Louhi

Louhi's plan to steal the sun and the moon backfires when the gods learn of her mischievous scheme.

The historical Bhagavad -Pyhäkaavat (Bhagavad Gita) is a collection of letters mostly written by Achaemenids ́ vassals dating back to the pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe. Letter writing begins in Greek Anatolia in 480 B.C.E. and continues in North Europe. Ancient Veda texts are astonishing, historical first- hand information about northern kingdoms established by the Achaemenid dynasty. Previously, it was not known that the Persian sphere of influence even extended to the territory of present-day Finland. Cyrus the Great was aptly titled ́King of the Four Corners of the Earth ́. The Achaemenids were a common factor between Vedic India and Vedic North Europe. Their power also extended to Caria and Ionia in Anatolia. These people spoke and wrote in the Carian or Arian language, the language that is called the Finnish Karelian dialect nowadays. The Bhagavad Gita letters also provide valuable information about their ancient Baptist religion. Many of its features were transferred to modern religions.

Three Finnish siblings head for the logging fields of nineteenth-century America in the New York Times–bestselling author’s “commanding historical epic” (Washington Post). Born into a farm family, the three Koski siblings—Ilmari, Matti, and Aino—are raised to maintain their grit and resiliency in the face of hardship. This lesson in sisu takes on special meaning when their father is arrested by imperial Russian authorities, never to be seen again. Lured by the prospects of the Homestead Act, Ilmari and Matti set sail for America, while young Aino, feeling betrayed and adrift after her Marxist cell is exposed, follows soon after. The brothers establish themselves among a logging community in southern Washington, not far from the Columbia River. In this New World, they each find themselves—Ilmari as the family’s spiritual rock; Matti as a fearless logger and entrepreneur; and Aino as a fiercely independent woman and union activist who is willing to make any sacrifice for the cause that sustains her. Layered with fascinating historical detail, this novel bears witness to the stump-ridden fields that the loggers—and the first waves of modernity—leave behind. At its heart, Deep River explores the place of the individual, and of the immigrant, in an America still in the process of defining its own identity.

Throughout time, people have turned to goddesses as symbols of what they seek -- from abundance to healing, from protection to passion. Building on the resurgence of interest in the Divine Feminine, Julie Loar presents the qualities and origins of an international array of these deities, along with powerful suggestions for putting their attributes to practical use. In a daily-reflection format, she gracefully aligns the goddesses with the cycles of nature and the signs of the zodiac. If you are struggling to attain a goal, call on the Nepalese goddess Chomolungma, as the sherpas climbing Mount Everest have done for generations. Or, for good luck, invoke the Roman goddess Fortuna, the inspiration behind gambling's wheel of fortune. With 366 goddesses to choose from, you will find a deity to call upon for every aspiration and need.

Myths and legends are deeply rooted in the world's literature, language, and history. But what does the phrase "Achilles heel" refer to, and what did Oedipus or Beowulf actually do? Gather round for enthralling stories of gods, danger, heroes, and great cosmic events. With over 1000 illustrations, Myths and Legends explores epic global stories, bringing to life the greatest creation myths of all time, such as that of Brahma and Vishnu, and the Inca god Viracocha. It brings you monstrous creatures and terrifying people including the witch Baba Yaga, as well as epic adventures such as King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail and Jason's capture of the Golden Fleece. It tells how the Masai first got their cattle, or how the Greeks discovered fire and shares legends that explain death, including the story of the Maori god Tane. Originally passed down from one generation to the next, these sagas from all over the world are part of our heritage and touch our hearts. Myths and Legends provides context and meaning to each one, and is a treasure trove for everyone interested in their cultural legacy.

Films are integral to national imagination. Promotional publicity markets “domestic films” not only as entertaining, exciting, or moving, but also as topical and relevant in different ways. Reviewers assess new films with reference to other films and cultural products as well as social and political issues. Through such interpretive framings by contemporaries and later generations, popular cinema is embedded both in national imagination and endless intertextual and intermedial frameworks. Moreover, films themselves become signs to be cited and recycled as illustrations of cultural, social, and political history as well as national mentality. In the age of television, “old films” continue to live as history and memory. In Performative Histories, Foundational Fictions, Anu Koivunen analyzes the historicity as well as the intertextuality and intermediality of film reception by focusing on a cycle of Finnish family melodrama and its key role in thinking about gender, sexuality, nation, and history. Close-reading posters, advertisements, publicity-stills, trailers, review journalism, and critical commentary, she demonstrates how The Women of Niskavuori (1938 and 1958), Loviisa (1946), Heta Niskavuori (1952), Aarne Niskavuori (1954), Niskavuori Fights (1957), and Niskavuori (1984) have operated as sites for imagining “our agrarian past”, our Heimat and heritage as well as “the strong Finnish woman” or “the weak man in crisis”. Based on extensive empirical research, Koivunen argues that the Niskavuori films have mobilized readings in terms of history and memory, feminist nationalism and men’s movement, left-wing allegories and right-wing morality as well as realism and melodrama. Through processes of citation, repetition, and re-cycling the films have acquired not only a heterogeneous and contradictory interpretive legacy, but also an affective force.

Experience the extraordinary potential that stories hold-the power to heal, calm, and rejuvenate. This magical collection of more than 40 tales from around the world brims with wise words that illustrate many mysterious and sometimes simple ways to wellness and happiness. Through introductions, comments, and discussion starters, Livo provides guidance for reading and reflecting on each tale. The stories are organized into four main areas: healing the self, healing relationships, healing the community, and healing the Earth. In addition to an extensive bibliography, Livo offers a treasure trove of traditional proverbs and old-time herblore. An absolutely wonderful reading experience and resource for educators, parents, students, librarians, folklorists, storytellers, medical professionals, therapists, and anyone interested in folktales and healing. All Levels.

This book tells the life stories of nine physically handicapped young adults in Finland. Each of these young adults received the English Kerland/Brainwave home-based treatment when they were young. The rehabilitation was given three hours a day by the parents of the children and volunteers who came to assist in the process. These were the first children in Finland who participated in the home-based treatment program in the early 1990's. The health care professionals had given them little hope for the future due to complications in birth. But their brave parents wanted to do more for their children than the traditional Finnish rehabilitation had to offer. These children developed remarkably well and some of them showed signs of improvement already from the start of the home-based treatment program. Many of them learned to walk during the years. All this encouraged the parents to continue to do their utmost for their children. These life stories give hope to all families of physically handicapped children who have the opportunity to rehabilitate their child at home. This book is about perseverance, willpower and hope, and how parents can actively take part in rehabilitating their children.

Storytelling is an ancient practice known in all civilizations throughout history. Characters, tales, techniques, oral traditions, motifs, and tale types transcend individual cultures - elements and names change, but the stories are remarkably similar with each rendition, highlighting the values and concerns of the host culture. Examining the stories and the oral traditions associated with different cultures offers a unique view of practices and traditions."Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore" brings past and present cultures of the world to life through their stories, oral traditions, and performance styles. It combines folklore and mythology, traditional arts, history, literature, and festivals to present an overview of world cultures through their liveliest and most fascinating mode of expression. This appealing resource includes specific storytelling techniques as well as retellings of stories from various cultures and traditions.