Othala - Tuonetari

👉 Tuonetar - the queen of the underworld in Finnish mythology.

Tuonetar is the wife of Tuoni, with whom she rules the underworld of Tuonela.

In the 16th song of the Kalevala, Väinämöinen arrives in their realm. Tuonetar is pleased to offer him a golden goblet, but upon close inspection of the offering, he realizes that it contains a dark poison made from frogs, venomous young snakes, lizards, vipers, and worms. Anyone who drinks this brew, known as the beer of oblivion, forgets their existence and can never return to the Land of the Living. Only the children of Tuonetar and Tuoni are allowed to leave Tuonela.

When Väinämöinen asks Tuonetar to reveal the three magic words he came for, she refuses and vows that he will never leave Tuonela. She puts him to sleep with her magic wand, and her three-fingered son weaves a thousand iron and copper nets to catch him if he tries to escape to the shore of the Tuoni River. Väinämöinen manages to escape by transforming into a snake and slipping through the nets, and when he returns to Kalevala, he warns his people never to sin for fear of being taken to Tuonela.

Tuonetar is known as the Madonna of Death and the goddess of the underworld. She is the mother of Kipu-Tyttö, Kivutar, Vammatar, Kalma, and Loviatar, as well as many plagues, diseases, demons, and other monsters.