Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/351

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Magic Songs of the Finns.
345

(d.)

Tuoni's[1] red-cheeked boy
Kicked his seine into the water—his drag-net under a wave[2]
At the end of a "fiery" cape, at a "fiery" headland's point.
From it he obtained a "fiery" pike, he brought it ashore to have it cooked.
The pike's teeth fell with a crash
Upon a nameless meadow, upon one unknown by name.
From it sprang up a swamp-fir, a ruddy sappling shot up,
From it grew a "golden" fir—a "golden", bushy-headed fir.

(e.)

A dark-cheeked maiden of the North ploughed swamps, ploughed lands,
Ploughed finally the margins too.
Heather grew up upon the swamps, little willows by the brooks,
Birches sprang up along the vales,
Spruces rose upon the hills, upon the hillocks firs shot up.

(f.)

A woman[3] ran along the swamps, ran over swamps, ran over land,
v. An old woman, raging mad,
Ran over moist abandoned fields.
Some of its hair rattled down, some of its wool dropt to the ground,
Then from it a birth took place, from it every tree appeared,
Hence slender pines arose,
Bushy pines branched thickly out, flowery-headed firs grew up.

(g.)

A tree originated from a comely (place), a "bushy-top" from a soft (place),
A large fir from a dense wood (romentola), a "honey-top" from Metsola.[4]


  1. The god of death.
  2. F. ridge.
  3. Or a 'creature', kave.
  4. The forest home. This line is quoted by Ganandar (s. v Kati).