North is the Night Summary, Characters and Themes
North Is the Night by Emily Rath is a dark, myth-infused fantasy inspired by Finnish folklore, weaving together themes of love, faith, and defiance against both human and divine forces.
Set in a world where the old gods fade and Christian invaders seek to reshape the land, the story follows Siiri, a fierce and determined young woman who embarks on a perilous journey to Tuonela, the underworld, to save her best friend, Aina. With a rich, atmospheric setting filled with ancient deities, supernatural trials, and moral dilemmas, this novel explores what it means to challenge fate and fight for those we love—even against death itself.
Summary
In a Finnish village on the edge of a changing world, Siiri and Aina are inseparable friends navigating the encroaching influence of Christianity, which threatens their people’s ancient ways. Siiri, independent and headstrong, is content with life as it is, while Aina dreams of a future filled with love and family.
However, as summer fades, darkness creeps into their lives—young women have begun to disappear without a trace, and whispers of old gods and vengeful spirits stir fear among the villagers.
One fateful evening, the nightmare becomes real. A monstrous woman, cloaked in black with glowing eyes and a massive wolf at her side, emerges from the forest. She marks Siiri, but before she can react, Aina steps forward, offering herself in Siiri’s place.
The creature takes her, vanishing into a swirl of black smoke. Siiri fights but is powerless against the supernatural force. As she collapses in grief, a mysterious hooded woman appears, whispering that Siiri is needed.
Determined to rescue Aina, Siiri seeks answers from her grandmother, Mummi, who still follows the old ways. Mummi reveals that the creature was Kalma, the Finnish goddess of death, and that Aina has been taken to Tuonela, the realm of the dead.
The village elders, fearing Christian retribution, refuse to help, while Siiri’s father and brother Onni dismiss her claims, urging her to let go. Only Aina’s mother, Milja, and her more open-minded brother, Aksel, believe her. Siiri decides to embark on an impossible journey to Tuonela to bring Aina back.
Her quest is fraught with obstacles. She travels through treacherous forests, seeking out shamans who might hold the knowledge she needs. Some are afraid to speak, fearing the growing power of Christianity, while others warn her that entering Tuonela requires an immense sacrifice.
She learns that faith in the old gods is weakening, making them vulnerable, and that the Christian priest, Brother Abbiørn, is exploiting fear to strengthen his influence.
Guided by cryptic dreams and strange omens, Siiri reaches the Black River, the border between life and death. She summons Tuonen Tytti, the skeletal ferryman, offering blood and silver as payment for passage. As she crosses into Tuonela, she is met with a twilight world of mist, spirits, and eerie silence. There, she finds Aina, alive but slowly forgetting her past.
The dead drink the Beer of Oblivion, erasing their memories, and Aina is on the brink of losing herself forever.
Siiri confronts Kalma, who offers her a cruel choice: Aina may return, but only if Siiri stays in Tuonela in her place. Refusing to accept this fate, Siiri searches for another way. She discovers that Kalma’s power is tied to belief—if the old gods regain strength, their influence can challenge death itself.
With the help of Väinämöinen, an ancient shaman, and the mysterious hooded woman, revealed to be Ilmatar, the All-Mother, Siiri disrupts Kalma’s hold over Aina.
In a desperate escape, Siiri and Aina flee, pursued by Kalma’s forces. They barely manage to cross the Black River back to the mortal world, but their return is not a triumphant one.
Aina is forever changed, haunted by fragments of her time in Tuonela, while their village teeters on the edge of war. Brother Abbiørn uses their journey as proof of witchcraft, demanding Siiri’s exile. The village fractures—some reaffirm their faith in the old gods, while others fully embrace Christianity.
Siiri publicly exposes the priest’s manipulations, proving that it was Kalma, not the Devil, who took Aina. But her defiance comes at a cost. Marked by Tuonela, she can no longer stay.
With Aina choosing to remain behind, Siiri walks into exile, carrying the weight of her journey and the knowledge that the gods are still watching.
Her fate is uncertain, but one thing is clear: she has defied both mortals and gods, and her story is far from over.
Characters
Siiri
Siiri is the central character of North Is the Night and undergoes a remarkable transformation throughout the novel. She begins as a young, headstrong woman deeply tied to her heritage, preferring to live a life of independence in her small Finnish village.
Initially, Siiri is depicted as a person resistant to the changes around her, particularly the intrusion of Christianity into the traditional pagan practices of her people. Her loyalty to her best friend, Aina, is unwavering, which sets her on a perilous journey when Aina is taken by the death goddess, Kalma.
Throughout the story, Siiri shifts from a stubborn and somewhat naive girl to a fierce warrior of the old gods, fighting not only to reclaim Aina but also to preserve the ancient traditions. She grapples with the deep emotional burden of sacrifice, as she is faced with difficult choices, including potentially staying in Tuonela, the realm of the dead, to rescue her friend.
Siiri’s arc is a journey of personal growth where she learns to balance her raw emotions and her wisdom, ultimately embodying resilience and defiance against both the supernatural forces and societal pressures.
Aina
Aina, Siiri’s best friend, serves as both a catalyst for Siiri’s journey and a tragic figure in her own right. Initially portrayed as a hopeful and dreamer-like character, Aina yearns for a different life, often dreaming of family and the possibility of a life beyond her small village.
Her self-sacrifice—offering herself in place of Siiri when the monstrous woman comes to take them—marks a significant turning point in the narrative. In Tuonela, she is subjected to the cruelty of Kalma and the Witch Queen, which transforms her, leaving her emotionally distant and lost upon her return.
Aina’s experience in the underworld is one of identity loss, as she battles with the aftereffects of drinking the Beer of Forgetting, which threatens to erase her memories and sense of self. Her return to the mortal world is marked by a deep internal struggle as she tries to reconcile the person she was before her abduction and the person she has become.
Despite her struggles, Aina eventually learns to cope with her trauma, ultimately choosing to stay in the village and rebuild her life, though forever changed by her time in Tuonela.
Mummi
Siiri’s grandmother, Mummi, represents the fading old ways and beliefs of the Finnish people. She is one of the few remaining practitioners of the ancient traditions, holding knowledge about the old gods, spirits, and shamanic practices.
Mummi’s role is pivotal in confirming for Siiri that the death goddess, Kalma, is the one responsible for Aina’s disappearance. Her wisdom and guidance provide Siiri with the strength to embark on her journey to Tuonela.
As a symbol of the old ways, Mummi embodies a connection to the past, standing as a quiet yet powerful reminder of the values that the younger generation, like Siiri, must fight to preserve. Though Mummi’s powers are limited by the growing influence of Christianity, she remains a steadfast ally to Siiri and represents hope that the old gods are not yet forgotten.
Onni and Aksel
Onni and Aksel are Siiri’s brothers, each representing different facets of the generational divide within the village. Onni, who has embraced Christianity, becomes a figure of opposition for Siiri. His decision to side with the Christian priests and reject the old ways creates tension between him and Siiri, symbolizing the larger cultural conflict at play in the story.
Onni’s transformation reflects the struggles many faced during the era of religious change, torn between the old beliefs of their ancestors and the new faith that is spreading throughout Europe. Aksel, on the other hand, is more supportive of Siiri’s mission and symbolizes the more open-minded younger generation that is not fully invested in the Christian conversion.
While Aksel doesn’t fully reject Christianity, his willingness to support Siiri’s quest indicates a more nuanced approach to the tensions between the old and the new. Both brothers highlight the inner conflict between faith and tradition, making them significant in portraying the familial and societal divisions at the heart of the novel.
Milja
Milja, Aina’s mother, is another central figure who exemplifies the complexity of grief and belief. Initially devastated by the loss of her daughter, Milja finds renewed hope and resolve through Siiri’s determination to rescue Aina.
Her faith in the old gods never wavers, and she becomes a critical ally in Siiri’s mission. Milja’s role is that of a grieving mother who, despite the heartache, believes in the possibility of miracles and the power of the old gods to restore balance.
Her support for Siiri’s dangerous journey offers a sense of solidarity in the face of overwhelming odds and underscores the novel’s theme of the importance of shared faith and resilience in the face of loss.
Kalma
Kalma, the Finnish goddess of death, stands as one of the primary antagonists of the novel. She is a complex character who embodies the inevitability of death and the power of the underworld.
Throughout the novel, Kalma is portrayed as a cruel and manipulative figure, using her control over Tuonela to exact suffering on those who cross her path. Her relationship with Aina is particularly significant, as she seeks to claim Aina’s soul for her own purposes.
Kalma offers Siiri a cruel bargain, tempting her to abandon her mortal life in exchange for Aina’s return. Her power, however, is not absolute, as Siiri’s defiance and the support of the old gods begin to weaken Kalma’s hold over Tuonela.
Kalma is a figure of both horror and complexity, representing the themes of fate, sacrifice, and the harsh realities of the world.
Themes
The Collision of Faiths, the Erosion of Belief, and the Struggle for Cultural Survival
One of the most profound themes in North Is the Night is the collision between the old faith and the encroaching Christian doctrine. This conflict is not just religious but also cultural, highlighting the existential struggle for survival in a world that is rapidly changing.
The novel situates itself in a moment of transition, where the gods of the old world are losing power because faith in them is diminishing. Christianity, with its structured dogma and growing political influence, threatens to erase the traditions and beliefs that have long defined the people.
This struggle manifests in characters like Siiri, who clings to the old gods, and Onni, who sees Christianity as a means of order and progress. Faith in North Is the Night is not just spiritual but tangible—belief fuels power, and as faith in the old gods weakens, their strength fades.
Siiri’s journey is not just about saving Aina but proving that the gods are still listening. The novel asks a crucial question—what is lost when people abandon their gods, and can a culture survive if its deities are forgotten?
The Devouring Nature of Death, Memory, and the Fear of Oblivion
Tuonela, the realm of the dead, is not just a place of suffering but a space where identity itself is at risk of being unmade. The most terrifying aspect of the underworld is not its darkness or its monsters but the gradual dissolution of the self.
The Beer of Oblivion, which erases memory, represents death’s most insidious cruelty—not the act of dying, but the act of being forgotten. Aina’s slow loss of self-awareness in Tuonela reflects a deeper existential horror: without memory, what remains of a person?
Siiri’s refusal to let Aina drink the Beer of Oblivion is an act of rebellion against the natural order of death itself. The novel suggests that memory is resistance—remembering the old gods, remembering those who have been lost, is a form of defiance against oblivion.
In a world where Christianity seeks to rewrite history and Tuonela seeks to erase it, Siiri’s fight is not just for Aina’s life but for her right to exist in memory. She battles not only against Kalma but against the inevitability of forgetting, proving that to be remembered is to endure.
The Female Body as a Battleground
From the moment Aina is taken, North Is the Night frames the female body as a contested site of power, sacrifice, and control. Aina offers herself in Siiri’s place, an act that is both selfless and reflective of societal expectations that women must endure suffering for others.
Her abduction is not just an act of supernatural horror but an echo of historical patterns in which women are claimed, bartered, or sacrificed by forces beyond their control. Siiri’s journey to reclaim Aina, however, is a radical inversion of this trope—rather than accepting the loss, she challenges the gods themselves.
Kalma’s bargain forces Siiri to choose between her own freedom and Aina’s, testing the limits of bodily autonomy. The novel mirrors real-world struggles where women are expected to suffer for love, faith, or duty, framing Siiri’s refusal as an act of defiance.
Women in North Is the Night are not passive victims but figures who push against their fates. Aina resists oblivion, Milja holds onto faith in her daughter, and Siiri carves her own path through both the world of the living and the dead.
The Unforgiving Wilderness as a Living Force, Both Ally and Adversary
Nature in North Is the Night is not merely a backdrop but an active force that shapes and reflects the struggles of the characters. The Finnish wilderness is both a sanctuary and a threat, mirroring the duality of the gods themselves—capable of both nurturing and destruction.
Siiri, as a hunter and survivalist, is deeply attuned to the rhythms of the land, but even she is at its mercy when she embarks on her journey. The shifting paths, the black river, and the whispers in the trees reinforce the idea that nature is alive, aware, and deeply intertwined with the supernatural.
The contrast between the natural world and the encroaching influence of Christianity is stark. While the old gods manifest through forests, rivers, and beasts, the Christian world is built upon stone and structure, rigid and unmoving.
The novel presents an underlying environmental theme—abandoning the old ways means severing the sacred connection between people and the world that sustains them. The wilderness tests Siiri, but it also aids her, proving that those who respect it can find guidance, while those who seek to dominate it find only ruin.
Love, Devotion, and the Tragic Inevitability of Separation
At its core, North Is the Night is a love story—not one of grand romantic gestures, but of unwavering devotion in the face of impossible odds. Siiri’s love for Aina is the driving force of the narrative, yet despite all she sacrifices, they do not remain together in the end.
This tragic inevitability underscores a deeper theme: love does not always mean belonging, and sometimes, even the greatest efforts cannot undo the scars of loss. Aina’s decision to stay in the village while Siiri chooses exile is a painful but fitting resolution.
Aina, changed by her time in Tuonela, no longer fits into Siiri’s world of restless defiance. Just as Siiri, forever marked by her journey, can no longer return to the quiet life they once shared.
Love in this novel is not about happy endings but about what one is willing to risk for another. It is about the weight of memory, the ache of devotion, and the cruel reality that even after saving someone, they may no longer be the same person who needed rescuing.
Defiance Against Fate and the Burden of Becoming a Legend
Siiri’s journey is not just a physical one but a defiance of destiny itself. She is repeatedly told that no one returns from Tuonela, that the old gods are fading, and that resisting Kalma is futile. And yet, she does it anyway.
This theme speaks to the burden of those who refuse to accept what the world tells them is inevitable. Siiri’s story becomes legend, a tale of one who walked into the underworld and came back, yet the cost of such defiance is isolation.
She cannot return to normal life because she is no longer a normal person. She has become something more—something feared, something divine.
The ending, where she walks into the unknown, cements this idea. Those who fight against fate do not find peace, but they carve new paths where none existed before.