My theory on Sampo's true identity...
(Minor Spoilers for 2.4) (also, Iâm no expert in⊠anything, really, but these are just my ramblings).
So, this has probably been mentioned before, but I have a teeny-tiny theory about Sampoâs true identity, and it relates to Finnish mythology.
So, âSampoâ in and of itself doesnât have a set meaning, but it has its roots in Finnish mythology, particularly the âKalevalaâ which is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry. In it, a blacksmith god by the name of Seppo Ilmari(nen) forges the mythical device known as âThe Sampoâ. Itâs never quite explained what The Sampo really is; some versions depict it as a mill, others as a cornucopia from which bountiful creations flow from, and some even have it as being a world tree/world pillar, so what The Sampo really is, isnât entirely known. But, what is known, is that it brought riches and good fortune to its holder (again, the same as the cornucopia from Greek mythology).
But why am I mentioning all of this? Why bring up the Kalevala? It could be that Hoyo just chose the name âSampoâ for some flavourâbefitting of a character who magics up relics from seemingly thin air and is trying to create richesâand yeah, itâs a possibilityâŠ
Until I saw these two screenshots from the 2.4 story:
You know what this means, right?Â
Kalevala is a real planet in Hoyoâs Star Rail universe, and I find it awfully coincidental that they would use this name for a planet and not have it related to a certain blue haired conman, especially since The Sampo is such a pivotal element in the plot of the Kalevalaâthere is no way this is a coincidence (I refuse to believe it).
This leads me to believe that Kalevala is Sampoâs real home world, and is where he originates from.
Now, this is all well and good, knowing where âThe Sampoâ hails from, but I want to focus on its creatorâSeppo Ilmari(nen)âand his parallels to a certain blue haired conman. For one, Ilmari(nen)âs name is quite interesting as the âIlmaâ part is Finnish for âairâ or âweatherâ, and as we know, Sampoâs element is that of âwindâ (And also the fact that Ilmari(nen) is credited as âGodlike smith-hero and creator of the skyâ. I could go into a whole spiel about Ilmari(nen) and Qlipoth swinging their giant hammers in tandem together for all eternity (Go Sampard! Geppie is Qlipoth's true heir, you can't convince me otherwise!), but thatâs for another conspiracy theory lol).
So, âIlmaâ means âairâ, and Sampo wields âwindâ.
If the parallels ended there, Iâd just say I was being crazy⊠but thereâs more.
Sampoâs 4th (and arguably best) eidolon is called âThe Deeper the Love, the Stronger the Hateâ. Two out of his six eidolons refer to 'love', whilst the other 4 are to do with wealth and riches. The wealth and richest aspect leans towards The Sampo of mythology, whilst the âloveâ aspect, wellâŠ
According to the story, Seppo Ilmari(nen) is the unluckiest bastard alive when it comes to love. Like, seriously. His whole storyline is that he canât find a woman. For one, Seppo Ilmari(nen) is double crossed by his so called buddy, VĂ€inĂ€möinen, into creating The Sampo for the evil witch Louhi of Pohjola in exchange for her daughterâs hand in marriage (which, Ilmari didnât even want in the beginning), but when the poor guy actually sees the daughter and falls in love with her (and subsequently creates the Sampoâafter failing miserably a number of times, mind youâhe creates a crossbow, a boat, a cow(wtf?) and a plough, all which are somehow either evil or flawed), she ups and just leaves him hanging! (in the original runes, however, he is successful in gaining a wife, as his âunlucky in loveâ spiel was later added by Lönnrot in compiling the Kalevala).
As with any mythology and re-telling of it, thereâs so many different versions of the same event. In âThe Maiden of the Northâ, a 1898 opera written by Oskar Merikanto, both Ilmarinen and VĂ€inĂ€möinen compete for the chance to marry Louhiâs daughter, who is mentioned as being âIlmari(nen)âs first wifeâ who later dies to Kullervoâs curse (apparently she was a bit of a bitch to Kullervo by taunting and tormenting the poor boyâwho was a child slave mind you!). Distraught, Ilmari(nen) forges himself a wife of gold and silver, but he finds her to be too cold and callousâhe forges her out of love but only finds hateâso he tries to gift her to VĂ€inĂ€möinen (who doesnât want her, lol), and suggests he cast her back into the furnace and to âforge from her a thousand trinketsâ.
Hereâs the accompanying poem:
Never, youths, however wretched,
Nor in future, upgrown heroes,
Whether you have large possessions,
Or are poor in your possessions,
In the course of all your lifetime,
While the golden moon is shining,
May you woo a golden woman,
Or distress yourselves for silver,
For the gleam of gold is freezing,
Only frost is breathed by silver.
It is apparently your standard Aesopâs fable of âmoney canât buy happinessâ, which is something else I see in our dear old Sampo Koski. During our time in Belobog, we see how different he acts with the Underworld and Overworlders. To the poor, he actually seems approachable (albeit a bit of a nuisance), going so far as to help the Underworlders (an example being the questline âSurvival Wisdomâ in which he and Peak set up a business together renting out his tools to help the miners make a decent wage to support their families). In contrast, we actively see Sampo being very hostile towards the Overworlders, scamming them and putting the nobles in their place or setting up (an example being during the museum questline where you discover his identity as âMr Cold Feetâ. Sampo clearly states to who he thinks is his mark that âwe are not friendsâ in a very hostile manner, something which weâve not seen from Sampo before as he is usually quite amicable).Â
For all Sampoâs showboating and flashing his money around, he helps where it counts.
Anyway, back to him being unlucky in loveâŠ
In another rune entitled âKosintaâ, Ilmari(nen) goes on a journey to compete for Hiisiâs daughter, and wins by completing various feats, one of them being âploughing a field full of snakesâ:
And as we know, Sampo is very heavy on the snake motifs (the head of the snake on his shoulders, the spine wrapped around him, the daggers are its fangsâŠetc.)
So thatâs another interesting link between Seppo Ilmari(nen) and Sampo Koski.
So, why have I gone on this long winded tangent about Seppo Ilmari(nen) when Iâm supposed to be talking about Sampo Koski?
Well, thatâs because I think Sampo Koskiâs real name is (or a variant of) Ilmarinen.
In the Hoyo universe, I believe Ilmarinen came from the planet Kalevala and âcreatedâ the persona of Sampo Koski, much like how in the Kalevala, Seppo Ilmari(nen) forged The Sampo.
As Iâve listed above, thereâs so many links between the two:
âAirâ as a name and âWindâ as an element.
Seppo Ilmari(nen) ploughed a field of snakes to win Hiisiâs daughterâs hand in marriage, whilst Sampo Koski relies heavily on snake motifs for his attire.
Sampoâs two eidolon names that relate to love (which are completely different from the other 4 eidolon names), whilst Seppo Ilmari(nen) is known to be unlucky in love.
Iâm pretty damn sure Sampo creates his own bombs and tinkers with the old relics to bring them back to life, whereas Seppo Ilmari(nen) is a smith who created the dome of the sky! Theyâre both artificers!
And now the revelation that a planet by the name of âKalevalaâ exists is no mere coincidence.
So, either Sampo is Ilmari(nen) - or! - Sampo is a puppet (like Herta) created by someone called Ilmari(nen).Â
(I would love if his 5* version is him with this name).
Right, Iâm finished rambling. Gonna go huff some copium...
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