ABSTRACT
The belief in resurrection appearing in Finnish mythology concerning death involves a conviction that the body will become alive once again, and regain the soul and spirit. One had to be very careful not to put any metal objects nor garments containing metal into the coffin, since according to ancient Finnish ideas, metal burned like sparks when the deceased was crossing the river of Hades. In ancient Finnish culture there was a custom that after the final ceremonies had been conducted by the grave, the mourners once again took a look at the deceased so that he would get more air in his coffin. Sorcerers had several different names, one of them being “kade”, which in the Finnish language is a direct derivative from the word meaning envy. This last-mentioned connection reflects in one way the background of ancient Finnish culture and, more generally, incantations practiced by man.
