Vellamo

Vellamo (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋelːɑmo]), also spelled Wellamo, is the goddess of water, lakes and seas in Finnish mythology. She is called Veen emäntä (Mistress of Water).^[3]

Vellamo
Mistress of Water
Vellamo pictured as a mermaid in the coat of arms of Päijänne Tavastia.[1][2]
Other names	Vellimys (Kainuu)
Gender	Female
Ethnic group	Finns, Karelians
Genealogy
Spouse	Ahti
Offspring	Vellamo's maiden

Vellamo is said to be tall and beautiful, and is much respected by fishermen, who pray to her for good fishing luck. Vellamo can also control the winds to help sailors, and she controls the storms and waves. Vellamo has magical cows that live on underwater fields. Sometimes, during the morning mist, she brings her cows above the surface to eat water hay. Vellamo wears a blue dress that is made from sea foam.

Vellamo's husband is the Finnish sea god Ahti. In Finnish fishing spells, Vellamo and Ahti are asked to bring their cattle (fish) into fishing nets.^[3]

The Maritime Center Vellamo [fr], which is located in the city of Kotka, Finland, is named after Vellamo.^[4][5]

Name

The name "Vellamo" has been theorized to come from the Finnish word velloa, which means 'to churn', describing the movement of water and waves. Kaarle Krohn also thought the name could've originally been Vetramo or Vetrimys, because runic songs include a mention of Veitikan vesi ("water of Veitikka") which Krohn saw as having originally been Vetrikka.^[6]

Epithets

Epithet	Epithet meaning	Regions
Vellamo, veen emäntä[7] Vellimys, veen emäntä[8]	'Vellamo, Mistress of Water'	Central Finland, Kainuu, North Karelia, North Savo, Satakunta, South Karelia, White Karelia
Vellamo, veen kuninkas[9]	'Vellamo, King of Water'	White Karelia and/or North Ostrobothnia
Vellamo, veen emonen[10] Vellamo, veten emä[11]	'Vellamo, mother of water'	North Savo, Olonets Karelia
Veen eukko, ruokorinta[10]	'Old woman of water, breast of reed'	Kainuu, Olonets Karelia, White Karelia
Vellamo, veneen äiti[12]	'Vellamo, mother of boat'	Kainuu
Sataharjun hallihtija[8]	'Ruler of a hundred eskers'	Kainuu
Salon sinisilmä piika pikkarainen[11]	'Little blue-eyed maid of deep forest'	North Savo

In popular culture

Ambient Folk artist Archaic Earth has a track "Vellamo's Song" on the EP Hiraeth^[13]

Further reading

• Suomen sanojen alkuperä, Finnish Literature Society, 2000. (in Finnish)