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Wars of the Kalevala

Theft of the Sampo

700 BC Pohjola Status: ended Casualties: The Sampo shattered; Louhi maimed

Ilmarinen had forged the Sampo — the mill of plenty that ground out salt, meal, and gold. Väinämöinen and his companions sailed to seize it back from Louhi. He played his kantele of pike-bone until all Pohjola slept; the heroes loaded the Sampo and fled. Louhi pursued as a great bird; in the battle the Sampo was broken, its pieces falling into the sea — which is why the sea is rich and the land is not. Kalevala 39–43.

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Belligerents

  • Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, Lemminkäinen
  • Louhi, mistress of Pohjola

Casualties

The Sampo shattered; Louhi maimed

Sources

  • Kalevala (Lönnrot, 1849), runos 39–43
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.