Akka (Spirit)

Akka (Spirit)

Akka is traditionally a female spirit in Sámi and Finnish mythology.

In Sámi mythology, the first akka was Maderakka and her daughters were Sarakka, Uksakka and Juksakka. Some Sámi thought they lived under their kota tents.

Worship of akka was common, and took the form of sacrifices, pleas for help and various rituals. Sarakka was thought to be especially helpful for pregnant women, and after a birth, a woman would eat a special porridge dedicated to her.

Yambe-Akka or Jabme-akka is a Sami goddess of the underworld. Her name means 'The Old Woman of the Dead'. Spirits of lost babies are soothed and comforted by her, but all other spirits dwell in sorrow. The land of the dead is said to be a mirror of the land of the living where everything is the opposite. So, the dead are buried with the essentials of living (e.g. knives) and anything that would make their afterlife better.

In Finnish mythology, Akka is the wife of Ukko, and she is the goddess of fertility. As they make love, thunder rolls. She could be seen as the female side of nature, maaemonen, the "mother earth" whom Ukko fertilizes. In Estonian mythology she is known as Maan-Eno.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ Guirand, Félix (1959). Larousse encyclopedia of mythology. Prometheus Press. p. 318. http://books.google.com/books?id=EBEPAQAAIAAJ. 
  2. ^ Carlyon, Richard (1981). A guide to the gods. Heinemann/Quixote. p. 257. http://books.google.com/books?id=57YoAAAAYAAJ.