Väinämöinen, in Finnish folklore, a central figure of many ancient mythological songs and a culture hero to whom everything miraculous and wonderful is attributed. Väinämöinen is variously described as a deity who existed in the mythic past before the world’s creation (in which he took part), as an extraordinary shaman who was a master of magic songs and incantations, and as the “eternal sage,” an immortal wise man. Väinämöinen’s power, which derives from his wisdom, allows him to descend to the realm of the dead and return unharmed (as when he steals the sampo, the pillar supporting the heavens) and to vanquish his opponent, Joukahainen, in a duel in which the weapons are magic songs. He is leader, judge, healer, and the bard whose singing enchants all who hear it.