Louhi's Mask

In Finnish mythology, Louhi was the queen of Pohjola, the northlands. She was a powerful sorceress and skilled especially at shapeshifting. She opposed many of the heroes of the Kalevala, particularly Väinämöinen, from whom she steals the magical artifact known as the Sampo, but also Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen, who both attempted to marry her beautiful daughters but first had to complete various tasks laid out by Louhi. She was probably originally a goddess, and possibly related to goddesses of pain, death, and the underworld.