Kalevala, The Land Of The Heroes Volume I Part 40

(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 ill.u.s.tration 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 pa.s.sages 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 Vainamoinen 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 Vainamoinen--these are the usual epithets applied to Vainamoinen in the Kalevala. "Vanha" means old; "vaka" is variously interpreted: I have used "steadfast" by Prof. Krohn's advice, though I think "l.u.s.ty" 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 Vainamoinen, 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 Vainamoinen 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 quant.i.ties 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 pa.s.sage 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 ill.u.s.tration 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 Vainamoinen. Visits to parents' graves for advice and a.s.sistance are common in Scandinavian and Esthonian literature.

Commentators have also quoted the story of Achilles and Thetis, but this is hardly a parallel case.