Tradition: Finnish Mythology
Alternative Names: Virvatuli, Aarretuli, Aarreliekki
Category: Flame
The Myth
The Aarnivalkea is a mysterious eternal flame in Finnish mythology, associated with will-o’-the-wisps and the hidden treasures of the supernatural world. These strange fires mark the places where fairy gold lies buried beneath the earth. Their flames burn endlessly, revealing the presence of riches that would otherwise remain concealed from human eyes.
The treasures guarded by the Aarnivalkea are protected by a magical glamour that prevents people from discovering them by chance. Even someone who passes directly over a buried fortune may remain completely unaware of its existence. To overcome this enchantment, a fortunate seeker must find the seed of a mythical flowering fern. This rare magical seed is said to lead its possessor toward the hidden gold, allowing them to locate treasures that ordinary people cannot find.
The fern seed is believed to possess another extraordinary power: it grants invisibility to the person who carries it. The legend claims that the fern flowers only on exceptionally rare occasions, despite ordinary ferns producing spores rather than flowers. Finding such a seed is therefore an almost impossible undertaking, but those who succeed may gain both the power to disappear from sight and access to the enchanted treasures marked by the eternal flames.
Sources
“Will-o’-the-wisp.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 10, 2026. Section: “Americas.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp#Americas