Kalevala (Kirby 1907)/Runo 15
Runo XV.—Lemminkainen's Recovery and Return Home
Argument
One day blood begins to trickle from the hair-brush at Lemminkainen’s home, and his mother at once perceives that death has overtaken her son. She hastens to Pohjola and inquires of Louhi what has become of him (1-100). The Mistress of Pohjola at length tells her on what errand she has sent him, and the sun gives her full information of the manner of Lemminkainen’s death (101-194). Lemminkainen’s mother goes with a long rake in her hand under the cataract of Tuoni, and rakes the water till she has found all the fragments of her son’s body, which she joins together, and succeeds in restoring Lemminkainen to life by charms and magic salves (195-554). Lemminkainen then relates how he perished in the river of Tuonela, and returns home with his mother (555-650).
Lemminkainen’s tender mother
In her home was always thinking,
“Where has Lemminkainen wandered,
Whereabouts is Kauko roaming,
For I do not hear him coming
From his world-extended journey?”
Ah, the hapless mother knew not,
Nor the hapless one imagined,
Where her own flesh now was floating,
Where her own blood now was flowing;10
If he tracked the fir-clad mountains,
Or among the heaths was roaming,
Or upon a lake was floating,
Out upon the foaming billows,
Or in some terrific combat,
In the most tremendous tumult,
With his legs with blood bespattered,
To the knees with blood all crimsoned.
Kyllikki, the lovely housewife,
Wandered round and gazed about her,20
Through the home of Lemminkainen,
And through Kaukomieli’s homestead;
On the comb she looked at evening,
On the brush she looked at morning,
And at length one day it happened,
In the early morning hours,
Blood from out the comb was oozing,
From the brush was gore distilling.
Kyllikki, the lovely housewife,
Uttered then the words which follow:30
“Lo, my husband has departed,
And my handsome Kauko wandered
In a country void of houses,
And throughout some trackless desert.
Blood from out the comb is oozing,
Gore is from the brush distilling.”
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother
See herself the comb was bleeding,
And began to weep with sorrow.
“O alas, my day is wretched,40
And my life is most unhappy,
For my son has met misfortune,
And my child all unprotected,
On an evil day was nurtured.
On the poor lad came destruction,
Lost is darling Lemminkainen,
From the comb the blood is trickling,
And the brush with blood is dripping.”
In her hands her skirt she gathered,
With her arms her dress she lifted,50
And at once commenced her journey,
Hurried on upon her journey.
Mountains thundered ’neath her footsteps,
Valleys rose and hills were levelled,
And the high ground sank before her,
And the low ground rose before her.
Thus to Pohjola she journeyed,
Asking where her son had wandered,
And she asked in words which follow:
“Tell me, Pohjola’s old Mistress,60
Whither sent you Lemminkainen,
Whither has my son departed?”
Louhi, Pohjola's old Mistress,
Then replied in words which follow:
“Of your son I know no tidings,
Where he went, or where he vanished.
In his sledge I yoked a stallion,
Chose him out a fiery courser.
Perhaps he sank in ice when rotten,
O’er the frozen lake when driving,70
Or among the wolves has fallen,
Or some dreadful bear devoured him.”
Then said Lemminkainen’s mother,
“This indeed is shameless lying,
For no wolf would touch my offspring,
Not a bear touch Lemminkainen!
Wolves he’d crush between his fingers,
Bears with naked hands would master.
If you will not truly tell me,
How you treated Lemminkainen,80
I the malthouse doors will shatter,
Break the hinges of the Sampo.”
Then said Pohjola’s old Mistress,
“I have fed the man profusely,
And I gave him drink in plenty,
Till he was most fully sated.
In a boat’s prow then I placed him,
That he thus should shoot the rapids,
But I really cannot tell you
What befel the wretched creature;90
In the wildly foaming torrent,
In the tumult of the whirlpool.”
Then said Lemminkainen’s mother,
“This indeed is shameless lying.
Tell me now the truth exactly,
Make an end of all your lying,
Whither sent you Lemminkainen,
Where has Kaleva’s son perished ?
Or most certain death awaits you,
And you die upon the instant.”100
Then said Pohjola’s old Mistress,
“Now at length I’ll tell you truly.
Forth to chase the elks I sent him,
And to struggle with the monsters,
And the mighty beasts to bridle,
And to put the foals in harness.
Then I sent him forth swan-hunting,
Seeking for the bird so sacred,
But I really cannot tell you
If misfortune came upon him,110
Or what hindrance he encountered.
Nought I heard of his returning,
For the bride that he demanded,
When he came to woo my daughter.”
Then the mother sought the strayed one,
Dreading what mischance had happened,
Like a wolf she tracked the marshes,
Like a bear the wastes she traversed,
Like an otter swam the waters,
Badger-like the plains she traversed,120
Passed the headlands like a hedgehog,
Like a hare along the lakeshores,
Pushed the rocks from out her pathway,
From the slopes bent down the tree-trunks,
Thrust the shrubs beside her pathway,
From her track she cast the branches.
Long she vainly sought the strayed one,
Long she sought, but found him never.
Of her son the trees she questioned,
For the lost one ever seeking.130
Said a tree, then sighed a pine-tree,
And an oak made answer wisely:
“I myself have also sorrows,
For your son I cannot trouble,
For my lot’s indeed a hard one,
And an evil day awaits me,
For they split me into splinters,
And they chop me into faggots,
In the kiln that I may perish,
Or they fell me in the clearing.”140
Long she vainly sought the strayed one,
Long she sought, but found him never,
And whene’er she crossed a pathway,
Then she bowed herself before it.
“O thou path whom God created,
Hast thou seen my son pass over;
Hast thou seen my golden apple,
Hast thou seen my staff of silver?”
But the path made answer wisely,
And it spoke and gave her answer:150
“I myself have also sorrows,
For your son I cannot trouble,
For my lot’s indeed a hard one,
And an evil day awaits me.
All the dogs go leaping o’er me,
And the horsemen gallop o’er me,
And the shoes walk heavy on me,
And the heels press hardly on me.”
Long she vainly sought the strayed one,
Long she sought, but found him never.160
Met the moon upon her pathway,
And before the moon she bowed her.
“Golden moon, whom God created,
Hast thou seen my son pass by you;
Hast thou seen my golden apple,
Hast thou seen my staff of silver?”
Then the moon whom God created,
Made a full and prudent answer:
“I myself have many sorrows,
For your son I cannot trouble,170
For my lot’s indeed a hard one,
And an evil day awaits me,
Wandering lonely in the night-time,
In the frost for ever shining,
In the winter keeping vigil,
But in time of summer waning.”
Long she vainly sought the strayed one,
Long she sought, but found him never,
Met the sun upon her pathway,
And before the sun she bowed her.180
“O thou sun, whom God created,
Hast thou seen my son pass by you,
Hast thou seen my golden apple,
Hast thou seen my staff of silver?”
And the sun knew all about it,
And the sun made answer plainly:
“There has gone your son unhappy,
He has fallen and has perished,
Down in Tuoni’s murky river,
Manala’s primeval river,190
There in the tremendous cataract,
Where the torrent rushes downward,
There on Tuonela’s dark frontier,
There in Manala’s deep valleys.”
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother,
Break out suddenly in weeping.
To the craftsman’s forge she wended:
“O thou smith, O Ilmarinen,
Thou hast worked before, and yestreen,
On this very day O forge me,200
Forge a rake with copper handle,
Let the teeth of steel be fashioned,
Teeth in length a hundred fathoms,
And of fathoms five the handle.”
Then the smith, e’en Ilmarinen,
He the great primeval craftsman,
Forged a rake with copper handle,
And the teeth of steel he fashioned,
Teeth in length a hundred fathoms,
And of fathoms five the handle.210
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother
Take the mighty rake of iron,
And she rushed to Tuoni’s river,
To the sun her prayer addressing:
“O thou sun whom God created,
Brilliant work of the Creator!
Shine an hour with heat excessive,
Shine again with sultry shimmering,
And again with utmost vigour.
Lull to sleep the race of evil,220
And in Manala the strong ones,
Weary out the power of Tuoni!”
Then the sun whom God created,
Shining work of the Creator,
Stooped upon a crooked birch-tree,
Sank upon a crooked alder,
Shone an hour with heat excessive,
Shone again with sultry shimmering,
And again with utmost vigour,
Lulled to sleep the race of evil,230
And in Manala the strong ones.
Slept the young on sword-hilt resting,
And the old folks staff-supported,
And the spear-men middle-aged.
Then again he hastened upward,
Sought again the heights of heaven,
Sought again his former station,
To his first abode soared upward.
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother
Take the mighty rake of iron,240
And to seek her son was raking
All amid the raging cataract,
Through the fiercely rushing torrent,
And she raked, yet found she nothing.
Then she went and sought him deeper,
Ever deeper in the water,
Stocking-deep into the water,
Standing waist-deep in the water.
Thus she sought her son by raking
All the length of Tuoni’s river,250
And she raked against the current,
Once and twice she raked the river,
And his shirt at length discovered,
Found the shirt of him unhappy,
And she raked again a third time,
And she found his hat and stockings,
Found his stockings, greatly sorrowing,
Found his hat, with heart-wrung anguish.
Then she waded ever deeper,
Down in Manala’s abysses,260
Raked once more along the river,
Raked again across the river,
And obliquely through the water,
And at length upon the third time,
Up she drew a lifeless carcass,
With the mighty rake of iron.
Yet it was no lifeless carcass,
But the lively Lemminkainen,
He the handsome Kaukomieli,
Sticking fast upon the rake-prongs,270
Sticking by his nameless finger,
And the toes upon his left foot.
Thus she fished up Lemminkainen,
Kaleva’s great offspring lifted,
On the rake all shod with copper,
To the light above the water.
Yet were many fragments wanting,
Half his head, a hand was wanting,
Many other little fragments,
And his very life was wanting.280
As his mother pondered o’er it,
Thus she spoke while sorely weeping:
“Can a man from this be fashioned,
And a hero new created?”
But by chance a raven heard her,
And he answered her in thiswise:
“No man can from this be fashioned,
Not from what you have discovered,
For his eyes the powan’s eaten,
And the pike has cleft his shoulders.290
Cast the man into the water,
Back in Tuonela’s deep river,
Perhaps a cod may thence be fashioned,
Or a whale from thence developed.”
Lemminkainen’s mother would not
Cast her son into the water,
But again began her raking,
With the mighty rake of copper,
All through Tuonela’s deep river,
First along it, then across it,300
And his head and hand discovered,
And the fragments of his backbone.
Then she found his ribs in pieces,
Likewise many other fragments,
And her son she pieced together,
Shaped the lively Lemminkainen.
Then the flesh to flesh she fitted,
And the bones together fitted,
And the joints together jointed,
And the veins she pressed together.310
Then she bound the veins together,
All their ends she knit together,
And with care their threads she counted,
And she spoke the words which follow:
“Fairest goddess of the bloodveins,
Suonetar, O fairest woman,
Lovely weaver of the veinlets,
Working with thy loom so slender,
With the spindle all of copper,
And the wheel composed of iron,320
Come thou here, where thou art needed,
Hasten hither, where I call thee,
With a lapful of thy veinlets,
And beneath thy arm a bundle,
Thus to bind the veins together,
And to knit their ends together,
Where the wounds are gaping widely,
And where gashes still are open.
“If this is not yet sufficient,
In the air there sits a maiden,330
In a boat adorned with copper,
In a boat with stern of scarlet.
From the air descend, O maiden,
Virgin from the midst of heaven,
Row thy boat throughout the veinlets,
Through the joints, both forth and backwards,
Through the broken bones, O steer thou,
And throughout the joints when broken.
“Bind the veins together firmly,
Lay them in the right position,340
End to end the larger bloodveins,
And the arteries fit together,
Duplicate the smaller bloodveins,
Join the ends of smallest veinlets.
“Take thou then thy finest needle,
Thread it next with silken fibre,
Sew thou with the finest needle,
Stitch thou with thy tin-made needle,
Sew the ends of veins together,
Bind them with thy silken fibre.350
“If this is not yet sufficient,
Help me, Jumala, Eternal,
Harness thou thy foal of swiftness,
And equip thy mighty courser,
In thy little sledge then drive thou
Through the bones and joints, O drive thou,
Through the flesh that all is mangled,
Back and forth, throughout the veinlets,
In the flesh the bone then fasten,
Ends of veins knit firm together,360
’Twixt the bones, O fix thou silver,
Fix the veins with gold together.
“Where the skin is rent asunder,
Let the skin be brought together;
Where the veins have snapped asunder,
Let the veins be knit together;
Where through wounds the blood has issued,
Let the blood again be flowing;
Where the bones have broke to splinters,
Let the bones be fixed together;370
Where the flesh is torn asunder,
Let the flesh be knit together,
Fix it in the right position,
In its right position fix it,
Bone to bone and flesh to flesh fix,
Joint to joint unite thou firmly.”
Thus did Lemminkainen’s mother
Form the man, and shape the hero
To his former life restore him,
To the form he wore aforetime.380
All the veins had now been counted,
And their ends were knit together,
But as yet the man was speechless,
Nor the child to speak was able.
Then she spoke the words which follow,
And expressed herself in thiswise:
“Whence shall we obtain an ointment,
Whence obtain the drops of honey
That I may anoint the patient
And that I may cure his weakness,390
That the man his speech recovers,
And again his songs is singing?
“O thou bee, thou bird of honey,
King of all the woodland flowerets,
Go thou forth to fetch me honey,
Go thou forth to seek for honey,
Back from Metsola’s fair meadows,
Tapiola, for ever cheerful,
From the cup of many a flower,
And the plumes of grasses many,400
As an ointment for the patient,
And to quite restore the sick one.”
Then the bee, the bird so active,
Flew away upon his journey,
Forth to Metsola’s fair meadows,
Tapiola, for ever cheerful,
Probed the flowers upon the meadows,
With his tongue he sucked the honey
From the tips of six bright flowers,
From the plumes of hundred grasses,410
Then came buzzing loud and louder,
Rushing on his homeward journey,
With his wings all steeped in honey,
And his plumage soaked with nectar.
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother,
Take from him the magic ointment,
That she might anoint the patient,
And she thus might cure his weakness,
But from this there came no healing,
And as yet the man was speechless.420
Then she spoke the words which follow:
“O thou bee, my own dear birdling,
Fly thou in a new direction,
Over nine lakes fly thou quickly
Till thou reach a lovely island,
Where the land abounds with honey,
Where is Tuuri’s new-built dwelling,
Palvonen’s own roofless dwelling,
There is honey in profusion,
There is ointment in perfection,430
Fit to bind the veins together,
And to heal the joints completely.
From the meadow bring this ointment,
And the salve from out the meadow,
For upon the wounds I’ll spread it,
And anoint the bruises with it.”
Then the bee, that active hero,
Flew again on whirring pinions,
And across nine lakes he travelled,
Half across the tenth he travelled,440
On he flew one day, a second,
And at length upon the third day,
Never on the reeds reposing,
Nor upon a leaf reposing,
Came he to the lovely island,
Where the land abounds with honey,
Till he reached a furious torrent,
And a holy river’s whirlpool.
In this spot was cooked the honey,
And the ointment was made ready450
In the little earthen vessels,
In the pretty little kettles,
Kettles of a thumb-size only,
And a finger-tip would fill them.
Then the bee, that active hero,
Gathered honey in the meadow,
And a little time passed over,
Very little time passed over,
When he came on whirring pinions,
Coming with his mission finished,460
In his lap six cups he carried,
Seven upon his back he carried,
Brimming o’er with precious ointment,
With the best of ointment brimming.
Then did Lemminkainen’s mother
Salve him with this precious ointment,
With nine kinds of ointment salved him,
And ten kinds of magic ointment;
Even yet there came no healing,
Still her toil was unavailing.470
Then she spoke the words which follow,
And expressed herself in thiswise:
“O thou bee, thou bird aerial,
Fly thou forth again the third time,
Fly thou up aloft to heaven,
And through nine heavens fly thou swiftly.
There is honey in abundance,
In the wood as much as needed,
Which was charmed by the Creator,
By pure Jumala was breathed on,480
When his children he anointed,
Wounded by the powers of evil.
In the honey dip thy pinions,
Soak thy plumage in the nectar,
Bring me honey on thy pinions,
In thy mantle from the forest,
As an ointment for the patient,
And anoint the bruises with it.”
But the bee, the bird of wisdom,
Answered her in words that follow:490
“How can I perform thy bidding,
I a man so small and helpless?”
“Thou canst rise on high with swiftness,
Fly aloft with easy effort,
O’er the moon, below the daylight,
And amid the stars of heaven,
Flying windlike on the first day
Past the borders of Orion,
On the second day thou soarest
Even to the Great Bear’s shoulders,500
On the third day soaring higher,
O’er the Seven Stars thou risest,
Thence the journey is a short one,
And the distance very trifling,
Unto Jumala’s bright dwelling,
And the regions of the blessed.”
From the earth the bee rose swiftly,
On his honeyed wings rose whirring,
And he soared on rapid pinions,
On his little wings flew upward.510
Swiftly past the moon he hurried,
Past the borders of the sunlight,
Rose upon the Great Bear’s shoulders,
O’er the Seven Stars’ backs rose upward,
Flew to the Creator’s cellars,
To the halls of the Almighty.
There the drugs were well concocted,
And the ointment duly tempered
In the pots composed of silver,
Or within the golden kettles.520
In the midst they boiled the honey,
On the sides was sweetest ointment,
To the southward there was nectar,
To the northward there was ointment.
Then the bee, that bird aerial,
Gathered honey in abundance,
Honey to his heart’s contentment,
And but little time passed over,
Ere the bee again came buzzing,
Humming loudly on his journey,530
In his lap of horns a hundred,
And a thousand other vessels,
Some of honey, some of liquid,
And the best of all the ointment.
Then did Lemminkainen's mother
Raise it to her mouth and taste it,
With her tongue the ointment tasted,
With the greatest care she proved it.
“’Tis the ointment that I needed,
And the salve of the Almighty,540
Used when Jumala the Highest,
The Creator heals all suffering.”
Then did she anoint the patient,
That she thus might cure his weakness,
Salved the bones along the fractures,
And between the joints she salved him,
Salved his head and lower portions,
Rubbed him also in the middle,
Then she spoke the words which follow,
And expressed herself in thiswise:550
“Rise, my son, from out thy slumber,
From thy dreams do thou awaken,
From this place so full of evil,
And a resting-place unholy.”
From his sleep arose the hero,
And from out his dreams awakened,
And at once his speech recovered.
With his tongue these words he uttered:
“Woe’s me, long have I been sleeping,
Long have I in pain been lying,560
And in peaceful sleep reposing,
In the deepest slumber sunken.”
Then said Lemminkainen’s mother,
And expressed herself in thiswise:
“Longer yet hadst thou been sleeping,
Longer yet hadst thou been resting,
But for thy unhappy mother,
But for her in pain who bore thee.
“Tell me now, my son unhappy,
Tell me that my ears may hear it,570
Who to Manala has sent thee,
There to drift in Tuoni’s river?”
Said the lively Lemminkainen,
And he answered thus his mother:
“Märkähattu, he the cowherd,
Untamola’s blind old rascal,
Down to Manala has sent me,
There to drift in Tuoni’s river;
And he raised a water-serpent,
From the waves a serpent lifted,580
Sent it forth to me unhappy,
But I could not guard against it,
Knowing nought of water-evil,
Nor the evils of the reed-beds.”
Then said Lemminkainen’s mother,
“Mighty man of little foresight,
Boasting to enchant the sorcerers,
And to ban the sons of Lapland,
Knowing nought of water-evil,
Nor the evils of the reed-beds!590
“Water-snakes are born in water,
On the waves among the reed-beds,
From the duck’s brain springs the serpent,
In the head of the sea-swallow.
Syöjätär spat in the water,
Cast upon the waves the spittle,
And the water stretched it lengthwise,
And the sunlight warmed and softened,
And the wind arose and tossed it,
And the water-breezes rocked it,600
On the shore the waves they drove it,
And amid the breakers urged it.”
Thus did Lemminkainen’s mother
Cause her son with all her efforts,
To resume his old appearance,
And ensured that in the future
He should even be superior,
Yet more handsome than aforetime,
And she asked her son thereafter
Was there anything he needed?610
Said the lively Lemminkainen,
“There is something greatly needed,
For my heart is fixed for ever,
And my inclination leads me
To the charming maids of Pohja,
With their lovely locks unbraided,
But the dirty-eared old woman
Has refused to give her daughter,
Till I shoot the duck she asks for,
And the swan shall capture for her,620
Here in Tuonela’s dark river,
In the holy river’s whirlpool.”
Then spoke Lemminkainen’s mother,
And she answered him in thiswise:
“Leave the poor swans unmolested,
Leave the ducks a peaceful dwelling,
Here on Tuoni’s murky river,
Here amid the raging whirlpool!
Best it is to journey homeward
With your most unhappy mother.630
Praise thou now thy happy future,
And to Jumala be praises,
That he granted his assistance,
And has thus to life awaked thee,
And from Tuoni’s paths hath led thee,
And from Mana’s realms hath brought thee!
I myself had never conquered,
And alone had nought accomplished,
But for Jumala’s compassion,
And the help of the Creator.”640
Then the lively Lemminkainen,
Went at once his journey homeward,
With his mother, she who loved him,
Homeward with the aged woman.
Here I part awhile with Kauko,
Leave the lively Lemminkainen,
Long from out my song I leave him,
While I quickly change my subject,
Turn my song in new directions,
And in other furrows labour.650