| Names: | Kinahmi 
Kurila 
Kurimo 
Kurimus
Kurjus
Kurkkio 
Kurmus
Meren navat (unknown region) Veen navat  
Ritja 
Ruijan koski 
Ruljan koski
Rutjan koski  
Ryönäkoski
Ryönän koski
Ryönökoski
Tuonen koski
Turjan koski
Tyrjän koski
Tyrmän koski 
Tyrnän koski
Tyrvän koski
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Kinahmi, also known with various other names (see above), is a giant whirlpool in or near the northern Underworld. In runosongs, it has sometimes been equated with the rapid of the Underworld (Rutjan koski, Tuonen koski, etc), which is also called a fiery rapid where "trees fall with their roots". With the rapid, locations such as the river of the Underworld, the "eternal well", the "jaws of a large pike", the "red tail of a salmon", and such are often mentioned. According to a Kainuian description, there are spears and sword blades in the rapid. The rapid would likely be in the river of the Underworld, but if seen as a whirlpool, similar limitation of location doesn't exist. Both do, however, bring forth the idea that they would be paths to the Underworld.
Whatever ends up in the Kinahmi whirpool never comes back. Interestingly, as people came to understand the world to be a sphere, the whirlpool could've been seen to go "through" the globe. It is big enough for entire towns to be swallowed. All water in the sea flows there for seven years, and flows out for another seven. This has been used to explain the phenomenon of tides. Somehow, reality ended being more magical on this front than mythology.
As whirlpools don't exist in Finland, the idea must have been born out of foreign influence, and myths of giant whirlpools in the sea are quite common in the world. Rapids, on the other hand, are very common in Finland.
| Kinahmi | Unknown. There have been attempts to connect the word to Ginnungagap from Norse mythology, but this is by no means certain. |
|---|---|
| Kurimus, variants | Unknown. One theory states that it could've originally been *kurjimus, which would make a connection to the word kurja "miserable" possible. |
| Meren navat, veen navat | The "navels of the sea" and the "navels of water" respectively. |
| Ruijan koski, Turjan koski, variants | The "rapid of Finnmark" and "rapid of Kola Peninsula" respectively. The northernmost places known to Finns, and therefore of course the places closest to the Underworld. |
| Tuonen koski | The "rapid of the Underworld". |