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Antero Vipunen is a giant who appears in Finnish mythology and Kalevala folk poetry. He is buried underground and possesses very valuable spells and knowledge.
Myths & Legends[]
Väinämöinen Goes To Find Words[]
The god-hero Väinämöinen has a spell with three words, or luotes, missing. In order to obtain them, he goes to wake up Vipunen by pushing sharp stakes into his grave and through his mouth and stomach. Väinämöinen hits Vipunen in the stomach so hard that he gives up the luotes to be rid of the stomachache.
Epic Poem Kalevala[]
In Kalevala, Antero Vipunen is a giant shaman who possesses mighty spells dating back to the creation. Epic hero Väinämöinen sets out to learn these spells from him, but Vipunen is buried underground, and when Väinämöinen digs him out, he is accidentally swallowed by Vipunen. Väinämöinen forces Vipunen to submit and sing the spells by hammering his insides. An analysis by Martti Haavio is that Vipunen is not physically large, but his familiar animal (astral form) is a whale. The depiction is not found in the majority of Finnish original stories, and most probably originates from the book's compiler Elias Lönnrot.
References[]
"Väinämöinen ja Antero Vipunen". parkkinen.org.