Portal:Estonia/Featured article/November 2006

Estonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging to the folk heritage of Estonians.

Not much is known about authentic pre-Christian Estonian mythology, as it was a purely oral tradition and systematic recording of folk heritage started in only in the 19th century, by which time the old myths were all but extinct.

One should also have in mind that in the different development stages of the Estonian mythology it would be more correct to talk about Baltic-Finnic or even Finno-Ugric mythology. The social organization of these tribes was rather homogenous; there was no organized religion, no professional priests, no scripture and indeed no written tradition at all. Similarly there was no complex pantheon or advanced system of myths.

This was perceived as a shortcoming by 19th century Estonian and Baltic-German literati who started to create a "proper" mythological basis for an emerging nation, following the Herderian lines of national romanticism. Today it is difficult to tell how much of Estonian mythology as we know it today was actually constructed in the 19th and early 20th century. One should also note that some constructed elements are loans from Finnish mythology and may date back to the common Baltic-Finnic heritage.