Lemminkäinen
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In Finnish mythology, Lemminkäinen or Lemminki is a god of magic, or else a sorcerer who could "sing the sand into pearls". Lemminkäinen is depicted as young and good looking, with wavy yellow hair. He is one of the Heroes of the Kalevala.
Lemminkäinen holds the magical sampo. He is associated with water; in one myth he drowns in the river of Tuonela (the underworld) in trying to capture or kill the black swan that lives there as part of an attempt, as Ilmarinen once made, to win a daughter of Louhi (or Loviatar) to wife. In a tale somewhat reminiscent of Demeter's search for Persephone, Lemminkäinen's mother searches heaven and earth to find her son. Finally, she comes upon his remains upon the banks of Tuonela and sings spells to restore him to life. Lemminkäinen is the subject of a four part suite by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
He is also called Kaukomieli. Some sources say that he and Ahti are the same deity. Lemminkäinen and the Scandinavian Balder have many things in common in their respective legends (for example both are killed by a blind at the feast of gods or heroes) which has led some researchers to believe they share common origin.
Finnish new-age figure Ior Bock claims to be a descendant of Lemminkäinen. According to Bock, there is an underground temple dedicated to Lemminkäinen at the Sipoo in Finland. Bock claims that the temple was closed and its entrance hidden in the year 987 due to the introduction of Christianity in the surrounding lands.
The Finnish corporation the Lemminkäinen Group operates in all sectors of the construction industry: civil engineering, building contracting, technical building services and the building materials industry.
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