File:Gallen Kallela The Aino Triptych-2.jpg

English: Painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting a scene from Kalevala, a Finnish epic poem. Aino was Joukahainen's sister who was promised to the old and wise Väinämöinen in marriage after Joukahainen lost a magic singing match against Väinämöinen. Aino instead decides to drown herself.

The three pictures tell the story: the left panel one is about the first encounter of Väinämöinen and Aino in the forest, the right panel depicts mournful Aino weeping on the shore and listening to the call of the maids of Vellamo who are playing in the water. Aino has made her decision to choose death rather than her wizened suitor. The middle panel depicts the end of the story. Väinämöinen uses his magic to fish for Aino in the lake that she entered. He catches a small fish but decides it is too plain and insignificant to be his fiancée, so he throws it back. In that instant the fish changes into Aino who proceeds to mock the old man, that he held her in his hand but chose to let her go. After that she vanishes for ever.

See also the page at the Finnish National Gallery website.