Rauni (deity)

Rauni (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈrɑu̯ni]) is a name for a being in Finnish mythology. The exact role and identity of Rauni is debated, and theories range from Rauni having been a mother goddess and consort of Ukko to being identified with Ukko himself.

Interpretations

Opinion among scholars concerning the role of Rauni in Finnish mythology is varied. Some interpret Rauni as a name for the consort of Ukko, the Finnish god of thunder. Some also identify Rauni with the rowan tree, citing the reconstructed Old Norse form *raunir (English: rowan) as linguistic evidence. Others still, among them Martti Haavio, contend that Rauni is simply an epithet for a deity called Ukko, who may or may not be the well-known Finnish thunder god, and that the other theories are based on a misreading of a poem documenting Finnish pre-Christian beliefs by Mikael Agricola.

Haavio identified a god named Rauni-ukko ("Old man Rauni") and his wife. The name Rauni seems to be loaned from the Norse god Freyr (*frauja). Thus, Agricola's line "Rauni Ukon Naini" would mean "the wife of Rauni-ukko", not "Rauni, the wife of Ukko" as many have interpreted it. In a Forest Finnish mythic poem, fertility god Visakanta and another god called Röönikkä or Ryönikkä try to strike down a giant pig.^[1] According to Haavio, Röönikkä would come from Frön akka ("the wife of Frö"), Frö being a later South Swedish dialectical name for Freyr. Researcher Uno Harva has connected Visakanta/Virokannas to Freyr as well, as one of Freyr's names is veraldar god.^[2] Thus, Rauni-ukko/Visakanta and his wife would be fertility gods, and in spring, the wife started to act like an animal in heat, which made Rauni-ukko aroused and their intercourse resulted in the growing of plants ("Quin Rauni Ukon Naini härsky / jalosti Ukoi pohjasti pärsky / Se sis annoi Ilman ja Wdhen Tulon").^[3]

See also

• Akka
• Ukko