Kohdeelimille

Kohdeelimille refers to a concept of marriage in some Ancient Finnish cultures. The term "kohde" means "object" or "target" and "elimi" means "for women". This peculiarity of marriage was prevalent among the ancient Finnic peoples. The practice allowed a man to formally acknowledge that he was willing to adopt a specific woman as his wife.

Similar to medieval European systems of arranged marriage, Kohdeelimille may have facilitated alliances between families. The husband-to-be, or the man willing to take the woman as a wife, would publicly declare to the woman or her family that he is prepared to marry her in the event of her availability. Thus, if an opportunity for suitable marriage arose, the woman's family were assured that the man was committed to marrying her.

Kohdeelimille was not an exclusive or singular role to be assigned to one woman; rather, the relationship of "target for marriage" was both temporary and available to multiple women, again, under favorable conditions. As with various indigenous and ethnic marital customs, details and nuances of the structure and regulations of such ancient practice are scarce and lack verifiable sources. Some Finnish folklorists have proposed that the practice was more widespread across the Finnish cultural sphere in historical context. However, specific laws or customs surrounding Kohdeelimille remain inconclusive. Researchers speculate further inquiries are required.