The Myth of the Birch (Kalevala)

A slideshow based on the myth of the lonley birch left standing when man first cut down the forest and began to cultivate the first barley.

Beautiful, paradiselike forests cover the earth, but in order to grow the barley, Väinämöinen, the legendary shaman-figure of The Kalevala, has to cut down the trees and burn the timber. In doing so he leaves one tree, a birch, standing.
In this myth the eagle clearly represents the divine or a guardian spirit that will allow the shaman to be in contact with an other reality. Väinämöinen explains that he has left the tree on purpose for the eagle and other birds, especially the cuckoo, to rest on. Birds depicted on shaman drums and rocks can be seen as guardian spririts. The lonley birch in The Kalevala can also bee seen as a holy tree, a place of worship where man could be in contact with the spirit world. This idea connects with tree worship in ancient times. (More about that in my video Pagana Tree Worship in Finland.)

The birch has always played an important part in the lives of Finns. According to a survey made in 1987 most Finns prefered having a birch as "the garden tree" (pihapuu) to other trees. The special garden tree can be seen as an eco of the family worship trees of the ancients. The birch was also a popular tree because of the gifts it offered to the people: the wood, the birch-bark (used to manufacture many things such as baskets, shoes, roofing material and even primitive paper), the sweet sap, the brances used to make brooms etc.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• kalevala
• tree
• worship
• shaman
• shamanism
• pagan
• heathen
• cult
• religion
• finnish
• mythology
• mytologi
• history
• historia
• Finland
• Suomi
• Carelia
• Karelia
• Karjala
• koivu
• Väinämöinen
• eagle
• spirit
• world
• bird
• druids
• nature
• conservation
• which

[olivernewsweekly]

I never thought about where the birds are going to go if we cut down all the trees. I personally planted about a hundred this spring on my farm. I hope I'm still around to hear the birds singing in them.

[Treewich]

A 100 trees! Good job! I'm sure they will grow to give you much joy. Isn't it amazing that these old verses from Kalevala correspond to a modern conservationist way of thinking! We need land for farming, but that does not give us the right to cut down ALL the trees. Protecting them is excellent management of the Earth, like it says in the verse. I think the words ot the eagle goes for you as well: "Excellently you have managed..."

[moonmaria]

I feel a special connection to the Birch!

Some years ago I had a strong intuitive feeling that I should take the leafs of a birch, just around midsummer, dry them and make tea from them.

This feeling was so strong that I eventually followed it. But I didn't dare to drink the tea until one day when I found tea in the lokal health food store- made of birch leafs!

The store keeper informed me that the birch leafs for one example is a great antioxidant!

Thank you for this beautiful video!!!

[Treewich]

You are welcome. I understand you perfectly, there is something special about birches. Gathering branches and leaves of birch around midsummer is an ancient Nordic tradition that goes right back to heathen times and it's great that it has survived to our days.

[mardukite]

your videos remind me of the spirit of the true Druid tradition

[Treewich]

Yes, we have much in common. That's why I put druids in the tags...

[alexfuntube]

very nice!

[olivernewsweekly]

I was out in my garden yesterday and I have planted some spruce trees along one of the borders. I bought these trees as seedlings a few years ago and they are now about 3 feet high. Well as if by an order from the gods a tiny bird landed on one of the branches and sang me a song. This stuff really works...

[moonmaria]

Yeah, you're right :D!

And in Sweden we also make the midsummer pole, decorated with birch leafs and flowers, and are Still dancing around it on midsummer's eve. That too is a tradition that goes back to the vikings and their midsummer feast to celebrate fertility.

I've often been amazed how strongly that tradition of grace to the nature has survived!

[werewolfchewtoy]

Beautifully done..