the magic Sampo, and, on hearing this, Lemminkainen begged to go with
them, saying that he would fight valiantly with them. So they took him
on board, and the three great heroes sailed on their way. But before
they had gone much farther, they came to a place where there were lovely
maidens singing sweetly on the shore, but all around were hidden rocks
and whirlpools, and their vessel was near sinking. But Lemminkainen knew
the spell that would compel the maidens to calm the whirlpools, and to
lead the ship in safety past all the hidden reefs out into open water
again. And when Lemminkainen had sung this spell, old Wainamoinen was
able to steer in safety through the foam-covered rocks and out into open
water; but no sooner were they clear than the vessel stopped as suddenly
as if she were anchored to the spot.
Ilmarinen and Lemminkainen then plunged a long pole to the bottom of the
waters, and strove to push the ship ahead, but it was impossible. Then
Wainamoinen bade Lemminkainen look beneath the vessel to see what it was
that stopped them, and they found that it was no hidden reef or
sand-bar, but a mighty pike on whose shoulders the vessel had stuck
fast. At Wainamoinen's order, Lemminkainen drew his sword and aimed a
mighty blow at the monster, but he missed it and fell overboard. He was
drawn out all dripping, and the others consoled him for his failure.
Next Ilmarinen drew his sword and struck at the monster, but at the
first blow his sword broke in pieces. At last Wainamoinen, reproaching
the others for their feebleness, drew his magic sword, and with one
thrust he impaled the monster on it. Then lifting the monster out of the
water he cut him into pieces and let them fall on the water, and float
in towards land.
Thus the vessel was free at last. But the heroes were weary with their
exertions, and so they rowed in to land, and there gathered up the
fragments of the fish that had floated to the shore. Wainamoinen handed
these pieces to the maidens who were with them in the vessel, and they
prepared the most delicious feast from the pike, having enough and to
spare for all on board. And they piled the bones in a heap on the rocks.
Then Wainamoinen looked at the pile of bones, and after pondering deeply
he said: 'Wondrous things may be made from these bones, if only I can
find a skilful workman to carry out my designs and make the
_kantele_.'[5] But no workman could be found who was wise enough to
understand Wainamoinen's directions, for no one had ever heard of a
_kantele_ before. At length old Wainamoinen saw that there was no one
who could help him, and so he set to work himself. He made the arches of
the harp from the pike's jawbones, and the pins that hold the strings he
made from the teeth, and for the strings he took hairs from the tail of
a magic steed.
[5] A sort of harp that is sometimes used even now in Finland.
Pronounced _kan´-tay-lay_. It usually has five strings.
And at last the _first kantele_ was finished, and it was so beautiful
that every one crowded round to look at it. When it was all ready
Wainamoinen handed it to those around to try their skill, but they could
only make discords whenever they touched it. Then Lemminkainen bade the
others leave it to him, for _he_ would show them how to play upon it.
But when he touched the strings it sounded worse than when any of the
others had tried it. And after one and all had tried it, and found that
it only gave forth discords, they proposed to throw it into the sea. But
the harp said: 'I shall never perish in the sea, but will bring great
joy to Kalevala. Put me in my maker's hands, and I will sing for him.'
So they took it and laid it at the aged Wainamoinen's feet.
Then the great magician took the wondrous kantele and rested it upon his
knee. First he tuned it, tightening all the strings until they sounded
sweetly together, and then he swept his hands across them, and a flood
of wonderful melody poured forth from the kantele. And as the wondrous
notes resounded in the air, every living thing that heard them stopped
and listened. From the forests came the bears and ermines, and the
wolves and lynxes. Even Tapio the forest-god drew near, with all his
attendant spirits, enchanted by the magic sounds. From the sea the
fishes came to the edge of the waters, and the sea-god Ahto with his
water-spirits. The daughters of the Sun and Moon stopped their spinning
on the clouds, and dropped their spindles, so that the threads were
broken in two.
For three whole days the magic kantele poured forth its melody beneath
Wainamoinen's skilful fingers, until every one that heard it wept, and
even the master-player himself was at last moved to tears by the power
of his own playing. The bright teardrops flowed down his long beard and
over his garments, and on over the earth in sparkling streams, until
they were lost in the waters of the deep sea. And then the music ceased,
and Wainamoinen laid the kantele aside and said: 'Is there any one here
who can gather up my teardrops from the sea?' But all were silent, for
they could not do it.
But a raven came flying up and offered to attempt it, and Wainamoinen
promised him the most beautiful plumage if he should succeed, but the
raven tried and failed. Then came a duck, and Wainamoinen made it the
same promise. And the duck swam off and dived down to the ocean's
depths, and at length it had collected every teardrop and brought them
to the great magician, but a wondrous change had taken place in them,
for they were no longer tears, but the most beautiful pearls.
Thus were pearls first created, and for this the blue duck received its
lovely plumage.
* * * * *
'That is the loveliest story of all,' cried Mimi. 'How I wish I could
have heard Wainamoinen's music! Was his kantele like the one pappa has
up in the loft, Pappa Mikko? If it was, I wish pappa would play on
ours.'
'I expect they are just alike,' replied Father Mikko; 'and when your
pappa's pappa was alive, I remember that he used to play on the kantele
very sweetly, but there are not many in our land that can play the
kantele now.'
'Well,' said Mimi, with a sigh, 'I suppose there aren't, so you might as
well tell us what Wainamoinen did next, Pappa Mikko, please.'
And Father Mikko began again.
[Illustration: A WATERFALL.]
[Illustration]
THE CAPTURE OF THE SAMPO
After the magic kantele was finished, the three great heroes and
magicians sailed away again towards the dismal Northland. Ilmarinen led
the rowers on one side of the ship, and Lemminkainen on the other, and
old Wainamoinen steered. They soon reached Pohjola and landed near
Louhi's house.
When they had drawn their vessel up on land, they all went up to Louhi's
house, and Wainamoinen told her that they were come for the Sampo; that
if she would only give them the many-coloured lid they would go away
content, but if not, they would take the whole Sampo by force. Then
Louhi grew very angry and called together all the Northland warriors to
slay them. But Wainamoinen began to play upon his kantele, and so
wonderfully sweet were the tunes that he played, that the warriors
forgot all about fighting and began to weep, and all the maidens of
Pohjola began to dance. Still Wainamoinen played on and on, until a deep
slumber came upon all the Northland folk. Then he ceased playing, and
cast a powerful spell over them, so that they should not awake.
When all the Pohjola folk were sound asleep the three great heroes went
to the mountains to seek the magic Sampo. And as they went Wainamoinen
played such wonderful music that the great cliffs opened before them,
and left them an open road to where the Sampo lay hid. When they had
come near the cavern in which the Sampo lay, they sent Lemminkainen to
enter the cave and bring it out. He, boasting of his strength, went into
the cavern, and seizing hold of the magic Sampo, he put forth all his
strength to lift it up, but it remained immovable, for the roots had
grown deep into the earth, and bound it down tightly.
Then Lemminkainen remembered a huge ox that he had seen out in the
fields, with horns seven fathoms long, and he went after it and hitched
it to the biggest plough he could find, and began to plough all around
the roots which held the Sampo down. And in a very short while the roots
became loosened, and they were able to pick up the magic Sampo and
carry it on board their vessel.
As soon as it was safely on board they sailed away, leaving all the
Pohjola folk sleeping. On they flew towards their homes in Kalevala; but
Lemminkainen grew weary of the silence, and asked Wainamoinen why he
would not sing to cheer them. But Wainamoinen answered that song would
only disturb the rowers, and that it was best never to rejoice until all
danger was past. At length, when they had gone three days on their
journey, Lemminkainen grew angry at Wainamoinen's silence, and began to
sing himself. But his voice sounded harsh and unmelodious, and it made
the very ship tremble.
Far off on the land a crane was standing amidst the rushes, amusing
itself by counting its toes. But when it heard Lemminkainen's attempts
at singing, it was so frightened that it flew off screaming over
Pohjola, and by its screeching it awoke all the slumbering people. As
soon as Louhi awoke she hurried off to her barns and cattle-pens to see
if anything had been stolen, but she found everything all right. Next
she hurried to the mountains, to the cavern where she had hidden the
Sampo, but when she came there she found the cavern empty, and saw how
her visitors had torn the Sampo loose from its fastenings.
Then Louhi returned to her house pale with anger and fear, for she knew
that if the Sampo were lost that all the prosperity of the Northland
would be lost with it. So she called up the goddess of the fogs, and
sent her out to delay Wainamoinen's vessel. And then she called on
Iko-Turso--a wicked monster living in the depths of the sea--to swim to
the ship and sink it, and to eat the men in it, but to bring back the
Sampo to Pohjola once more. And she prayed, moreover, to great Ukko that
if the sea-monster should not succeed, that Ukko himself would send a
fearful tempest to wreck the vessel.
First came the goddess of the fog, and wrapped them in such a thick mist
that they could not move. Three days they lay so, and then Wainamoinen
drew his sword, exclaiming: 'We shall all perish here in the fog if no
attempt is made to drive it away,' and with these words he struck the
waves with his sword. From the blade there flowed a stream of honey, and
all at once the fog broke up, and left the way clear before them. But
scarcely had the fog disappeared than they heard a mighty roaring sound,
and the foam began to shoot up from the water alongside, and to cover
the ship. Then Wainamoinen leaned over the vessel's side, and stretching
out his arm he grasped something that he saw in the water, and pulled up
the awful monster Iko-Turso. But the monster was so affrighted by being
lifted out of the water that he promised to leave them in peace, and
never to appear above the waters again if Wainamoinen would only release
him. So Wainamoinen let him go, and the second danger was past.
But now came the third and most terrible of all, for Ukko sent a mighty
storm-wind, which lashed the waves into a fury, and stirred up the ocean
to its very bottom. And at the very first pitch of the ship the magic
kantele was swept overboard by the waves, and Ahto, the sea-god, caught
it and carried it off to his home beneath the waves. Then Wainamoinen
began to bewail the loss of his wonderful instrument; but as the storm
grew worse, and tossed their ship about like a feather, all on board
began to despair of ever reaching land alive. But Wainamoinen gave them
comfort and courage, and he and Ilmarinen and Lemminkainen by their
magic spells quietened the winds and the waves, and repaired the damage
which the vessel had suffered from the storm. And then they went on
their way in peace.
[Illustration]
THE SAMPO IS LOST IN THE SEA
But when Louhi found that all her magic had failed, she assembled all
her warriors, and embarked them in her largest ship, and herself sailed
off to recapture the Sampo by force of arms. Before long they came in
sight of Wainamoinen's vessel, and when he saw that Louhi was pursuing
him with such a mighty host of warriors, he cried out to Ilmarinen and
Lemminkainen to row with all their might, in order to escape from their
pursuers. So all the rowers rowed until the vessel fairly trembled, and
the foam was tossed up from the bow as high as the clouds, but still
they could not gain on their pursuers.
Then Wainamoinen saw that he must use some other means, so he took out a
piece of flint from his tinder-box and dropped it into the water, saying
as he did so: 'Rise up from the bottom of the sea into a mighty
mountain, so that Louhi's ship may be dashed to pieces.' And suddenly a
mountain of rock sprang up out of the water, and before Louhi could stop
her ship it had hit upon the rocks and was wrecked.
But Louhi was not to be outdone in magic, so she took the timbers of the
ship and made from them a magic eagle, using the rudder for its tail and
five sharp iron scythes for its talons. And on his wings and back she
posted all her warriors, and then the magic eagle rose up into the air.
It made one circle round the heavens, and then lit upon the mast of
Wainamoinen's vessel, almost overturning it by its weight. Wainamoinen
first prayed to Ukko for aid, and then he asked Louhi if she would
consent now to divide the Sampo between them. But she scorned his offer,
and the eagle made a swoop downward to pick up the Sampo in its talons.
But Lemminkainen raised his sword, and no sooner had the eagle grasped
the Sampo than he brought down his sword with such force that every
talon was cut off but one.
Then the eagle flew up on to the mast once more, and upbraided
Lemminkainen because he had broken his promise to his mother that he
would not go to war for sixty years. But Wainamoinen, believing that his
last hour was come, took the rudder in his hand and struck the eagle
such a mighty blow that all the warriors fell from its wings and back
into the water. Then the eagle made one more swoop down upon the vessel,
and, with the one talon it had left, it dragged the Sampo over the side
of the ship so that it fell to the bottom of the ocean and was broken to
pieces. And it is this that has brought so much wealth to the sea, for
where the Sampo is there will always be wealth also. But a few pieces of
the lid floated ashore to Kalevala, and it is therefore that our country
has now the harvests that before that grew in the dismal Northland.
But Louhi threatened Wainamoinen, saying: 'I will steal away thy silver
moonlight and thy golden sunlight. I will send the frost and hail to
kill thy crops, and will send the bear--Otso--from the forests to kill
thy cattle and sheep. I will send upon thy people nine diseases, each
one of them more fatal than the one before.' Then Wainamoinen replied:
'No one from dismal Northland can harm us of Kalevala, Only Ukko rules
the fate of peoples, and he will guard my crops from frost and hail, and
my cattle from the bear, Otso. Thou mayst hide evil people in thy
Northland caverns, but thou canst never steal the Sun and Moon, and all
thy frosts and plagues and bears may turn against thyself.'
And then Louhi departed to her home, weeping for the loss of the magic
Sampo, and ever since that time there have been famines and poverty in
gloomy Pohjola. But Wainamoinen and the other heroes returned home
rejoicing, and on the shore they found fragments of the Sampo's lid.
Then Wainamoinen prayed to Ukko to be merciful and kind to them, and to
protect them from frost and hail and bears, and to let the golden light
of the Moon and Sun shine for ever on the plains of Kalevala.
* * * * *
'Ah!' said Erik, half smiling, 'it's a great pity that the whole Sampo
didn't float ashore to our country, for perhaps then there would never
have been any famines in our land at all,' and he sighed as he thought
of some of the hard winters in years past.
'All is in God's hands,' said Father Mikko reverently, 'and we must take
both good and ill as they come to us--it is not for us to say what we
would wish. Let us be thankful that even a part of the Sampo floated
hither,' he added, smiling.
There was a few moments' silence, and then Mimi asked what Wainamoinen
had done about his lost kantele, so Father Mikko went on.
[Illustration]
THE BIRTH OF THE SECOND KANTELE
When the heroes had returned home, and found the fragments of the Sampo
on the shore, they wished to make merry over the good fortune which even
these fragments were sure to bring, but Wainamoinen could not give them
music, since the wondrous kantele had been lost in the sea. Then he bade
Ilmarinen make a huge rake with copper teeth a hundred fathoms long and
the handle a thousand fathoms, and when the rake was ready, Wainamoinen
took it, and sailing out over the sea in a magic vessel that needed
neither sails nor oars to move it, he raked over the whole bottom of the
ocean. But he only raked up shells and seaweed, and found no trace of
the kantele.
Then Wainamoinen returned sadly home, saying: 'Never again shall I pour
forth floods of music to the people of Kalevala from the magic strings
of my kantele.' And driven on by his grief he left his house and went
far off into the forest. As he wandered there he heard the birch-tree
lamenting, and Wainamoinen asked the tree why it was unhappy when it had
such lovely silver leaves and tassels. To this the birch-tree replied:
'Thou thinkest that I am always happy, and that my leaves and tassels
must always be whispering joy. But, alas! I am so weak and feeble, and
must always stand alone without a word of sympathy. Others rejoice at
the coming of the spring, but I am robbed of bark and tassels and tender
twigs, and am cut up for firewood, and then in the winter time the frost
and the cold biting winds kill my young shoots and strip me of my silver
leaves and leave me cold and naked.'
While the birch-tree was speaking, Wainamoinen's face began to brighten,
and he finally exclaimed: 'Weep no more, good birch-tree, for I will
turn thy grief into joy and make thee sing the most marvellous songs.'
Having said this he set to work to make a new kantele, taking birch-wood
for the framework. At length the frame was all ready, but he did not
know of what to make the pegs. Suddenly he came upon a great oak-tree on
which grew golden-coloured acorns, and on each acorn sat a sacred
cuckoo singing its melody. So Wainamoinen took a piece of the oak and
made the pegs from it.
But the harp was not yet finished, for the five strings were still
lacking. Then Wainamoinen journeyed on through the forest, until at
length he came to where a forest-maiden was sitting on a mound and
singing, and her long golden hair was falling loose over her shoulders.
So Wainamoinen went up to her and begged her to give him some of her
golden tresses, from which to weave the five strings for the kantele.
And the maiden willingly gave up a portion of her golden hair, and from
it Wainamoinen wove five strings, and at last the second kantele was
complete. Then Wainamoinen sat down upon a rock and placed the kantele
upon his knees, and after putting all the strings in tune he began to
play. The fairy music resounded over hill and dale, until at length the
very mountains began to dance with delight, and the rocks were rent in
sunder and floated on the surface of the ocean. The trees of the forest,
too, laughed with joy and began to dance about like children. The young
men and maidens rejoiced as they listened to the music, and the
gray-haired men and women were amazed, while the babies tried to crawl
to where the sweet sounds came from.
The magic music resounded far and wide over Kalevala, and all the wild
beasts of the forest fell upon their knees in wonder, while the birds
perched upon the trees about him and accompanied the music with their
singing. The fish left their homes beneath the waters and crowded to the
shore to listen. And everything in nature, from earth and air and water,
came to listen to the magic sweetness of Wainamoinen's playing.
Three days and more he played unceasing; playing in the houses of his
people until their very beams rejoiced, and wandering through the
forest, where the trees all bent in homage to him and waved their
branches to his music. Then over the meadows, still playing, until the
very ferns and flowers laughed with delight and the bushes chimed in in
unison with the magic music of the kantele.
* * * * *
'Oh! I'm so glad that he got another kantele,' cried little Mimi,
delighted. 'And now what is coming next, Pappa Mikko?'
'I shall tell you all of Louhi's attempt at revenge on the heroes who
captured the Sampo,' he replied; 'and how they all failed, and then I
shall wind up with the last story of all!'
After having rested a while, the old man continued.
[Illustration]
LOUHI ATTEMPTS REVENGE
Louhi grew more and more angry and envious when she heard how prosperous
and happy all the folk of Kalevala were, since the fragments of the
Sampo had floated to their shore. So she pondered long in her evil
heart, how she might send them sorrow and misfortune. Now just at that
time the old witch Lowjatar, Tuoni's daughter, came to Louhi and asked
for shelter from the storms and cold, and Louhi took her in and treated
her like an honoured guest. And while Lowjatar was there, nine children
were born to her, all horrible diseases, and she named them Colic,
Fever, Plague, Pleurisy, Ulcer, Consumption, Gout, Sterility, and
Cancer. And then Louhi's evil heart rejoiced, and she took the nine
diseases and sent them into Kalevala, there to harass and kill
Wainamoinen's people.
And when the diseases came, every one in Kalevala, both young and old,
fell ill of all sorts of illnesses, and Wainamoinen at first did not
know whence all this evil had come. But soon by his magic power he
learned that it came from the children of Tuoni's daughter, Lowjatar,
and then he set to work to drive them away. First he took all those that
were ill to the bath-houses, and then he brought buckets of water and
heated blocks of stone until he had filled the whole room with warm
steam. Then he prayed to Ukko to drive away all these diseases from
them, and to send these evil spirits to Tuoni's kingdom, where they
belonged.
After Wainamoinen had prayed thus to Ukko, he took a magic balsam and
rubbed it over all those that were ill, and sang magic spells over them,
and then prayed once more to Ukko for success, and at length he drove
out the nine diseases and saved his people from dying.
When the nine diseases had been driven out of Kalevala, the news of
Wainamoinen's victory over them came at length to the old witch Louhi,
and she grew angrier than ever that her revenge had failed. But she
pondered over what means of revenge she should try next, and at length
she hit upon another plan. She went out into the forest and cast a magic
spell upon the hugest bear in all the Northland--the great Otso[6]--and
he hastened from his Pohjola home and began to kill the flocks and herds
in Kalevala.
[6] _Otso_ = bear.
Then Wainamoinen hastened to Ilmarinen, and bade him make a
triple-pointed spear with which to kill Otso. And when the spear was
ready, Wainamoinen hastened off to the forest to find the bear, singing
as he went, and calling upon the forest-god Tapio and his wife to grant
him success in his hunt. He had not gone far before he heard his dog
bark, and hurrying up to the spot he found Otso standing facing the dog
and trying to snap him up, and before the bear perceived him,
Wainamoinen was able to end Otso's life with a single thrust of his
magic spear.
When Otso was dead, Wainamoinen threw the body across his shoulder and
hastened off home, singing songs of rejoicing as he went. And when he
reached his house there was great rejoicing, and every one came out to
welcome the dead bear, addressing it as if Otso were some honoured guest
come to see them. First Wainamoinen sang a song of praise to the dead
Otso, and bade his people welcome him with all due honour. And then the
people answered with the most extravagant expressions of pleasure and
welcome and admiration for Otso, and offered him all the best things in
the house, and when all this ceremony was over they took off the fur and
cut the body up ready for cooking, and prepared the steaks and joints to
make a grand feast.