Ahti - WikiHQ

Ahti is a water god in Finnish mythology.

In the Kalevala, he is referred to with the name Ahto in order to not confuse him with the separate character Ahti Saarelainen.

Name

In the 18th century, the name Ahti was connected to Greek: Nils Idman connected the name to the epithet 'coastal', which is given to Pan by Theocritus and to Apollo by Apollonius of Rhodes. Christfried Ganander connected the name to Actaeon in his 1789 book Mythologia Fennica.

Initial theory for the origin of the name Ahti was in the North Germanic word ahva 'water', or in the same family of words (ægir, 'sea'). Domenico Comparetti connected the name to the North Germanic word agi, aga 'restlessness, sailing'. Torsten Evert Karsten pointed out how the name Ahti appears for multiple different individuals in runic songs, and saw it as a shorter form of the Viking name Ahti-hariʀ, which later developed into Óttarr (Ohthere). Kaarle Krohn wondered if Ahti is a proper noun at all, or if it simply has the meaning 'haltija'. Martti Haavio connected the name Ahti to the Ingrian word nahti 'seal', making Ahti the haltija of seals, but this etymology is uncertain.

Description

Ahti was first mentioned in writing in 1551 by Mikael Agricola as the one who gave fish from water (Achti wedhest caloia toi). Ganander called Ahti a sea haltija who gave fish and who shipwrecked fishermen called for help.

The Kainuu line went 'Ahti, give us perches'. The more widespread version goes 'Andrew give us perches, Peter (give us) small fish'. Siikala considered the line with Ahti to be more archaic, and the one with Christian saints to be a later-born catchphrase. The Karelian song was one of the multiple ones Elias Lönnrot used to create the character of Aino in the Kalevala.

Epithets

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%;"

!Epithet

!class="unsortable"|Epithet meaning

!Regions

|Meren kultainen kuningas Veen kultainen kuningas

|'Golden King of the Sea' 'Golden King of Water'

|Kainuu, Ladoga Karelia, North Ostrobothnia, Olonets Karelia, White Karelia

|Meren Ahti armollinen Vein Ahti vaahtipaita

|'Ahti of the Sea in a cloak of foam' 'Ahti of the Sea in a shirt of foam'

|North Karelia, White Karelia

|Meren ukko, ruokorinta

|'Old man of the sea, breast of reed' 'Old man of water, beard of grass'

|North Ostrobothnia, White Karelia

|Veen Ahti auollinen

|'Blissful Ahti of Water'

|White Karelia

|Hylehytty, rasvamytty

|'Seal hytty, pile of fat' * has meant structures in which tar was burned or bog iron was processed

|Ingria

|Vien kaunone kananen

|'Ahti of Water, proper lad'

|Olonets Karelia

|Ahti aaltoen isäntä

|'Ahti, master of waves'

|White Karelia

|Satahauvan hallitsija