Tellervo
Finnish · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Daughter of the forest-king Tapio and the forest-mistress Mielikki, a forest-maiden and herd-keeper of Tapiola. She is invoked in the Kalevala cattle-protection charms (Runo 32) to herd and guard the kine pastured under the trees and to shield them from the bear; in some passages she is so identified with her mother that Mielikki is addressed as Tellervo. Wired as daughter of finnish_tapio and finnish_mielikki and sister of Nyyrikki and Tuulikki.
Parentage
- father: TapioReciprocal-needed on finnish_tapio — Tellervo is the daughter of Tapio the forest-king, herd-maiden of Tapiola.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Runo 32; Tellervo named daughter of Tapio (primary)
- mother: MielikkiReciprocal-needed on finnish_mielikki — Tellervo is the daughter of Mielikki, sometimes so identified with her that the mother is called by the daughter name.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Tapiola family; Tellervo daughter of the forest-mistress Mielikki (primary)
Powers
- Guard and herd the cattle of the forest
Epithets
- Tapion neiti Maiden of Tapio, her standing epithet in the herding-charmsKalevala (Lonnrot), Runo 32 herding-charm (primary)
- Tellervo, Tapion neiti, metsan piika pikkarainen Tellervo maid of Tapio, the little serving-maid of the forest, the descriptive charm-formulaKalevala (Lonnrot), Runo 32 (primary)
Relations
- father: TapioReciprocal-needed on finnish_tapio — Tellervo is the daughter of Tapio the forest-king, herd-maiden of Tapiola.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Runo 32; Tellervo named daughter of Tapio (primary)
- mother: MielikkiReciprocal-needed on finnish_mielikki — Tellervo is the daughter of Mielikki, sometimes so identified with her that the mother is called by the daughter name.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Tapiola family; Tellervo daughter of the forest-mistress Mielikki (primary)
- sibling: NyyrikkiReciprocal sibling link to finnish_nyyrikki — fellow child of the forest-couple Tapio and Mielikki.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Tapiola family; Nyyrikki son of Tapio and Mielikki (primary)
- sibling: TuulikkiReciprocal sibling link to finnish_tuulikki — fellow daughter of the forest-couple Tapio and Mielikki.Kalevala (Lonnrot 1849), Tapiola family; Tuulikki daughter of Tapio and Mielikki (primary)