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Antero Vipunen is a Giant who appears in Finnish mythology and runic songs. He is buried underground and possesses very valuable spells and knowledge.
In some versions, the protagonist is Lemminkäinen. According to Matti Kuusi, Lemminkäinen was likely the original protagonist instead of Väinämöinen. In some runic songs, Lemminkäinen, as well as fire, is called the son of Vipunen. In a South Savo version of the song, "wise Vintti lyyrätyinen" is missing two words when making a boat, and Väinämöinen tells him to go get them from Vipunen in the underworld. On the Karelian Isthmus, the protagonist is called a son of Vipunen.
Uno Harva theorized his name to come from Andrew the Apostle, whose cross would've been misinterpreted as a bird hunting trap (). (2026). 9789524954051, Gaudeamus. ISBN 9789524954051
Näkkäläjärvi and Kauppala (2017, pp. 121-22) link him to Ikämieli (16th or 17th century) (also known as Akmeeli, Antereeus and Antero Vipunen
/ref> In these folktales, he might appear as a shaman who got stuck in a trance and died, which has also been theorized to be what lead Vipunen to his death. Vipunen would've been only seen as a giant after the shamanistic process of reaching the underworld became unclear for the runic singers.
Anna-Leena Siikala focused on other forms of his name in runic songs, which include Angervo 'Filipendula' and Viroinen. "Antero" she considered a later creation after the original name was forgotten. She connected him to the fertility god Virankannos and considered his myth to have originally been connected to a fertility cult, the shamanistic elements only having been added in later when the original context was forgotten. Eemil Nestor Setälä stated that the mysterious Vironvipu in Ingrian runic songs means the same as Virankannos: the world pillar. He guessed Vipunen's original first name could've been closest to the form Kanderva, related to the words kanta, kannas 'base, narrow connecting part, footboard'.
Kaarle Krohn believed Vipunen's original name began with U, as the name appears in South Savo in the form Untelo. He connected the name Viroinen to Virelemas, whose equivalent in Ingria "knows the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and the depths of the sea".
Martti Haavio connected Väinämöinen being swallowed by Vipunen as an example of the widespread myth of a hero being swallowed by a large fish, such as Jonah. In Sámi shamanism, Akmeeli or other shaman's soul that gets stuck to the other side is said to be inside the bowels of a Northern pike. Väinämöinen ends up sailing inside the bowels of the Girl of Tuonela who swallows him in a song. The Song of Vipunen could've also been influenced by the Olonets Karelia and song in which Ilmarinen is swallowed by a "woman of hiisi" or Baba Yaga () and frees himself by forging. Ilmarinen is the protagonist of the oldest known version of the Song of Vipunen, possibly written down in the 17th century.
Antero Vipunen also gave his name to a book edited by Yrjö Karilas, which contains various plays and games, and contains both general and specialised knowledge. ( Antero Vipunen: arvoitusten ja ongelmien, leikkien ja pelien sekä eri harrastajien pikkujättiläinen SanomaWSOY, Porvoo 1950. The 1st edition).
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