Kalevala Asteroids

Thematically named asteroids discovered by Finnish astronomers Yrjö Väisälä and Liisi Oterma honor ancestral myth:

Ahti 2826, Iku-Turso 2828, Ilmari 2107, Kalevala 1454, Louhi 3897, Mielikki 2715, Pohjola 3606, Sampo 2091, Tapio 1705, Tellervo 2717, Tuulikki 2716, Ukko 2020, Väinäo 2096, Vellamo 2827

(1454) Kalevala

1936 DO. Discovered 1936 Feb. 16 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the Finnish national epic, a source of inspiration for the music of Sibelius [see planet (1405)]. (M 3928)

(1705) Tapio

1941 SL1. Discovered 1941 Sept. 26 by L. Oterma at Turku. Named for the guardian spirit of the forest in Kalevala [see planet (1454)], the Finnish national epic. Tapio is also a common boy’s name in Finland. (M 5281)

(2020) Ukko

1936 FR. Discovered 1936 Mar. 18 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the supreme god in Finnish folklore. Ukko means "old man"; ukkonen means "thunder." (M 5450)

(2091) Sampo

1941 HO. Discovered 1941 Apr. 26 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the wonder-object in Kalevala [see planet (1454)], the Finnish national epic. Sampo was to produce every kind of fortune. When Kalevala and Pohjola [the North, see planet (3606)] were fighting for its possession, out at sea, it broke into pieces, and only tiny fragments could be found. (M 5450)

(2096) Väinäo

1939 UC. Discovered 1939 Oct. 18 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for Väinämäoinen, an old and wise magician, a central figure in Finnish folklore and Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. This minor planet also honors Väinäo Väisälä, brother of the discoverer. (M 5451)

(2107) Ilmari

1941 VA. Discovered 1941 Nov. 12 by L. Oterma at Turku. Named for the master-smith Ilmarinen, who forged Sampo [see planet (2091)], the wonder-object in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. Ilmari is a common boy’s name in Finland. (M 5451)

(2715) Mielikki

1938 US. Discovered 1938 Oct. 22 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the mistress of the forest in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. Her favor was needed for successful hunting. Mielikki is a common girl’s name in Finland. (M 7948)

(2716) Tuulikki

1939 TM. Discovered 1939 Oct. 7 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Also a common girl’s name in Finland, Tuulikki was a fairy of the forest in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. (M 7948)

(2717) Tellervo

1940 WJ. Discovered 1940 Nov. 29 by L. Oterma at Turku. Named for the fairy of the forest in Kalevala [see planet (1454)], whose duty was to protect domestic animals from beasts of prey. Tellervo is another common Finnish girl’s name. (M 7948)

(2826) Ahti

1939 UJ. Discovered 1939 Oct. 18 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the male water sprite in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. Ahti is a common boy’s name in Finland. (M 7949)

(2827) Vellamo

1942 CC. Discovered 1942 Feb. 11 by L. Oterma at Turku. Named for the female water sprite in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. Vellamo is yet another common girl’s name in Finland. (M 7949)

(2828) Iku-Turso

1942 DL. Discovered 1942 Feb. 18 by L. Oterma at Turku. Named for the deep-sea monster in Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. (M 7949)

(3606) Pohjola

1939 SF. Discovered 1939 Sept. 19 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for a place in the Finnish national epic Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. Pohjola, ruled by the mistress Louhi [see planet (3897)], was the home of darkness, coldness and all kinds of badness, an exact opposite of Kalevala. (M 18453)

(3897) Louhi

1942 RT. Discovered 1942 Sept. 8 by Y. Väisälä at Turku. Named for the powerful mistress of the dark and cold Pohjola [see planet (3606)], a place in the national epic Kalevala [see planet (1454)]. (M 18454)

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From Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, 5th edition, prepared on behalf of Commission 20 under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union by Dr. Lutz D., 2003.