resonating with infinite sonorities, determ ine a world existence. redolent with incredible growth. Although he feels attuned to universal forces, he was "wise" and understood that what Vainamoinen faces a "treeless" land on earth. Such a ever obliterates consciousness must be eradicated. The oak scene im plies ste rility , loneliness, isolation, that in no has to be felled so that insight, gnosis and clarity of way answers his needs nor fu lfills his longings. In tune vision can develop. Only when he can look outside him self with nature, because of his affinity with the elements of air and see the vast expanse before him, w ill he be able to ob and water previously described, he knows how to use its pow jectify his situation, thus develop his own identity and dis ers to his advantage. He already understands the myriad cover his own potentials, like the hierophant who must sounds he hears, incom prehensible to those who have been experience the ordeal of initiatio n in order to evolve to severed from the wonders of the so-called inanim ate world. the next stage of being, so Vainamoinen must test the extent Vainamoinen feels connected to the outer external sphere as of his powers, his capacities to think and to feel. he does to his inner domain, Confident in his ab ilities and capacities to fend off destructive encounters, such as des Psychologically speaking, the cutting down of the oak pair, he acts overtly in coming to terms with his difficul would be an intensely m eaningful experience to a medieval t i e s . Finn or Lapp. To allow the tree to blot out the sun would seem a dangerous omen: a p r e lu d e t o t h e disappearance o f Vainamoinen's firs t task is to transform the barren that flam ing light, an idea that would strike terror in the scene into fertile land; psychologically to discover the heart of those who inhabit the far north. Should darkness talents that exist unused w ithin the inner being, to discover take over, ev il would grow unchecked throughout the land. and develop his potential. He calls upon Samsa ("S pirit of W izards with th eir superior powers would be able to annihi A rable"), a helpful agent, a creative factor to fu lfill his late humankind, p itilessly , and unm ercifully, Coldness needs. A tiny lad, sim ilar to the dwarfs in the Icelandic would envelop the earth; water would congeal, k illin g the Eddas. Samsa may be looked upon psychologically, as a sudden fish , robbing human beings of their sustenance. Solitude impulse or intuition, an unconscious force that leaps into would fill the cold lunar light on earth; im personally s till or fa lls into consciousness when needed (an E infal1), an as stars would cast their eerie shadows upon a dead planet. pect or expression of a larger idea/form .12 Such sp irits or dwarfs lik e those described in the Nibelungenlied are said To fe ll the oak in an area where shamanism/animism are to live beneath the earth or in h ills and to possess childish alive and active is also no easy m atter. Trees are believed characteristics. Sampsa fits this definitions he is small to be inhabited by living spirits and if a tree is not and young; he is human, but incom pletely developed. On the properly cut the wood sp irit may be injured and retribution other hand, dwarfs are known to be industrious and active in w ill follow : 'the w o o d spirit, might refuse to b u r .: i n th e whatever their specialties. Samsa sows a crop of trees for earth or more serious evils may await the perpetrator of Vainamoinen (pines towans, willows, junipers) th at grow such a crime. But to fell a tree a l s o h a s p o s i t i v e im p l ic a densely and quickly. tions. Vainamoinen would be able to fashion a drum from its trunk. Brums are extrem ely im portant to shamans. When they Forests become thick and lush. One oak in particular pound, strike, beat, ro ll out certain rhythmic sequences, grows to such a height that its branches hide the sun. Vain the sound waves energize them, help them sta rt on th eir mys amoinen "reflects" and "ponders" (p. 9). To perm it the tical flig h t to "the Center of the World" or fly through the creative urge to run w ild, unchecked, which is what such air in rapidly paced gyrations. As the sonorities am plify, overgrowth im plies, is to invite chaos. Such a way would dim inish, and filte r through the atmosphere in whole or par allow creative im pulses (the dwarf factor) glimmers, in tia l tones, the shaman feels him self empowered to seek out sights, sparks—but never a completed or w ell thought-out and contact helpful sp irits while, at the same tim e, immobi work to innundate the world. To perm it th is condition to lizing evil demons. Both the tree and the drum ieonographi- pursue its course, is to invite darkness, the irrational and cally exem plify the shaman's ecstatic sojourn when he opens undifferentiated vision—to encapsulate the universe. It him self up to the cosmic experience.13 Significant, too, is would pave the way for regression, a return to the darkness the fact that the shaman's drum is comparable to the wester of the womb. Vainamoinen has spent too many long years in n er's sword in medieval tim es: given a name, it is thereby the nigredo phase of existence to allow such a situation to endowed with a personality and a legend. Wood is also used prevail. Sight not blindness, is what he wished. C larity to make bows and arrows which are used not only for hunting of vision (consciousness), brings order, orientation, and but also in the fashioning of musical instrum ents. A bow is meaning. W ithout these factors Vainamoinen's existence can w hittled from a tree, then tied from end to end with the gut never attain universal/etem al stature.