from Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja, compiled by Elias Lönnrot (1880)

The tulen synty — the Birth of Fire — is the origin charm recited by the tietäjä when treating burns or when fire had caused harm. Like all syntyloitsut, the purpose is ritual mastery: by recounting fire's birth, the charm-singer gains power over it.

The central narrative (variant a) is magnificent. Ukko, God of the sky, strikes fire with a sword of living flame behind the star-fields. He catches the spark in a golden purse, gives it to a maiden of the air to rock. She rocks the fire-child in a cradle of gold on straps of silver, high on the clouds — the silver straps clinking, the golden cradle swaying, the heavens groaning. The maiden turns the fire in her fingers, and the spark falls from her foolish hands. It drops through nine heavens, through six painted sky-lids, down into a roofless hut where it rips the breasts of maidens, scorches the knees of boys, burns the father's beard, burns a baby from its cradle. Then it rolls across the earth — burns bogs, lands, clearings, half of Ostrobothnia, a wedge of Savo, a piece of Karelia — until it hides under two stumps in an alder stump's breast. From there it is brought home to the hearth.

The six variants unfold the myth from different angles. Variant (b) places fire's birth on the Seven Stars, tells how a fire-child burned through a cradle and killed a baby, and how the mother rolled the fire into a ball and pushed it into Tuonela's river. Variant (c) baptizes fire as Panuksi — its ritual name — with a frost-maiden from Pohjola as godmother. Variant (d) tells the strange birth of fire from the feather-daughter Panuttari, born in the water, named fire only when no one could hold it. Variant (e) has Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen strike fire with bare nails, no flint or tinder. Variant (f) rebukes liars who attribute fire to Väinämöinen's striking — fire came from heaven, son of the Sun, made at the navel of the skies on the shoulders of the Great Bear.

These incantations have never before appeared in English.

a.

Ukko struck fire in the sky,
Flashed out the flame,
With a sword of living blade,
With a scintillating steel,
In the uppermost heaven,
Behind the star-fields.

He got the fire by striking,
And hid the fire-spark
In a golden purse,
In a silver ring.
He gave a maiden to rock it,
An air-maiden to cradle it.

The maiden on the long cloud's top,
The woman on the sky's edge,
Rocked the fire,
Cradled the flame,
In a cradle of gold,
On straps of silver.
The silver straps clinked,
The golden cradle swayed,
The clouds shifted, the heavens groaned,
The sky-lids tilted,
As the fire was rocked,
As the flame was cradled.

The maiden rocked the fire,
Cradled the flame,
Turned the fire in her fingers,
Tended the flame by hand.
The fire fell from the fool,
The flame from the careless one,
From the hands of the one who turns,
From the fingers of the one who tends.

The fire-spark leapt,
The red ember darted,
Flickered through the heavens,
Dropped through the clouds,
Past nine heavens,
Through six painted sky-lids.

The fire-spark darted,
The red ember fell,
From the Creator's made places,
From Ukko's sky-struck marks,
Through the rotten smoke-hole,
Through the dry ridge-beam,
Into Tuuri's new hut,
Into Palvonen's roofless hall.

Then, having arrived there,
In Tuuri's new hut,
It set itself to wicked work,
Launched into foul deeds:
It ripped the breasts of maidens,
Tore the arms of girls,
Ruined the knees of boys,
Burned the master's beard.

The mother nursed her child
In a wretched cradle
Under the rotten smoke-hole.
When the fire came there
It burned the baby from the cradle,
Scorched the swaddling from the mother.
Then it went on its way,
Rolled as it went —
First it burned many lands,
Many lands, many bogs,
Burned barren clearings,
Burned the wildernesses hard.
At last it plunged into the water,
Into the waves of Lake Alue.

Then that Lake Alue
Was about to catch fire,
To blaze with sparks,
In the fierce fire's hands.
It foamed over its shores,
Foamed over the wilderness spruces,
Cast its fish onto dry land,
Its perch onto the rocks.

Still the fire was not calmed.
From the waves of Lake Alue
It leapt into the juniper wood —
The juniper heath burned.
It rushed into the spruce wood —
The fine spruce wood burned.
It rolled still further,
Burned half of Ostrobothnia,
A wedge of the Savo border,
A piece of Karelia.

Then it went into hiding,
To conceal itself,
Threw itself down to rest
Under two stumps' roots,
In the rotten stump's armpit,
In the alder stump's breast.
From there it was brought into the houses,
Into the pine-beam dwellings,
By day to be held by hand
In the stone hearth,
By night to rest in the fire-pit,
In the charcoal embers.

b.

Fire is not born from the deep,
Nor does it grow from the coarse.
Fire was born in the heavens,
On the back of the Seven Stars.
There fire was rocked,
The flame was cradled,
In a golden cocoon,
On the golden hill-top.

A beautiful hand, a young maiden,
A fire-daughter of heaven —
She rocks the fire,
Cradles the flame,
There at the navel of the sky,
Above the ninth heaven.
The silver ropes swayed,
The golden hook swung,
As the maiden rocked the fire,
Cradled the flame.

The red fire fell,
One spark leapt,
From the golden cocoon,
From the silver wrapping,
From the ninth sky,
From atop the eighth heaven-lid,
Through the smooth heaven,
Through the lovely air,
Through the gateway of the hut,
Through the child's bed.
It burned the knees of the boy,
Burned the swaddling of the mother.

That child went to the dead,
The doom-boy to Tuonela,
Having been made for dying,
Fated to perish,
In the torments of the red fire,
In the pains of the burning.
Wet he went to the dead,
Drowsing to Tuonela,
As the daughters of Death scolded,
As the children of the Underworld chided.

But the mother did not go to the dead.
The old woman was wise and wild —
She knew how to charm fire,
To subdue the flame.
Through the eye of a tiny needle,
Through the back of an axe-blade,
Through the tube of a hot branding-iron,
She wound the fire into a ball,
Shaped it into a sphere,
Rolled the ball
Along the field's edge,
Through the earth, through the underworld,
Pushed it into Tuonela's river,
Into the depths of the Underworld.

c.

The birth of fire is known,
The origin of the flame can be grasped:
Fire is the Creator's making,
The flame is the Lord's creation.
Born from the word of Jesus,
From God's blessed mouth,
Above the ninth heaven,
On the sky-side of the tenth.

Virgin Mary the mother,
Holy maiden, little one —
She rocks the fire,
Tends the flame,
In a doorless chamber,
Entirely without windows.
She carried the fire on birch-bark,
Bore it on birch-rind,
To Fire-Cape's tip.

There fire was christened.
Who became fire's godparent,
Its sponsor for the flame?
A maiden came from Pohjola,
Through the snowy stronghold,
From the navel of the icy spring,
From the armpit of the frozen well.
She dared to touch it with her hands,
To handle it with her fingers.
Johannes, the finest priest,
He christened the child.
The name given was Panu,
It was called Tulonen —
By day to be held
Within the golden ring,
By night to be hidden
In the ashy ember-box.

d.

Feather-daughter Panuttari,
Beloved of Lentohattari,
Carried a hard womb,
Through nine months round.
When the birthing-time drew near,
The time to lighten her womb,
She ran from her belt into the water,
From her belt-flap into the waves.
There she bore her child,
There she gave birth to a son.
No one could hold it in their hands,
Nor cradle it in their arms —
It was recognized as fire,
Was known as flame.

Who rocked the fire?
That gentle-natured daughter —
She rocked the fire,
Cradled the flame,
In a copper vessel,
In a brass cradle,
In an iron barrel,
Between iron hoops.
There she carried it to baptism,
There she dragged it to christening.

e.

Ilmarinen struck fire,
Väinämöinen sparked it,
On the tip of an iron stool,
At the head of a golden seat,
With a living omen,
With a burning earth-worm.
He struck fire from his nail,
Jolted it from his joints,
Struck without iron,
Got it without flint or tinder.

The red fire darted,
One spark leapt
From atop Väinämöinen's knee,
From below Ilmarinen's side,
Down beneath their feet.
Then it rolled as it went,
Along the long yards,
Along the field's edge,
Onto the clear sea's back,
On the broad swells.
It burned the storeroom from the perch,
The stone castle from the ruffe.

Takaturma, Äijö's son,
When he felt the fire coming,
The flame descending,
He grabbed the fire hard,
Shoved it into bark-bundles,
Gathered it in birch-burls.

From that is fire's birth,
From that the flame's begetting,
On these poor borders,
On the wretched lands of the North.

f.

That one truly lies,
Idly the empty one prattles,
Who thinks fire
Was struck by Väinämöinen.
Fire has come from the heavens,
The flame was built in the clouds.
It is the child of the Sun,
The dear offspring of the Sun,
Made at the navel of the skies,
On the shoulders of the Great Bear.

There fire was kindled,
The flame was tended,
Near the sun, in the moon's shelter,
Within the golden ring,
Under the mouth of blessed God,
Under the beard of the holy one.
From there fire has come
Through the red clouds,
From the upper heavens
To the lower earth-mothers.
The heavens tore into holes,
All the skies into windows,
As fire was brought to earth,
As the flame was lowered.

Colophon

Source: Elias Lönnrot (comp.), Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Ancient Charm Songs of the Finnish People), Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1880. Section 44: Tulen synty (Birth of Fire), variants a–f.

Translation: Good Works Translation by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Translated independently from the Finnish source text. No prior English translation of these incantations is known to exist. Orthographic variants (Toisin:) are omitted for readability.

Note: The tulen synty was recited when treating burns or when fire had caused damage. The tietäjä needed to command fire by knowing its origin — struck from Ukko's sword behind the star-fields, rocked by a sky-maiden whose silver straps clinked as the heavens groaned, then dropped through nine heavens when the maiden's fingers slipped. The beauty of the myth lies in the paradox: fire is divine in origin, born in God's hands, but wild and ungovernable once it touches earth — burning huts, killing babies, consuming half the landscape before finally hiding in the roots of two stumps. The six variants span the range from the catastrophic narrative of (a), through the mother's grief in (b), the christening ceremony of (c), the water-birth of (d), the nailstrike of Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen in (e), and the magnificent rebuke of (f) — "that one truly lies who thinks fire was struck by Väinämöinen; fire has come from the heavens, child of the Sun, made on the shoulders of the Great Bear."

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Tulen synty

Finnish source text from Elias Lönnrot (comp.), Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1880). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above. Variant notations (Toisin:) are omitted for readability.

a.

Tulta iski ilman Ukko,
Valahutti valkeata,
Miekalla tuliterällä,
Säilällä säkenevällä,
Ylisessä taivosessa,
Tähtitarhojen takana.

Saipa tulta iskemällä,
Kätkevi tulikipunan
Kultaisehen kukkarohon,
Hopeaisehen kehä'än,
Antoi neien tuu'itella,
Ilman immen vaapotella.

Neiti pitkän pilven päällä,
Impi ilman partahalla,
Tuota tulta tuu'ittavi,
Valkeaista vaapottavi,
Kultaisessa kätkyessä,
Hihnoissa hopeisissa;
Hopeiset hihnat helkkyi,
Kätkyt kultainen kulisi,
Pilvet liikkui, taivot naukui,
Taivon kannet kallistihe,
Tulta tuu'iteltaessa,
Valkeata vaapottaissa.

Impi tulta tuu'itteli,
Valkeaista vaapotteli,
Tulta sormin suoritteli,
Käsin vaali valkeaista,
Tuli tuhmalta putosi,
Valkea varattomalta,
Kätösistä käänteliän,
Sormilta somittelian.

Kirposi tulikipuna,
Suikahti punasoronen,
Läpi läikkyi taivosista,
Puhki pilvistä putosi.
Päältä taivahan yheksän,
Halki kuuen kirjokannen.

Tuikahti tulikipuna,
Putosi punasoronen,
Luojan luomilta tiloilta,
Ukon ilman iskemiltä,
Puhki reppanan retuisen,
Kautta kuivan kurkihirren,
Tuurin uutehen tupahan,
Palvosen laettomahan;
Sitten sinne tultuansa
Tuurin uutehen tupahan,
Panihe pahoille töille,
Löihe töille törkeille:
Riipi rinnat tyttäriltä,
Käsivarret neitosilta,
Turmeli pojilta polvet,
Isännältä parran poltti.

Äiti lastansa imetti
Kätkyessä vaivaisessa
Alla reppanan retuisen;
Siihen tultua tulonen
Poltti lapsen kätkyestä,
Puhki paarmahat emolta,
Meni siitä mennessänsä,
Vieri vieriellessänsä,
Ensin poltti paljon maita,
Paljon maita, paljon soita,
Poltti auhtoja ahoja,
Sekä korpia kovasti,
Viimein vieprahti vetehen,
Aaltoihin Aluejärven.

Tuosta tuo Aluejärvi
Oli syttyä tulehen,
Säkehinä säihkyellä,
Tuon tuiman tulen käsissä,
Ärtyi päälle äyrästensä,
Kuohui päälle korpikuusten.
Kuohui kuiville kalansa,
Arinoille ahvenensa.

Viel' ei viihtynyt tulonen,
Aalloista Aluejärven
Karkasi katajikkohon,
Niin paloi katajakangas,
Kohahutti kuusikkohon,
Poltti kuusikon komean,
Vieri vieläki etemmä,
Poltti puolen Pohjanmaata,
Sakaran Savon rajoa,
Kappalehen Karjalata.

Kävi siitä kätkösehen,
Piilojansa piilemähän,
Heittihe lepeämähän
Kahen kannon juuren alle,
Lahokannon kainalohon,
Leppäpökkelön povehen,
Sieltä tuotihin tupihin,
Honkaisihin huonehisin,
Päivällä käsin pi'ellä
Kivisessä kiukahassa,
Yöllä lie'essä levätä
Hiilisessä hinkalossa.

b.

Ei tuli syviltä synny,
Eikä kasva karkealta,
Tuli syntyi taivosessa,
Seitsentähtyen selällä,
Siell' on tulta tuu'iteltu,
Valkeaista vaapoteltu,
Kultaisessa kursikossa,
Kultakunnahan kukulla.

Kasi kaunis, neito nuori,
Tulityttö taivahinen,
Tuopa tulta tuu'ittavi,
Vaapottavi valkeata,
Tuolla taivahan navoilla,
Yllä taivahan yheksän,
Hopeaiset nuorat notkui,
Koukku kultainen kulisi,
Neien tulta tuu'ittaissa,
Vaapottaissa valkeaista.

Putosi tuli punainen,
Kirposi kipuna yksi,
Kultaisesta kursikosta,
Hopeaisesta sulusta,
Ilmalta yheksänneltä,
Kaheksannen kannen päältä,
Läpi taivahan tasaisen,
Halki tuon ihalan ilman,
Läpi ramppalan ovista,
Läpi lapsen vuotehesta;
Paloi polvet poikuelta,
Paloi paarmahat emolta.

Se lapsi meni manalle,
Katopoika tuonelahan,
Kun oli luotu kuolemahan,
Katsottu katoamahan,
Tuskissa tulen punaisen,
Angervoisen ailoissa;
Märäten meni manalle,
Torkahellen tuonelahan,
Tuonen tyttöjen torua,
Manan lasten lausuella.

Emopa ei manalle mennyt;
Akka oli viisas villikerta,
Se tunsi tulen lumoa,
Valkeaisen vaivutella,
Läpi pienen neulan silmän,
Halki kirvehen hamaran,
Puhki kuuman tuuran putken,
Kerivi tulen kerälle,
Suorittavi sommelolle,
Kierähyttävi keräsen
Pitkin pellon pientaretta,
Läpi maan, läpi manuen,
Työnti Tuonelan jokehen,
Manalan syväntehesen.

c.

Tuttava tulosen synty,
Panun alku arvattava:
Tulonen Jumalan luoma,
Luoma Luojan valkeainen,
Syntyi Jesuksen sanasta,
Jumalan sulasta suusta,
Päällä taivosen yheksän,
Taivaspuolen kymmenettä.

Neitsy Maaria emonen,
Pyhä piika pikkarainen,
Tuop' on tulta tuu'ittavi,
Sekä vaali valkeaista,
Tuvassa ovettomassa,
Aivan akkunattomassa;
Kantoi tulta tuohisella,
Koivun kuorella kuletti,
Tuliniemen tutkamelle.

Tuossa tuli ristittihin;
Kukas kummiksi tulelle,
Vateriksi valkealle?
Tuli neito Pohjolasta
Lävitse lumisen linnan
Hyisen hettehen navalta,
Jäisen kaivon kainalosta,
Se kärsi käsin ruveta,
Sekä sormin kosketella.
Juhannes parahin pappi
Se on poian ristinynnä,
Nimi pantihin panuksi,
Tuloseksi tuikattihin,
Päivällä pi'eltäväksi
Kehän kultaisen sisässä,
Yöllä piileteltäväksi
Tuhkaisessa tuhniossa.

d.

Höyhenys Panuttaria,
Lemmes Lentohattaria,
Kantoi kohtua kovoa,
Ympäri yheksän kuuta,
Kun lähestyi saamisaika,
Kohtunsa kevennysaika,
Juoksi vyöstähän vetehen,
Vyölapasta lainehesen,
Siinä lapsensa latovi,
Siinä poian synnyttavi.
Ei kärsi käsin piellä,
Eikä koprin kuopotella,
Tuosta tuttihin tuleksi,
Varottihin valkeaksi.

Kenpä tulta tuu'itteli?
Se koito kesyen tyttö,
Tuop' on tulta tuu'itteli,
Valkeata vaaputteli,
Venehessä vaskisessa,
Kuutissa kuparisessa,
Tynnyrissä rautaisessa,
Rautavannetten välissä,
Siinä kantoi kastehelle,
Siinä ristille riputti.

e.

Iski tulta Ilmarinen,
Välkähytti Väinämöinen,
Rahin rautaisen nenässä,
Kultahisen kammin päässä,
Elävällä ennuksella,
Palavalla maan maolla;
Iski tulta kyntehensä,
Järskytti jäsenihinsä,
Ilman rauatta rapasi,
Piittä, taulatta tavotti.

Tuiskahti tuli punainen,
Kirposi kipuna yksi,
Päältä polven Väinämöisen,
Ala kaiten Ilmarisen,
Maahan alle jalkojensa.
Vieri siitä viertessänsä
Pitkin pitkiä pihoja,
Pitkin pellon pientaretta,
Selvälle meren selälle,
Lakeille lainehille;
Poltti aitan ahvenilta,
Kiiskiltä kivisen linnan.

Takaturma Äijön poika
Kun tunsi tulen tulevan,
Valkean alas valuvan,
Kouristi tulen kovasti,
Tuon on tunki pakkuloihin,
Koivun känsihin kokosi.

Siitä on tulosen synty,
Siitä valkean si'entö,
Näille raukoille rajoille,
Poloisille Pohjan maille.

f.

Se varsin valehtelevi,
Tyyni tyhjeä latovi,
Joka tulta arvelevi,
Väinämöisen iskemäksi;
Tuli on tullut taivosesta,
Panu pilvissä rakettu,
Se on poika aurinkoisen,
Armas auringon sikiö,
Tehty taivosten navoilla,
Otavaisten olkapäillä.

Siell' on tulta tuikuteltu,
Varvenneltu valkeaista,
Luona päivän, kuun malossa,
Kehän kultaisen kes'essä,
Suun alla sulan Jumalan,
Alla parran autuahan.
Sielt' on tullunna tulonen
Puhki pilvien punaisten
Yläisistä taivosista
Alaisihin maaemihin;
Taivot reikihin repesi,
Ilmat kaikki ikkunoihin,
Tulta maahan tuotaessa,
Valkeaista vaaittaissa.

Source Colophon

Finnish source text from Elias Lönnrot (comp.), Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1880). Variants a–f. Public domain (1880 publication). Project Gutenberg EBook #48751, volunteer transcription by Jari Koivisto.

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