The Kalevala is an epic poem compiled in the nineteenth century from Finnish folklore. Väinämöinen´s search for a wife is a central element in many stories, though he never finds one. One of the brides, Aino, drowns herself instead of marrying him. Her brother, having lost a singing contest to Väinämöinen, promised Aino's "hands and feet" in marriage if Väinämöinen would save him from drowning in the swamp into which Joukahainen had been thrown. Rather than submit to this fate, Aino walks into the sea. However, she returns to taunt Väinämöinen as a shapeshifting water spirit. The name Aino means "only". In the original poems she was mentioned as the "only daughter" (aino tytti). 60 000 women in Finland has been named Aino.
