In Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, Ilmatar was a virgin spirit of the air.

Ilmatar was invented by Elias Lönnrot, who assembled and edited Kalevala in the early 19th century, as the creator of the world. In the original poems, the creator of the world was usually Väinämöinen (Veen emonen, “the Mother of Water”). Lönnrot probably wanted Väinämöinen to be more like a wizard-warrior, and so he stripped him of god-like characteristics that were common to him in the original poems. Thus Ilmatar is not a genuine figure from Finnish mythology, but a late invention by Lönnrot himself. In Kalevala, Ilmatar is portrayed as androgynous with both male and female aspects, though she is primarily female. Though a virgin, she was impregnated by the sea and wind and thus became the mother of Väinämöinen.

The name Ilmatar is derived from the Finnish word ilma, meaning “air,” and the suffix -tar, denoting a female spirit. Thus, her name literally means “female air spirit.” In the Kalevala she was also occasionally called Luonnotar, which means “female spirit of nature” (Finnish luonto, “nature”).

   Ilmatar’s pregnancy