Who should sing a strain most fitting?
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
He the great primeval minstrel,
He himself commenced his singings,
Set about composing verses, 410
And he spoke the words which follow,
And expressed himself in thiswise:
"O my own beloved brethren,
O most eloquent companions,
O my comrades, ready talkers,
Listen now to what I tell you,
Rarely kiss the geese each other,
Rarely sisters gaze on sisters,
Rarely side by side stand brothers,
Side by side stand mother's children, 420
In these desert lands so barren,
In the wretched northern regions.
"Shall we give ourselves to singing,
Set about composing verses?
None can sing except the singer,
None can call save vernal cuckoo,
None can paint, except Sinetar,
None can weave save Kankahatar.
"Lapland's children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting, 430
As the elk's rare flesh they feast on,
Or the meat of smaller reindeer,
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While upon the ryebread feasting,
Or when eating is concluded?
"Lapland's children, they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
As they drink from water-pitchers,
While they chew the bark of fir-tree. 440
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not,
While the juice of corn we're drinking,
And the best-brewed ale of barley?
"Lapland's children they are singing,
And the hay-shod ones are chanting,
Even by the sooty fire,
As they lay the coals upon it.
Wherefore then should I not carol,
Wherefore should our children sing not, 450
Underneath these famous rafters,
Underneath a roof so splendid?
"Good it is for men to dwell here,
Good for women to reside here,
All among the barrels ale-filled,
Standing close beside the mead-tubs,
Near the sound where swarm the powans,
Near the place for netting salmon,
Where the food is never failing,
And the drink is never stinted. 460
"Good it is for men to dwell here,
Good for women to reside here,
Here to eat by care untroubled,
Here to live without affliction,
Here to eat unvexed by trouble,
And to live without a sorrow,
Long as lives our host among us,
All the lifetime of our hostess.
"Which shall I first praise in singing,
Shall it be the host or hostess? 470
Always first they praise the heroes,
Therefore first I praise the Master,
He who first prepared the marshland,
And along the shore who wandered,
And he brought great stumps of fir-trees,
And he trimmed the crowns of fir-trees,
Took them to a good position,
Firmly built them all together,
For his race a great house builded,
And he built a splendid homestead, 480
Walls constructed from the forest,
Rafters from the fearful mountains,
Laths from out the woods provided,
Boards from berry-bearing heathlands,
Bark from cherry-bearing uplands,
Moss from off the quaking marshes.
"And the house is well-constructed,
And the roof securely fastened.
Here a hundred men were gathered,
On the house-roof stood a thousand, 490
When this house was first constructed,
And the flooring duly fitted.
"Be assured our host so worthy,
In the building of this homestead,
Oft his hair exposed to tempest,
And his hair was much disordered.
Often has our host so noble,
On the rocks his gloves left lying,
Lost his hat among the fir-trees,
In the marsh has sunk his stockings. 500
"Often has our host so noble
In the early morning hours,
When no others had arisen,
And unheard by all the village,
Left the cheerful fire behind him,
Watched for birds in wattled wigwam,
And the thorns his head were combing,
Dew his handsome eyes was washing.
"Thus receives our host so noble,
In his home his friends around him; 510
Filled the benches are with singers,
And with joyous guests the windows,
And the floor with talking people,
Porches, too, with people shouting,
Near the walls with people standing,
Near the fence with people walking,
Through the yard are folks parading,
Children on the ground are creeping.
"Now I first have praised the master,
I will praise our gracious hostess, 520
She who has prepared the banquet,
And has filled the table for us.
"Large the loaves that she has baked us,
And she stirred us up thick porridge,
With her hands that move so quickly,
With her soft and tenfold fingers,
And she let the bread rise slowly,
And the guests with speed she feasted;
Pork she gave them in abundance,
Gave them cakes piled up in dishes, 530
And the knives were duly sharpened,
And the pointed blades pressed downward,
As the salmon were divided,
And the pike were split asunder.
"Often has our noble mistress,
She the most accomplished housewife,
Risen up before the cockcrow,
And before the hen's son hastened,
That she might prepare the needful,
That the work might all be finished, 540
That the beer might be concocted,
And the ale be ready for us.
"Well indeed our noble hostess,
And this most accomplished housewife,
Best of ale for us concocted,
And the finest drink set flowing.
'Tis composed of malted barley,
And of malt the very sweetest,
And with wood she has not turned it,
With a stake she has not moved it, 550
Only with her hands has raised it,
Only with her arms has turned it,
In the bathroom filled with vapour,
On the boarding, scoured so cleanly.
"Nor did she, our noble hostess,
And this most accomplished mistress,
Let the germs mature them fully,
While on ground the malt was lying.
Oft she went into the bathroom,
Went alone, at dead of midnight, 560
Fearing not the wolf should harm her,
Nor the wild beasts of the forest.
"Now that we have praised the hostess,
Let us also praise the inviter;
Who was chosen as inviter,
And upon the road to guide us?
Best inviter of the village,
Best of guides in all the village.
"There we look on our inviter,
Clad in coat from foreign countries; 570
Round his arms 'tis tightly fitted,
Neatly round his waist 'tis fitted.
"There we look on our inviter,
In a narrow cloak attired;
On the sand the skirts are sweeping,
On the ground the train is sweeping.
Of his shirt we see a little,
Only see a very little,
As if Kuutar's self had wove it,
And the tin-adorned one wrought it. 580
"Here we look on our inviter,
Belted with a belt of woollen,
Woven by the Sun's fair daughter,
By her beauteous fingers broidered,
In the times ere fire existed,
And when all unknown was fire.
"Here we look on our inviter,
With his feet in silken stockings,
And with silk are bound his stockings,
And his garters are of satin, 590
And with gold are all embroidered.
And are all adorned with silver.
"Here we look on our inviter,
Best of Saxon shoes he's wearing,
Like the swans upon the river,
Or the ducks that swim beside them,
Or the geese among the thickets,
Birds of passage in the forests.
"Here we look on our inviter,
With his golden locks all curling, 600
And his golden beard is plaited,
On his head a lofty helmet:
Up among the clouds it rises,
Through the forest's glancing summit;
Such a one you could not purchase
For a hundred marks or thousand.
"Now that I have praised the inviter,
I will also praise the bridesmaid.
Whence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Whence was she, the happiest, chosen? 610
"Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Where is Tanikka's strong fortress,
From without the new-built castle.
"No, she came from other regions,
Not at all from such a region;
Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen,
Brought to us across the water,
And across the open ocean. 620
"No, she came from other regions,
Not at all from such a region,
Grew like strawberry in the country,
On the heaths where cranberries flourish,
On the field of beauteous herbage,
On the heath of golden flowerets,
Thence has come to us the bridesmaid,
Thence was she, the happiest, chosen.
"And the bridesmaid's mouth is pretty,
As the spindle used in Suomi, 630
And the bridesmaid's eyes are sparkling,
As the stars that shine in heaven,
Gleaming are the damsel's temples,
As upon the lake the moonlight.
"Here we look upon our bridesmaid;
Round her neck a chain all golden,
On her head a golden head-dress,
On her hands are golden bracelets,
Golden rings upon her fingers,
In her ears are golden earrings, 640
Loops of gold upon her temples,
And her brows are bead-adorned.
"And I thought the moon was shining,
When her golden clasp was gleaming,
And I thought the sun was shining,
When I saw her collar gleaming,
And I thought a ship was sailing,
When I saw her head-dress moving.
"Now that I have praised the bridesmaid,
I will glance at all the people; 650
Very handsome are the people,
Stately are the aged people,
And the younger people pretty,
And the householders are handsome.
"I have gazed at all the people,
And I knew them all already;
But before it never happened,
Nor in future times will happen,
That we meet so fine a household,
Or we meet such handsome people, 660
Where the old folks are so stately,
And the younger people pretty.
Clothed in white are all the people,
Like the forest in the hoarfrost,
Under like the golden dawning:
Over like the morning twilight.
"Easy to obtain was silver,
Gold among the guests was scattered,
In the grass were littered purses,
In the lanes were bags of money, 670
For the guests who were invited,
For the guests most greatly honoured."
Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
Of the song the mighty pillar,
After this his sledge ascended,
Homeward drove upon his journey,
And he sang his songs for ever,
Sang, and chanted spells of magic,
Sang a song, and sang a second,
But, as he the third was singing, 680
Clashed against a rock the runners,
Crashed the shafts against a tree-stump,
And the sledge broke off his chanting,
And the runners stopped his singing,
And the shafts in fragments shattered,
And the boards broke all asunder.
Spoke the aged Väinämöinen,
In the very words which follow,
"Are there none among the youthful,
Of the rising generation, 690
Or perchance among the aged,
Of the sinking generation,
Who to Tuonela can wander,
And can go to Mana's country,
Thence to fetch me Tuoni's auger,
Bring me Mana's mighty auger,
That a new sledge I may fashion,
Or repair my sledge that's broken?"
But said all the younger people,
And the aged people answered: 700
"There are none among the youthful,
None at all among the aged,
None of race so highly noble,
None is such a mighty hero,
As to Tuonela to travel,
Journey to the land of Mana,
Thence to bring you Tuoni's auger,
And from Mana's home to bring it,
That a new sledge you may fashion,
Or repair the sledge that's broken." 710
Then the aged Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval minstrel,
Went again to Tuoni's country,
Journeyed to the home of Mana,
Fetched from Tuonela the auger,
Brought from Mana's home the auger.
Then the aged Väinämöinen
Sang a blue wood up before him,
In the forest rose an oak-tree,
And a splendid mountain-ashtree, 720
And from these a sledge he fashioned,
And he shaped his runners from them,
And for shafts prepared them likewise,
And the frame he thus constructed,
Made a sledge to suit his purpose,
And a new sledge he constructed.
In the shafts the horse he harnessed,
Yoked before the sledge the chestnut,
In the sledge himself he seated,
And upon the seat he sat him, 730
And without the whip the courser,
Sped, by beaded whip unharassed,
To his long-accustomed fodder,
To the food that waited for him,
And he brought old Väinämöinen,
He the great primeval minstrel,
To his own door, widely open,
To the threshold brought him safely.
NOTES TO RUNOS I-XXV
(These are by the translator, when not otherwise stated. K. K.
indicates Prof. Kaarle Krohn, and A. M. Madame Aino Malmberg,
For proper names, refer to the Glossary at the end of Vol. II.)
RUNO I
11. Kulta, "golden," here rendered "dearest," is a term constantly
applied in the _Kalevala_ to anything dear or precious.
20. "Pohja, the North, or Pohjola, the North Land, is chiefly used
for the dark North, where the sun is hidden. Poetically used for a
homestead in the _Kalevala_. Occasionally it is used as synonymous
with Lapland." (K. K.)
21. When singing to the accompaniment of a harp, two Finns clasp their
hands together, and sway backwards and forwards, in the manner described
in the text. Compare Acerbi's _Travels to the North Cape_, I.,
chaps. xx. and xxiii., and the illustration opposite his Vol. I., p.
226.
61. Probably the honey of humble-bees (_Bombus_) is here meant, or
the expression may be merely figurative.
63, 64. The metre allows the translation of the names of the cows to
be inserted here.
110. Ilmatar, the Daughter of the Air; --tar is the usual feminine
suffix in Finnish, and is generally to be understood to mean "daughter
of ----." In the following passages we have the combined Finnish version
of the widespread cosmogonical myths of the Divine Spirit brooding
over the waters of Chaos; and the Mundane Egg. In the First Recension
of the _Kalevala_ however, and in many Finnish ballads, an eagle is
said to have built her nest on the knees of Väinämöinen after he was
thrown into the sea by the Laplander, and the Creation-Myth is thus
transferred to him.
229-244. In the Scandinavian Mythology the world was created in
a similar manner by Othin and his brothers from the body of the giant
Ymir.
289. Vaka vanha Väinämöinen--these are the usual epithets applied
to Väinämöinen in the Kalevala. "Vanha" means old; "vaka" is
variously interpreted: I have used "steadfast" by Prof. Krohn's
advice, though I think "lusty" might be a better rendering.
320. The ring-finger is usually called the "nameless finger" in
Finnish.
RUNO II
27. The Bird Cherry (_Prunus Padus_).
29. The Mountain Ash, or Rowan Tree, is a sacred tree in Finland,
as in Scotland.
83. The Great Oak-tree is a favourite subject in Finnish and Esthonian
ballads.
117. Finnish, and Esthonian water-heroes are sometimes described as
entirely composed of copper.
211. Compare the account of the breaking up of the Sampo, and the
dispersal of its fragments, in Runo XLIII.
245. The summer ermine is the stoat, which turns white in winter in
the North, when it becomes the ermine. The squirrel also turns grey
in the North in winter.
376. The cuckoo is regarded as a bird of good omen.
RUNO III
15. We here find Väinämöinen, the primeval minstrel and culture-hero,
the first-born of mortals, living in an already populated world.
There seems to be a similar discrepancy in Gen. IV. 14-17
35. Women were held in great respect in heroic times in most
Northern countries.
58. "I will bewitch him who tries to bewitch me." (K. K.)
72. A gold-adorned, or perhaps merely handsome, sledge.
154. Probably another epithet for the seal.
156. The powan, or fresh-water herring (_Coregonus_), of which there
are several marine and fresh-water species. They are chiefly lake-fish
of the Northern Hemisphere, and in the British Islands are better
known in Scotland and Ireland, and in the North of England, than in
the South.
168. The word used here may also mean the elk or ox.
230. The Arch of Heaven in the _Kalevala_ means the rainbow.
231, 232. The Sun and Moon are male deities in Finnish, with sons
and daughters.
233. The constellation of the Great Bear.
273. Most of the heroes of the _Kalevala_, except Kullervo, have
black hair, and the heroines, except the wife of Ilmarinen, golden
hair.
411, 412. A common ransom in Finnish and Esthonian stories.
459. The episode of Aino is a great favourite in Finland, and the
name is in common use. The story often furnishes material to poets,
sculptors, etc.
533. Different stories are told of the origin of both Väinämöinen and
Ilmarinen, and they are often called brothers.
RUNO IV
4. Bath-whisks are used to heighten the circulation after bathing.
"The leaves are left on the stems. The bath-whisks for the winter
are all made early in the summer, when the leaves are softest. Of
course they become quite dry, but before using, they are steeped in hot
water till they become soft and fragrant." (A. M.)
75. "The storehouses where the peasant girls keep their clothes and
ornaments are sometimes very pretty, and the girls always sleep there
in summer. There are other storehouses for food." (A. M.)
121. According to Speke, Central African women are compelled to
drink large quantities of milk, to make them inordinately fat, which is
considered a great beauty.
206. _Fuligala glacialis._
295. Prof. Krohn thinks the sea and not a lake is here intended.
308. This passage is hardly intelligible. "I have heard some people
suggest that Aino perhaps took a birch branch, to be used as a
bath-whisk." (A. M.)
377. There are many popular tales in Finnish relating to animals,
especially the bear, wolf, and fox, but this is the only illustration of
the true "beast-epos" in the _Kalevala_.
413. "The sauna, or bath-house, is always a separate building; and
there Finnish people take extremely hot baths almost every evening."
(A. M.) It is also used for confinements.
RUNO V
220. Here a human mother, rather than Ilmatar, seems to be
ascribed to Väinämöinen. Visits to parents' graves for advice and
assistance are common in Scandinavian and Esthonian literature.
Commentators have also quoted the story of Achilles and Thetis, but
this is hardly a parallel case.
RUNO VI
120. This passage is again inconsistent with the legend of Väinämöinen
being the son of Ilmatar.
RUNO VII
19. The word used here is "poika," which literally means a boy, or
a son.
51, 52. The original admirably expresses the hovering motion of the
bird:
Lenteleikse, liiteleikse,
Katseleikse, kaanteleikse.
142. In the original "the song of a cock's child."
177, 178. Weeping appears no more disgraceful to the heroes of the
_Kalevala_ than to those of the _Iliad_. Still, Väinämöinen
not unfrequently plays a very undignified part when in difficulties.
241. Louhi recognized him, though he would not mention his name.
286. "Virsu is a shoe made of birch bark." (A. M.)
311. It appears that the magic mill called a Sampo could only be
forged by a competent smith, from materials which Louhi alone possessed,
and which, perhaps, she could not again procure. Otherwise
Ilmarinen could have forged another for himself, and it would have
been unnecessary for the heroes to steal it. The chain forged by the
dwarfs, according to the Prose Edda, for binding the wolf Fenrir, was
also composed of materials which could not again be procured. "It
was fashioned out of six things; to wit, the noise made by the footfall
of a cat, the beards of women, the roots of stones, the sinews of
bears, the breath of fish, and the spittle of birds."
RUNO VIII
3, 4. The daughter of Louhi is never mentioned again in connection
with the rainbow; and it is quite incorrect to call her the Maiden of
the Rainbow, as some writers have done, for no such title is ever
applied to her in the poem.
35. There are so many instances of maidens being carried off, or
enticed into sledges, in the _Kalevala_, that it seems almost to have
been a recognized legal form of marriage by capture.
57. Finnish magicians profess to understand the language of birds;
but the passage in the text is probably intended only in jest.
152. In the Icelandic saga of Grettir, the hero mortally wounds
himself in the leg while trying to chop up a piece of driftwood on which
a witch had laid her curse.
179. The Finns supposed that if the origin of any hostile agent was
known, and could be recited to it, its power for evil was at an end. In
Denmark, the naming of any person or thing was an evil omen, and
liable to bring about its destruction.
217, 218. Finnish hamlets are sometimes built on a hillside in the
manner described.
RUNO IX
35, 36. Here we seem to have an allusion to the first chapter of
Genesis.
44. The same epithet, Luonnotar, is sometimes applied to Ilmatar,
and thus Väinämöinen might literally be called the brother of Iron.
111, 112. Pallas Athene sprang armed from the brain of Zeus;
Karna, in India, the son of the Sun, was born with armour and earrings;
and Mexitli in Mexico was born with a spear in his hand.
231. Hornets often build their nests under the eaves of houses.
242. Both frogs and toads exude a more or less poisonous secretion
from the skin.
433. Honeydew seems to be meant here.
525, 526. An imaginary mountain to which the sorcerers professed
to be able to banish pain and sickness.
RUNO X
306. Compare the account of the forging of the Gold and Silver
Bride in Runo XXXVII.
311. "Ilmarinen first employs ordinary servants, and then calls the
winds to his assistance." (K. K.)
331. In the Icelandic sagas, we read of the sword Tyrfing, forged by
dwarfs, which, if ever drawn, could not again be sheathed till it had
slain at least one victim.
332. Literally, "on best days."
414. In the story of Ala Ed-Deen Abush-Shamat, in the _1001 Nights_,
we read of a magic bead with five facets, on which were engraved a
camel, an armed horseman, a pavilion; a couch, etc., according to the
use intended to be made of each facet.
RUNO XI
31-42. Salme and Linda are similarly wooed by the Sun, the
Moon, and a Star in the Esthonian poem, Kalevipoeg (see Kirby's _Hero
of Esthonia_ I., pp. 10-15).
264-266. These names mean respectively Blackies, Strawberries,
Cranberries. "I think Lemminkainen means that he has no cows,
and only calls these different berries his cows." (A. M.)
306. Lemminkainen appears to have been afraid that some one else
might carry off his wife, if she showed herself in public (especially
Untamo, says Prof. Krohn).
385. The Snow Bunting (_Plectrophanes nivalis_), a white bird more
or less varied with black.
RUNO XII
25. The meaning is a little uncertain. Literally, "the only boy,"
as Madame Malmberg suggests. The commentary renders it, "the
gallant youth."
93. The Finns and Lapps often hide money in the ground.
The word used in l. 94 is "penningin," from "penni," a word
common to most Teutonic and Northern languages.
211, 212. Such omens of death are common in fairy tales; as, for
instance, the bleeding knives in the story of the Envious Sisters in the
_1001 Nights_. The bleeding trees in mediæval romance belong to
rather a different category of ideas.
233. Lemminkainen seems to have hidden himself to escape further
remonstrances from his mother and Kyllikki.
262. Probably a creature like a kelpie or Phooka.
474. We are not told how Louhi escaped; but she seems to have
come to no harm.
RUNO XIII
105. The part played by Hiisi in the _Kalevala_ usually resembles
that played by Loki in the Scandinavian Mythology.
109. Animals, etc., are often thus constructed in Finnish, Esthonian,
and Siberian mythology by gods, demons, and magicians. They do not
seem able to create from nothing, but to manufacture what they please
or what they can from pre-existing materials, however incongruous.
111. I suppose rushes are here intended.
RUNO XIV
33. The word here translated "islands" properly means a wooded
hill surrounded by marshland.
47, 48. Mielikki's gold and silver are the spoils of the chase.
69. Honey is sometimes used in the _Kalevala_ for anything sweet and
agreeable, just as golden is used for anything beautiful.
103, 104. It appears that the hunter's fortune in the chase was
foretold by the rich or shabby garments worn by the forest-deities.
142. Finnish women often wear a blouse over their other garments.
216. Kuningas (king) is a Teutonic word, which rarely occurs in the
_Kalevala_. The heroes are patriarchs, or chiefs of clans; not
kings, as in Homer.
248. There is often much confusion of terms in the _Kalevala_. The
creature here mentioned is generally called an elk, but often a reindeer,
and in this line a camel-foal.
304. When the inferior deities are deaf or too weak, the heroes appeal
to the higher Gods.
305. The reference here seems to be to Gen. vii. 11. "The whole
passage is of Christian origin." (K. K.)
RUNO XV
7. Compare Homer, _Iliad_, III., 311-314.
240. This episode slightly resembles the story of Isis and Osiris.
498. The constellation of Orion is variously called by the Finns, the
Moonshine, the Sword of Kaleva, and the Scythe of Väinämöinen.
559-562. This conceit is common in fairy tales (especially in Russian
ones) in the case of heroes wakened from the dead. Sometimes it takes
a comic form; and sometimes, as in the present case, a pathetic one.
617. "Dirty-nosed" is a common opprobrious expression in Esthonia.
RUNO XVI
27. The account of the boat-building in "Hiawatha's Sailing" is
evidently imitated from this passage.
128. In Roman times divination from birds was chiefly taken from
their flight or feeding.
RUNO XVII