The inspiration for Tolkein's Gandalf, Väinämöinen is a demigod from Finnish mythology, and the main character of the Kalevala. He is an elderly shaman with a wonderful singing voice, and a vast knowledge of the world. In fact, he was actually BORN AN OLD MAN because he stayed in the womb of his mother - Ilmatar, the virgin goddess of air - for about 700 YEARS!

When he was born, the world was still new, so the land he had to swim to was barren. A woman named Sampsa Pellervoinen helped him spread life around the land. In the Kalevala, there was no woman, so Väinämöinen had to find one. This lead to hostility from the land of Pohjola, resulting in the smith god Ilmarinen to create a magical artifact known as the Sampo. The Sampo is never really described in detail, but eventually it gets stolen, causing a great search for it, only for the Sampo to get destroyed, with its pieces spreading throughout the world.

Väinämöinen also accomplished many feats, such as slaying a huge pike and making a magic kantele (string instrument from Finland) from its jawbones!

In the 50th and final poem of the Kalevala, a maiden named Marjatta becomes pregnant... from literally eating a berry. Anyways, Marjatta gives birth to a boy, and takes her newborn son to Väinämöinen for him to judge. Väinämöinen determines that a child born in such a bizarre way shall be put to death (completely ignoring his own birth). That's when all of a sudden, the baby, who is merely TWO WEEKS OLD, gets up and scolds Väinämöinen for his sins. The baby is later baptized and crowned king, while Väinämöinen exiles himself "until he is needed once more".