ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the mythical explanations of how the world came into being according to Finnic mythology and how these concepts, although recorded in a rather recent past, reflect very ancient notions of the beginning of the world from a primordial sea. However, these mythical images are linked to the dynamics of the postglacial environment and thus resonated with everyday lived experiences, as even if the land uplift phenomenon has slowed down, in some the changes in coastline can clearly be observed in the course of a lifetime. Case studies discussed include rock cairns built along the coasts of the Baltic Sea from the Neolithic until the historical period, and stone labyrinths, which provide a link between northern traditions and worldviews and the Mediterranean world.
