Hölmä[1] comes from Tuonela—Manala's son from under the ground,
Found the rust-coloured sedge on the swamp— in the pool the purple melic grass,
Carries it to the smithy of a smith— under Ilmarinen's forge
To be forged into iron, to be made into steel.
Variants.
4 Mother iron is Ruopahatar,[2]
4 Thy mother is from Aijö's pen.
The greater part of (a) will be found in the Kalevala, ix, 39-266, with occasional differences.
xxvi.— The Origin of Arrows.
(a.)
A tall fir grew upon a heath, on the summit of the Hill of Pain (Kipu-vuori).
From it a sorcerer (noita) formed arrows— an "archer" evil instruments.
He made a single-feathered[3] arrow out of the lowest boughs.
Made a double-feathered arrow of boughs from the middle of the tree,
Made a triple-feathered arrow out of the highest boughs.
The sorcerer shot his arrows— angrily launched his pointed shafts
Anywhere, wherever he could.
For a sorcerer cares nothing at all
Whether they enter a human skin or the body (F. hair) of a beast (kave).
