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Louhi, a MythSource painting
Finnic

Louhi

01Identity

Louhi in Finnic tradition

In this episode of Crawford's 1891 Kalevala, Louhi is the Northland hostess who refuses to divide the Sampo. She appears in the account as a mighty eagle and takes hold of the treasure with one talon. Lemminkainen cuts at the eagle's talons, and the Sampo falls into the sea and breaks. Louhi later says that her Sampo lies in the deep water. She returns home with fragments, while the handle remains in the sea. These details describe Louhi only as she appears in this one literary episode. They do not establish a wider account of Finnish belief or practice.

SourceThe Kalevala, Volume II (John Martin Crawford translation, 1891): The Sampo Lost in the Sea (Rune XLIII), pp. 629, 632, 635–640

  • In this account Louhi is called the Northland hostess and is represented as a mighty eagle. (The Kalevala, Volume II (John Martin Crawford translation, 1891))
Top questions

The quick answers

02Family

Louhi’s family, at a glance

Louhi
Pohjola's daughterQ18690816
03The myths

The myths of Louhi

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Louhi and the Sampo lost at sea

Louhi refused to divide the Sampo with Wainamoinen. Crawford's 1891 Kalevala names her as an eagle when she seized the treasure. Lemminkainen drew his sword and cut at the eagle's talons, breaking her grasp. The Sampo fell to the bottom of the vessel. Louhi caught it again with one talon, dragged it from the ship and dropped it into the deep sea. It broke there and scattered through the water. Lemminkainen spoke words that called the spears and swords to fall silent. The scattered pieces were said to add to the wealth of Ahto's hosts through the ages.

Louhi later said that her power and hope were gone, and that the Sampo lay beneath the sea. She returned home carrying fragments to her people. She took the lid with her and left the handle in the water. Northland was left in poverty after the loss.

Louhi and the Sampo lost at sea, a MythSource painting of the scene

3 sources· checked 2026-09-28

  1. 1The Kalevala, Volume II (John Martin Crawford translation, 1891)T1
  2. 2The Kalevala, Volume II (John Martin Crawford translation, 1891)T1
  3. 3The Kalevala, Volume II (John Martin Crawford translation, 1891)T1

Also mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Louhi, each on that figure’s page.