Tuonela

This article is about the mythological underworld. For other uses, see Tuonela (disambiguation).
By the river of Tuonela (Tuonelan joella) by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1903
Lemminkäisen äiti by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The mother of young Lemminkäinen has gone to the river of Tuoni to find the corpse of her dead son. One of the myths told in Kalevala.

Tuonela (Finnish: [ˈtuo̯nelɑ]; lit. 'Tuoni's abode')[1] is the realm of the dead or the Underworld in Finnish mythology. Tuonela, Tuoni (pronounced [ˈtuo̯ni]), Manala (pronounced [ˈmɑnɑlɑ], 'Underworld'), Vainajala (pronounced [ˈvɑinɑjɑlɑ]) and Mana (pronounced [ˈmɑnɑ]) are used synonymously.[2][3] Similar realms appear in most Finnic cultural traditions, including among Karelian, Ingrian, and Estonian beliefs.[1] In Estonian mythology, the realm is called Toonela or Manala. Tuonela can also refer to a grave or a graveyard.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Oinas, Felix J., and Juha Pentikäinen. "Tuonela." In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., edited by Lindsay Jones, 9396-9397. Vol. 14. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Gale eBooks (accessed January 3, 2021). [1]
  2. ^ Pentikäinen, Juha (1999). Kalevala Mythology (Expanded ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253213525.
  3. ^ "Tuonela". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.