Pakkaisuko is the King of Midsommar Oak... and (Perhaps) the Tsaritsa's father.
Speculation because to be honest I made this based on pure vibes and how much my angst-loving brain loves this story so take this with a huge grain of salt.
"What delulu you are offering today Radaedan?" It is...
You know Pakkaisuko? From the Hymns of the Far North?
Prayer Song XVI: Saarelainen, The Stranger of Winter's Day
...Upon the starry steed, you rode across the forsaken isle of Hiisi and the dark, mist-shrouded lands of Pohjola,
There to court the daughter of Pakkaisukko, that peerless beauty, at her home.
Then old Pakkaisukko, servant of our forebears, answered thus:
He will grant the young lady's hand in marriage if you should open for him the gates of Pohjola.
Cheerful, fair, kind-hearted one, you knew well that wicked scheme, yet you went forth freely.
For were you not to go, old Pakkaisukko would have his gullible daughter suffer the punishment instead.
In dark and foggy Pohjola, the Lord of the Seven Calamities carved you into seven pieces.
And that young and pure girl, the daughter of Pakkaisukko, shall never again be wed.
Now, how about the King of Midsommar Oak, the alleged brother of the Tsar?
A folk tale from the northern lands tells of two brothers: the King of Midsommar Oak, who once brought warmth to the world, and his elder brother, the King of Winter Icelea, who loved him dearly.
But a sudden, tragic quarrel led to the elder accidentally slaying the younger, and ever since, the world has been ruled by unrelenting winter.
Perhaps it would be impossible for people to explain why their benevolent king is forever shrouded in wind and snow, if such a tragedy were not involved.
- Bloodsoaked Ruins, Flins's Signature Weapon
Linnea: Midsommar Berries are the symbol of the "King of Midsommar Oak", brother to the "King of Winter Icelea." Legend has it that these two twins have been fighting since birth... They each take turns killing the other, only to be resurrected once more. Each rules their own season, with this cycle of death and rebirth continuing until the end of time.
- Flora Investigation Special Lecture, Linnea's Naturalist Archive Quest
"Okay now we know. What's the point you're trying to tell?"
Hehe... What if I tell you... that they're the one and the same person?
"RadaEdan you must be trippingšš" MAYBE I AM. SO WHAT. MAKING SPECULATIONS ARE FUN TO ME & PERHAPS SOME PEOPLE WOULD FIND THIS FUN TOO!!!
But back to Pakkaisuko-Midsommar Oak King (hereby shortened into MOK), I have some hints and speculations to give:
The Tsar's title and his initial relationship with humans.
Emperor Monomakh laid claim to the title "lord of all fae". And as we all know, his part in the "A Brief History of the Pale Starborn" showed the great length he took to maintain that title. However, there are these lines in particular that spark my curiosity:
Kitezh was the first city in all of Snezhnaya. This imperial capital was built after the custom of the fae ancestors... until His Majesty the Emperor, in his boundless mercy and grace, pardoned humanity and gave them membership in his realm, moving his seat to Snezhnograd.
Monomakh moved his seat to Snezhnograd after he 'pardoned' humanity...
The Bloodsoaked Ruins also doubles this:
The White Emperor, who ruled the fae from the lofty throne of the Pale Star, had been silent since returning from the ruins of the far north. He lingered in the birch forest, deep in thought, before finally opening the door to the humans he had once turned away.
For why he 'pardoned' humanity, perhaps it has a relation to his own nature and his human adoptive daughter, Aksinya, a survivor of Hyperborea he had found in their ruins when he had been exploring it to discover "the burden he was supposed to carry." I kind of forget where, but I'm sure it was mentioned that the fae (but specifically for the Tsar, the Nod-Krai glider confirmed this) were made from the bones of "great beasts" by Hyperboreans. Perhaps the conflicts he had felt about himself was resolved by accepting humanity?
But... is the long-dead Hyperboreans's expectation of him was the only crime that the humans had committed so he had to pardon them? (Plus, as in Luna VIII, the timeline here is still very vague... He could had found Aksinya far later after the pardon.)
What if, as Monomakh was the lord of all fae... there was once a lord of all humans, too?
In the Snezhnaya teaser, we saw how Mitya said the Kresnik's Torch in a surprised tone, followed by a scene of said object-- and then then the whole Snezhnograd!-- freezing over. Later on, that freezing place was the exact same place where Anastasya confronted Ronova.
Suffice to say that it's a hint that the Kresnik's Torch will play an important role in the story. But, what exactly is the Kresnik's Torch?
The Kresnik's Torch is an artificial heat source from Snezhnaya around which every city is built, protecting the cities from snowstorms. Bloodsoaked Ruins implies that Monomakh-- or at least, people under his reign-- built this device alongside Snezhnograd.
A labyrinthine palace rose at the edge of the frozen earth, built alongside the giant furnaces of Snezhnograd.
Where does their energy come from, one must wonder? Especially since the Cryo Archon's power is, obviously, only related to cryo?
Unless... there's a certain figure related to Monomakh who "once brought warmth to the world", and had a title related to summer?
Credits to @kajen-jpg for the definition of Kresnikš«”
Hmm... a device named after summer solstice festival built after the Tsar forgave the humans huh...
The Tsar's enemy bore his face
MOK's existence is highly contested, with his mentions being prefaced as mere 'folklore'. However... we have long know that tales and stories are often the way to preserve the truth...
This tale in Nod-Krai's wind glider, Wings of the Silent Moon, is particularly interesting. It tells the Tsar trying to defeat his immortal enemy...and to defeat him, the Tsar:
...would need to find a fissure buried deep in the earth's darkest strata. Within that crack lay aĀ tree that grew downward. Upon the tree's tower-like branches perched a raven. Within the raven's belly lay a snow-white hare. In the hare's eyes was a door. And if he opened that door, aĀ world as black as spilled inkĀ would pour forth, swallowing both heaven and earth. In that world, everything was still. There was no light, and no sound. The Snow-King would have to cross that silent realm alone and, at its lightless heart, find an egg.
This egg held the essence of his enemy's life. Shatter it, and the immortal enemy would be reduced to dust.
but when he got that egg that contained said enemy's essence, there was one version that said:
...when he shattered the egg, he finally saw the truth: His greatest enemy bore his face.
While the other said that that egg doesn't exist, and that "the world beyond the door was nothing more than a trap meant to keep him in the void."
Hm... who else had tried to open the way into the arth's darkest strata huh... and simultaneously bore the Tsar's likeliness?
"Alright Radaedan, fancy 'hints' you've brought here. But tell me; how do they prove anything of your theory? And if the MOK is a very important figure, how come his existence is dismissed as mere folklore?"
Hehehe... here's the crux and the most essential hint for my theory bro...
The most likely candidate for the identity of the Third Descender is Saarelainen. Coincidentally, Dottore had said:
Four Descenders have come to Teyvat, and the third was erased for violating the one rule, though the method of that erasure remains a mystery.
- Anomalous Tree Marrow III
Snezhnaya, having a deep connection to the Third Descender (I mean they have the Stellar Linchpin) managed to maintain a remembrance of him. Outside it, the Hymns of the Far North is the only mention of him, and even that might be related to how the book sounds like a fictionalized account (as they are a prayer book that used the Frostmoon Scion's names than their true names) than a true historical record.
Hmm... a figure erased from history...
So! Here's the main train of my rumination:
Kresnik Torch is probably very important to the story
Kresnik Torch itself is probably made from the King of Midsommar Oak's power
But if he was important, why his existence is disputed?
MOK seems to suffer the same fate as the Third Descender, being forgotten and their power used for other purposes
The most possible candidate for Third Descender is Saarelainen.
Why is Saarelainen forgotten? Bcs it was another punishment alongside being cut into gnosis bcs he opened the gates to the underworld?
Why he opened the gates in the first place? If he was ordered by someone, would that person be considered an accomplice and was forgotten too?
So! Pakkaisuko is the King of the Midsommar Oak, and his existence is forgotten because he was considered an accomplice to Saarelainen/Third Descender's 'crime'.
Ironically, folklores and fae tales might preserved memories of his existence more than the official records. Monomakh might have forgotten about him, and the conflicts and questions he had that drove him into Hyperborea and his interest in the Abyss via Rotwang might have related to his loss memories...
And when he was fighting the Abyss/God of Darkness, Chernobog, who could have dismiss...
That his enemy bore the likeliness of someone who had wished to open the gates of the underworld, and was similar to the Tsar's own face?
This becomes even crazier if you think the Tsar was truly born from the Cryo Sovereign's bones... As his twin, the Midsommar Oak King must be born from the Cryo Dragon too. His fate is mirroring the dragons' fate of being vilified and/or being corrupted by the Abyss... What if MOK deliberately chose this fate to spare Monomakh from it?
But this is just a theory speculation... A GAME speculation...
Oh, if you believe the popular theory that the Tsaritsa is Pakkaisuko's daughter? Well! Now we know her father and uncle! Tho of course, take this with a grain of salt. Lemme know if you have another theory for Anastasya's identity.
Tl;dr: Pakkaisuko is the Midsommar Oak King, the alleged brother of the Tsar, with hints like the Tsar's unknown grudge with humans that he pardoned them for; the Kresnik's Torch (named after a summer solstice festival) mysterious power; and the legend where the Tsar's immortal/abyssal-like enemy bore his face. He might be forgotten because he was considered an accomplice to Saarelainen's crime of opening the gates of Pohjola. What left of his memories are preserved in folk and fae tales. The Tsar's expedition to Hyperborea and interest in the Abyss might be related to his lost memories about his twin. When the Abyss rose in Snezhnaya, they might took the face of MOK-- or IS the corrupted MOK-- to entrap the Tsar. MOK's fate mirrors the dragons, by being vilified and/or corrupted by the Abyss, especially if you believe as the Tsar's twin, he too might be born from the Cryo Dragon's remains.
