The mistress of Pohjola in the Kalevala is Louhi.
Louhi rules Pohjola, the northern realm that rivals Kalevala or Väinölä. She is portrayed as a powerful witch and shamanistic matriarch who can change shape, command weather, and cast dangerous spells. Her daughters become marriage prospects for heroes such as Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen.
Louhi is central to the Sampo story. She demands that Ilmarinen forge the magical object, then keeps it in Pohjola. When the heroes later try to reclaim it, Louhi transforms into a gigantic eagle and battles them; the Sampo is ultimately broken and lost at sea.
A common mix-up comes from the relationship between Louhi and Loviatar. In the Kalevala, compiler Elias Lönnrot presents them as separate figures, but older Finnish and Karelian rune songs sometimes use their names interchangeably. Loviatar is associated particularly with disease and the underworld, while Louhi is the named queen of Pohjola in the epic.