the Iliad in length and completeness; nay, if we can forget for a
moment, all that we in our youth learned to call beautiful, not less
beautiful. A Finn is not a Greek, and Wainamoinen was not a Homer
[Achilles?]; but if the poet may take his colors from that nature by
which he is surrounded, if he may depict the men with whom he lives,
the Kalevala possesses merits not dissimilar from those of the Illiad,
and will claim its place as the fifth national epic of the world, side
by side with the Ionian Songs, with the Mahabharata, the Shalinameth,
and the Nibelunge."
Steinthal recognizes but four great national epics, viz., the Iliad,
Kalevala, Nibelunge and the Roland Songs.
The Kalevala describes Finnish nature very minutely and very
beautifully. Grimm says that no poem is to be compared with it in this
respect, unless it be some of the epics of India. It has been
translated into several European languages; into Swedish by Alex.
Castren, in 1844; into French prose by L. LeDuc, in 1845; into German
by Anton Schiefuer, in 1852; into Hungarian by Ferdinand Barna, in
1871; and a very small portion of it--the legend of Aino--into English,
in 1868, by the late Prof. John A. Porter, of Yale College. It must
remain a matter of universal regret to the English-speaking people that
Prof. Porter's life could not have been spared to finish the great work
he had so beautifully begun.
Some of the most convincing evidences of the genuineness and great age
of the Kalevala have been supplied by the Hungarian translator. The
Hungarians, as is well known, are closely related to the Finns, and
their language, the Magyar dialect, has the same characteristic
features as the Finnish tongue. Barna's translation, accordingly, is
the best rendering of the original. In order to show the genuineness
and antiquity of the Kalevala, Barna adduces a Hungarian book written
by a certain Peter Bornemissza, in 1578, entitled ordogi Kisertetekrol
(on Satanic Specters), the unique copy of which he found in the library
of the University of Budapest. In this book Bornemissza collected all
the incantations (raolvasasok) in use among Hungarian country-people of
his day for the expulsion of diseases and misfortunes. These
incantations, forming the common stock of all Ugrian peoples, of which
the Finns and Hungarians are branches, display a most satisfactory
sameness with the numerous incantations of the Kalevala used for the
same purpose. Barna published an elaborate treatise on this subject;
it appeared in the, Transactions of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
Philological Department, for 1870. Again, in 1868, twenty-two
Hungarian deeds, dating from 1616-1660, were sent to the Hungarian
Academy of Sciences, as having been found in the Hegyalja, where the
celebrated wine of Tokay is made. These deeds contained several
contracts for the sale of vineyards, and at the end of each deed the
customary cup of wine was said to have been emptied by both parties to
the contract. This cup of wine, in the deeds, was termed, "Ukkon's
cup." Ukko, however, is the chief God according to Finnish mythology,
and thus the coincidence of the Magyar Ukkon and the Finnish Ukko was
placed beyond doubt.
The Kalevala (the Land of Heroes) relates the ever-varying contests
between the Finns and the "darksome Laplanders", just as the Iliad
relates the contests between the Greeks and the Trojans. Castren is of
the opinion that the enmity between the Finns and the Lapps was sung
long before the Finns had left their Asiatic birth-place.
A deeper and more esoteric meaning of the Kalevala, however, points to
a contest between Light and Darkness, Good and Evil; the Finns
representing the Light and the Good, and the Lapps, the Darkness and
the Evil. Like the Niebelungs, the heroes of the Finns woo for brides
the beauteous maidens of the North; and the similarity is rendered
still more striking by their frequent inroads into the country of the
Lapps, in order to possess themselves of the envied treasure of
Lapland, the mysterious Sampo, evidently the Golden Fleece of the
Argonautic expedition. Curiously enough public opinion is often
expressed in the runes, in the words of an infant; often too the
unexpected is introduced after the manner of the Greek dramas, by a
young child, or an old man.
The whole poem is replete with the most fascinating folk-lore about the
mysteries of nature, the origin of things, the enigmas of human tears,
and, true to the character of a national epic, it represents not only
the poetry, but the entire wisdom and accumulated experience of a
nation. Among others, there is a profoundly philosophical trait in the
poem, indicative of a deep insight into the workings of the human mind,
and into the forces of nature. Whenever one of the heroes of the
Kalevala wishes to overcome the aggressive power of an evil force, as a
wound, a disease, a ferocious beast, or a venomous serpent, he achieves
his purpose by chanting the origin of the inimical force. The thought
underlying this idea evidently is that all evil could be obviated had
we but the knowledge of whence and how it came.
The numerous myths of the poem are likewise full of significance and
beauty, and the Kalevala should be read between the lines, in order
that the fall meaning of this great epic may be comprehended. Even
such a hideous impersonation as that of Kullerwoinen, is rich with
pointed meaning, showing as it does, the incorrigibility of ingrained
evil. This legend, like all others of the poem, has its deep-running
stream of esoteric interpretation. The Kalevala, perhaps, more than
any other, uses its lines on the surface in symbolism to point the
human mind to the brighter gems of truth beneath.
The three main personages, Wainamoinen, the ancient singer, Ilmarinen,
the eternal forgeman, and Lemminkainen, the reckless wizard, as
mentioned above, are conceived as being of divine origin. In fact, the
acting characters of the Kalevala are mostly superhuman, magic beings.
Even the female actors are powerful sorceresses, and the hostess of
Pohyola, especially, braves the might of all the enchanters of Wainola
combined. The power of magic is a striking feature of the poem. Here,
as in the legends of no other people, do the heroes and demi-gods
accomplish nearly everything by magic. The songs of Wainamoinen disarm
his opponents; they quiet the angry sea; they give warmth to the new
sun and the new moon which his brother, Ilmarinen, forges from the
magic metals; they give life to the spouse of Ilmarinen, which the
"eternal metal-artist" forges from gold, silver, and copper. In fact
we are among a people that endows everything with life, and with human
and divine attributes. Birds, and beasts, and fishes, and serpents, as
well as the Sun, the Moon, the Great Bear, and the stars, are either
kind or unkind. Drops of blood find speech; men and maidens transform
themselves into other shapes and resume again their native forms at
will; ships, and trees, and waters, have magic powers; in short, all
nature speaks in human tongues.
The Kalevala dates back to an enormous antiquity. One reason for
believing this, lies in the silence of the Kalevala about Russians,
Germans, or Swedes, their neighbors. This evidently shows that the
poem must have been composed at a time when these nations had but very
little or no intercourse with the Finns. The coincidence between the
incantations adduced above, proves that these witch-songs date from a
time when the Hungarians and the Finns were still united as one people;
in other words, to a time at least 3000 years ago. The whole poem
betrays no important signs of foreign influence, and in its entire
tenor is a thoroughly pagan epic. There are excellent reasons for
believing that the story of Mariatta, recited in the 50th Rune, is an
ante-Christian legend.
An additional proof of the originality and independent rise of the
Kalevala is to be found in its metre. All genuine poetry must have its
peculiar verse, just as snow-flakes cannot exist without their peculiar
crystalizations. It is thus that the Iliad is inseparably united, and,
as it were, immersed in the stately hexametre, and the French epics, in
the graceful Alexandrine verse. The metre of the Kalevala is the
"eight-syllabled trochaic, with the part-line echo," and is the
characteristic verse of the Finns. The natural speech of this people
is poetry. The young men and maidens, the old men and matrons, in
their interchange of ideas, unwittingly fall into verse. The genius of
their language aids to this end, inasmuch as their words are strongly
trochaic.
This wonderfully versatile metre admits of keeping the right medium
between the dignified, almost prancing hexameter, and the shorter
metres of the lyrics. Its feet are nimble and fleet, but yet full of
vigor and expressiveness. In addition, the Kalevala uses alliteration,
and thus varies the rhythm of time with the rhythm of sound. This
metre is especially fit for the numerous expressions of endearment in
which the Finnish epic abounds. It is more especially the love of the
mother for her children, and the love of the children for their mother,
that find frequent and ever-tender expression in the sonorous lines of
the Kalevala. The Swedish translation by Castren, the German, by
Schiefner, and the Hungarian, by Barna, as well as the following
English translation, are in the original metre of the Kalevala.
To prove that this peculiar and fascinating style of verse is of very
ancient origin, the following lines have been accurately copied from
the first edition in Finnish of the Kalevala, collated by Dr. Lonnrot,
and published in 1835 at Helsingfors, the quotation beginning with the
150th line of the 2nd Rune:
Louhi Pohjolan emanta
Sanan wirkko, noin nimesi:
"Niin mita minulleannat,
Kun saatan omille maille,
Oman pellon pientarelle,
Oman pihan rikkasille?"
Sano wanha Wainamoinen:
"Mitapa kysyt minulta,
Kun saatat omille maille,
Oman kaën kukkumille,
Oman kukon kukkluwille,
Oman saunan lampimille?"
Sano Pohjolan emanta:
"Ohoh wiisas Wainamoinen!
Taiatko takoa sammon,
Kirjokannen kirjaëlla,
Yhen joukkosen sulasta,
Yhen willan kylkyesta,
Yhen otrasen jywasta,
Yhen warttinan muruista."
As to the architecture of the Kalevala, it stands midway between the
epical ballads of the Servians and the purely epical structure of the
Iliad. Though a continuous whole, it contains several almost
independent parts, as the contest of Youkahainen, the Kullervo episode,
and the legend of Mariatta.
By language-masters this epic of Suomi, descending unwritten from the
mythical age to the present day, kept alive from generation to
generation by minstrels, or song-men, is regarded as one of the most
precious contributions to the literature of the world, made since the
time of Milton and the German classics.
Acknowledgment is hereby made to the following sources of information
used in the preparation of this work: to E. Lenquist's De Superstitione
veterum Fennorum theoretica et practica; to Chr. Ganander's Mythologia
Fennica; to Becker's De Vainamoine; to Max Müller's Oxford Essays; to
Prof. John A. Porter's Selections from the Kalevala; to the writings of
the two Grimms; to Latham's Native Races of the Russian Empire; to the
translations of the Kalevala by Alex. Castren, Anton Schieffier, L.
LeDuc and Ferdinand Barna; and especially to the excellent treatises on
the Kalevala, and on the Mythology of the Finns, by Mace Da Charda and
Alex. Castren; to Prof. Helena Klingner, of Cincinnati, a linguist of
high rank, and who has compared very conscientiously the manuscript of
the following pages with the German translation of the Kalevala by
Anton Schiefner; to Dr. Emil Reich, a native Hungarian, a close student
of the Ugrian tongues, who, in a most thorough manner, has compared
this translation with the Hungarian by Ferdinand Barna, and who,
familiar with the habits, customs, and religious notions of the Finns,
has furnished much valuable material used in the preparation of this
preface; and, finally, to Prof. Thomas C. Porter, D.D., LL.D., of
Lafayette College, who has become an authority on the Kalevala through
his own researches for many years, aided by a long and intimate
acquaintance with Prof. A. F. Soldan, a Finn by birth, an enthusiastic
lover of his country, a scholar of great attainments, acquainted with
many languages, and once at the head of the Imperial Mint at
Helsingfors, the capital of Finland. Prof. Porter has very kindly
placed in the hands of the author of these pages, all the literature on
this subject at his command, including his own writings; he has watched
the growth of this translation with unusual interest; and, with the eye
of a gifted poet and scholar, he has made two careful and critical
examinations of the entire manuscript, making annotations, emendations,
and corrections, by which this work has been greatly improved.
With this prolonged introduction, this, the first English translation
of the Kalevala, with its many imperfections, is hesitatingly given to
the public.
JOHN MARTIN CRAWFORD.
October 1, 1887.
THE KALEVALA.
PROEM.
MASTERED by desire impulsive,
By a mighty inward urging,
I am ready now for singing,
Ready to begin the chanting
Of our nation's ancient folk-song
Handed down from by-gone ages.
In my mouth the words are melting,
From my lips the tones are gliding,
From my tongue they wish to hasten;
When my willing teeth are parted,
When my ready mouth is opened,
Songs of ancient wit and wisdom
Hasten from me not unwilling.
Golden friend, and dearest brother,
Brother dear of mine in childhood,
Come and sing with me the stories,
Come and chant with me the legends,
Legends of the times forgotten,
Since we now are here together,
Come together from our roamings.
Seldom do we come for singing,
Seldom to the one, the other,
O'er this cold and cruel country,
O'er the poor soil of the Northland.
Let us clasp our hands together
That we thus may best remember.
Join we now in merry singing,
Chant we now the oldest folk-lore,
That the dear ones all may hear them,
That the well-inclined may hear them,
Of this rising generation.
These are words in childhood taught me,
Songs preserved from distant ages,
Legends they that once were taken
From the belt of Wainamoinen,
From the forge of Ilmarinen,
From the sword of Kaukomieli,
From the bow of Youkahainen,
From the pastures of the Northland,
From the meads of Kalevala.
These my dear old father sang me
When at work with knife and hatchet
These my tender mother taught me
When she twirled the flying spindle,
When a child upon the matting
By her feet I rolled and tumbled.
Incantations were not wanting
Over Sampo and o'er Louhi,
Sampo growing old in singing,
Louhi ceasing her enchantment.
In the songs died wise Wipunen,
At the games died Lemminkainen.
There are many other legends,
Incantations that were taught me,
That I found along the wayside,
Gathered in the fragrant copses,
Blown me from the forest branches,
Culled among the plumes of pine-trees,
Scented from the vines and flowers,
Whispered to me as I followed
Flocks in land of honeyed meadows,
Over hillocks green and golden,
After sable-haired Murikki,
And the many-colored Kimmo.
Many runes the cold has told me,
Many lays the rain has brought me,
Other songs the winds have sung me;
Many birds from many forests,
Oft have sung me lays n concord
Waves of sea, and ocean billows,
Music from the many waters,
Music from the whole creation,
Oft have been my guide and master.
Sentences the trees created,
Rolled together into bundles,
Moved them to my ancient dwelling,
On the sledges to my cottage,
Tied them to my garret rafters,
Hung them on my dwelling-portals,
Laid them in a chest of boxes,
Boxes lined with shining copper.
Long they lay within my dwelling
Through the chilling winds of winter,
In my dwelling-place for ages.
Shall I bring these songs together
From the cold and frost collect them?
Shall I bring this nest of boxes,
Keepers of these golden legends,
To the table in my cabin,
Underneath the painted rafters,
In this house renowned and ancient?
Shall I now these boxes open,
Boxes filled with wondrous stories?
Shall I now the end unfasten
Of this ball of ancient wisdom,
These ancestral lays unravel?
Let me sing an old-time legend,
That shall echo forth the praises
Of the beer that I have tasted,
Of the sparkling beer of barley.
Bring to me a foaming goblet
Of the barley of my fathers,
Lest my singing grow too weary,
Singing from the water only.
Bring me too a cup of strong-beer,
It will add to our enchantment,
To the pleasure of the evening,
Northland's long and dreary evening,
For the beauty of the day-dawn,
For the pleasure of the morning,
The beginning of the new-day.
Often I have heard them chanting,
Often I have heard them singing,
That the nights come to us singly,
That the Moon beams on us singly,
That the Sun shines on us singly;
Singly also, Wainamoinen,
The renowned and wise enchanter,
Born from everlasting Ether
Of his mother, Ether's daughter.
RUNE I.
BIRTH OF WAINAMOINEN.