For someone who is as tied to the North as I am, my knowledge of Finnish lore really ought to be stronger than what it is. But hell, I need to stop putting myself down. I wanted to develop creatively and that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m gathering wisdom every day on this journey, and I’m going to admit that I’m starting to panic slightly that there isn’t long left before the end of the year and the end of my project.
Louhi has been complicated to portray and write about. I always do some preliminary research before taking my photos, then I’ll do more research before I write the accompanying text. (I know on some days there hasn’t been much writing, if any at all…those were bad days.) But getting enough words of substance about her was challenging. There were a few good blog posts, but that was all I was able to find. I only made about a page and a half of notes, and when it came to trying to write about her, I felt, well, empty. That’s why there was no post yesterday. I eventually gave up and went to bed.
I’ve tried again today to conjure up an intriguing text for you, but my head says no. What I can tell you about her though is that she’s the evil ruler of the northern realm of Pohjola, the Finnish underworld. Apparently it’s similar to what Lapland is like in the wintertime. She’s also known as the Witch of the North and the Mother of Wolves. She can change the weather, control the movements of the sun and the moon and shapeshift.
I’m hoping, really hoping I’ll be able to uncover more about Louhi because I’m certain there’s a poem just waiting to be excavated.
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 
I had known nothing about Louhi, so I’m grateful to have learned this. Her roles and powers are imposing.