This article is about the Finnish mythic hero. For the fictional city in the Star Wars universe, go to Manaan.

In Finnish mythology

Finnish mythology

Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...

, Ahti or Ahto is one of the heroic figures Elias Lönnrot compiled in the character of Lemminkäinen

Lemminkäinen

Lemminkäinen or Lemminki is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. He is one of the Heroes of the Kalevala, where his character is a composition of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good looking, with wavy blonde hair.The original, mythological...

. Ahti is described as a fierce warrior who vows to live in peace after gaining Kyllikki as his wife (in spite of being widely regarded by scholars as homosexual), but breaks the oath and falls in a combat.

Sometimes the name of Ahti is used of a god

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

 of the sea

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

 and of fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, portrayed as a man with a handlebar moustache and beard

Beard

A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...

 of moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

. He is the consort of Vellamo

Vellamo

In Finnish mythology, Vellamo is the goddess of the sea, the wife of Ahti. The name is derived from velloa, "to rock oneself." She is sometimes described as "cold hearted". Along with Ahti, she dwells in the undersea palace of Ahtola. She is often pictured as a mermaid.-External links:*"Vellamo."...

, and they dwell in the undersea palace

Palace

A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...

 of Ahtola. He probably possesses some fragments of Sampo

Sampo

In Finnish mythology, the Sampo or Sammas was a magical artifact of indeterminate type constructed by Ilmarinen that brought good fortune to its holder...

, which was broken and then lost at sea after a battle. Also Vetehinen and Iku-Turso

Iku-Turso

Iku-Turso is a malevolent sea monster in the Finnish mythology. Nowadays Meritursas means octopus in Finnish, named after Iku-Turso, but originally tursas is an old name for walrus while the more common term is mursu. However, it is more common to see the word Iku-Turso is a malevolent sea...

 live underwater with Ahti.

Popular culture

Finnish Folk metal

Folk metal

Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...

 band Ensiferum

Ensiferum

Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...

 has a song on their 2007 album Victory Songs

Victory Songs

Victory Songs is the third full-length album by the Finnish viking / folk metal band Ensiferum. It was released on April 20, 2007 by Spinefarm...

 titled Ahti. Lyrically, the song describes a god of the sea. The music video however, is about the hero that falls in combat.

In the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...

 by Canadian developer BioWare

BioWare

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...

 the player visits the planet Manaan, the capital of the planet is called Ahto City.