Saarelainen

Saarelainen, also known as the Stranger of Winter's Day, was the Third Descender of Teyvat. During an unspecified time period between the war of funerary flame and the Archon War, he was slain by the Heavenly Principles in Pohjola, and his remains were turned into the seven Gnoses.^{[1][Note 1]}

Profile

Saarelainen is described as a cheerful, fair, and kind-hearted lad.^[1] He is also said to be noble-born, nobly raised, gentle, and valiant.^[1] As Saarelainen's remains were used to make the Gnoses, which can enhance elemental abilities, it is speculated by Paimon and the Traveler that he may have had an inherent affinity for elemental power.^[2]

Story

Thousands of years ago, sometime after the end of the war of funerary flame,^[3] Saarelainen arrived to Teyvat from the sea of stars, landing in ancient Snezhnaya.^[4] He traveled across the forsaken isle of Hiisi Island and the dark, mist-shrouded lands of Pohjola to court the daughter of Pakkaisukko, a maiden of peerless beauty. Pakkaisukko agreed to grant his daughter's hand in marriage, but only on the condition that Saarelainen open the gates of Pohjola for him. Despite knowing that he would be punished severely by the Heavenly Principles for doing so, Saarelainen willingly opened the gates so that Pakkaisukko would not send his daughter to do it instead. After Saarelainen entered Pohjola, he was killed by the Heavenly Principles, who then collaborated with "one who came after" to split Saarelainen's corpse into the seven Gnoses.^[3][2] The young and pure daughter of Pakkaisukko would never again be wed.^[1]

According to Dottore, Saarelainen was "erased" for breaking an unspecified rule, though he was unsure as to how it was done.^[5]

Since the Gnoses were used to consolidate the Archon system, the manifestations of Visions, which are derived from the Archon system, are connected to Saarelainen. According to Fatui research, Stellar Linchpins have a relation to Saarelainen, and when a Stellar Linchpin manifests, impurities from his remains get fixed in place.^[6]

Trivia

• Certain aspects of Saarelainen has parallels with the legends surrounding Ajax:
  • Ajax took only enough gold from the dragon he slew to "cure his sick friends,"^[7] while Saarelainen is specifically called upon by the Frostmoon Scions to heal wounds and cure disease.^[1]
  • Ajax's star-crossed lover was a Snegurochka (Russian: Снегурочка lit. "Snow Maiden"). Saarelainen's lover was the daughter of Pakkaisukko.^[1] The name "Pakkaisukko" is derived from the Finnish pakkasukko, meaning "Father Frost" — a figure who, in Eastern Slavic tradition, is also the identity of Snegurochka's grandfather.
    • Pakkaisukko is described as a servant of the Hyperboreans (the ancestors of the Frostmoon Scions), and servants of the Hyperboreans have all been fae.^[8] Some fae are capable of transforming into human appearances,^[9] which is based on the mythological changeling. Ajax was separated from the Snegurochka due to the "wicked tricks of the changelings," while Pakkaisukko's "wicked scheme" involved having Saarelainen "open the gates of Pohjola" as a condition for marrying his daughter, knowing that whoever did so would be punished by the Heavenly Principles.^[1]

Etymology

• Saarelainen is a Finnish surname meaning "islander".
  • Saarelainen is most likely a reference to the character "Lemminkäinen", also known as "Ahti Saarelainen," from the Finnish epic Kalevala. In it, Lemminkäinen goes to Pohjola to woo the daughter of Louhi. In some literary traditions, he is killed and thrown into the Tuonela River, but is rescued and resurrected by his mother; others leave him dead.^[10]

Notes

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References