Pohjola facts for kids
Pohjola is a mysterious and cold land from ancient Finnish and Karelian stories. It was often described as being far to the north, a very chilly place. In these old tales, Pohjola was ruled by a powerful and sometimes scary witch named Louhi. People long ago didn't think Pohjola was a real country you could visit. Instead, they imagined it was like the northern parts of Finland, such as Lapland and the Pohjanmaa region.
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What is Pohjola?
Pohjola was said to have a very tall wall around it. There were also special gates that could be seen from far away. In the old stories, many bad things like diseases and the bitter cold were believed to come from Pohjola.
People of Pohjola
The people who lived in Pohjola were known as strong warriors. They were also very skilled in magic. The ruler, Louhi, was an old woman who might not have been beautiful, but she had incredible magical powers. She had a husband and several daughters.
Louhi's Daughters
Louhi's daughters were described as being incredibly beautiful. They were so fair and bright that they were almost transparent. You could supposedly see through their skin to their flesh, through their flesh to their bones, and even through their bones to their bone marrow! These daughters of Pohjola were often pictured sitting in the sky, busy weaving threads of gold and silver.
Heroes and the Sampo
Many brave heroes from other lands traveled to Pohjola. They hoped to ask one of Louhi's beautiful daughters to be their wife. However, Louhi didn't make it easy for them. She would give the heroes very difficult, almost impossible, tasks to complete before she would consider letting her daughters marry.
The Sampo Machine
One famous task was to create a magical machine called the Sampo. This amazing device was said to produce endless amounts of money, crops, and salt. A skilled hero named Ilmarinen was able to build this incredible machine.
The Sampo's Fate
Even after Ilmarinen created the Sampo, Louhi still refused to let her daughter marry him. Because of this, Ilmarinen and other heroes decided to steal the Sampo from Louhi. This led to a huge battle where Louhi attacked them. During the fight, the Sampo was sadly destroyed. Some pieces of the broken Sampo drifted across the sea and landed on the shores of Finland. It is believed that these pieces have brought wealth and good fortune to the Finnish people ever since.
See also
In Spanish: Pohjola para niños
