THE FIRST MAN STANDING

The world had never known a man like him, so Wise and Ancient. A man with a voice so soft and deep that it could break shackles and melt the ice of frozen Kalevala. A man who, today, would be called an inspired poet, a hero, a shaman, and a wizard – a semi-god, even. A man among men. A unique human who walked the land when it was first created – a land formed when mythical eggs sank into the depths of the ocean and split into pieces.

VÄINÄMÖINEN BECOMES A LEGEND

As a Wise and Ancient deity, Väinämöinen was born from his goddess mother, Ilmatar, who carried him in her womb for seven hundred years and from which he emerged as a bearded old man. That same mother breathed life into trees, clouds, lands, and oceans; into all living creatures. Although beautiful, the world conceived by the mother was also full of death and magic: mysterious lore that Väinämöinen mastered while it remained inaccessible to most. Väinämöinen ventured far and wide, all alone, with his sword by his side and an enchanted battle song on his lips to combat his rival, Joukahainen, or fight other chaotic creatures. It was he who witnessed the creation of the mythical Sampo. The legend of Väinämöinen’s many adventures throughout the centuries as he roamed the world has ensured that, today, every Finn knows his name and the tale of his birth.

SUI GENERIS HERO

Influenced by the majesty of this living legend, Rönkkö has created an utterly unique and magnificent timepiece. This timepiece possesses a pearl of venerable wisdom from this bold hero in its dial. His name is Väinämöinen, the Wise and Ancient, and his poetic story goes like this…

THE BIRTH OF VÄINÄMÖINEN

I’ve heard it sung:
The night comes alone.
The day comes alone.
Unique was the birth of Väinämöinen,
‘twas the birth of the poet,
the eternal poet who emerged from his mother Ilmatar,
completely ready for the world.
Virgin of heavens, lady of air,
she lived in the eternity of the sky.
Grew eventually bored of the loneliness,
and decided to descend on earth.
She stepped into the open end of the sea.
A gust of wind from the east rocked the sea,
and the virgin became pregnant from the storm.
She carried her womb for 700 years, 9 ages of the male,
she writhed in her agony swimming in every direction.
But the unborn was not born.
Quietly crying, she moaned her destiny,
regretting losing her virginity.
“O Ukko, the god of all heaven, come to my aid and
let me out of this pain.”
It took a while and a Goldeneye flew to Ilmatar and
made a nest for her knee.
Goldeneye laid 6 golden eggs and the seventh was
an iron egg.
Goldeneye nurtured them for 3 days until Ilmatar
felt her knee burn.
She moved her knee and then the eggs rolled into
water and crumbled into pieces.
The lower half of the egg became land and the
upper half became heaven.
The yolk became the sun and the egg white became
the moon.
The variegated spots became stars and the dark spots
became clouds.

Time continued to pass and Ilmatar continued to swim in hazy waves.
The tenth summer came and she lifted her head from the sea and began her creative work.
With her hands, she formed the headlands and coves of the bay,
with her sides, she created smooth sandy beaches.
The eternal poet was still not born.
He was in his mother’s womb for another 30 years in flat and misty waves.
He wondered and wondered how to live in his cramped, dark hiding place,
from which he never saw the moon nor the sun.
“Moon release me, sun release me. Guide me, so that I can get out.
Let me onto the land to watch the night and the day,
to learn from the Dipper how to watch the stars.”
The moon nor the day helped him,
so Väinämöinen got impatient and opened the bony lock with his left toe.
From there, the male fell into the waves of the sea.
He languished at the mercy of the waves for 8 years,
until he arrived on an unnamed headland on a barren continent.
He rose to see the moon, to admire the sun, to learn from the Dipper.
Thus, Väinämöinen the bold poet was born from his beautiful
mother, Ilmatar.

From the Kalevala, by Elias Lönnrot