Runo XXVI: Lemminkainen's Journey to Pohjola

Ahti dwelt upon an island,By the bay near Kauko's headland,And his fields he tilled industrious,And the fields he trenched with ploughing,And his ears were of the finest,And his hearing of the keenest.

Heard he shouting in the village,From the lake came sounds of hammering,On the ice the sound of footsteps,On the heath a sledge was rattling,Therefore in his mind he fancied,In his brain the notion entered,That at Pohjola was wedding,And a drinking-bout in secret.

Mouth and head awry then twisting,And his black beard all disordered,In his rage the blood departedFrom the cheeks of him unhappy,And at once he left his ploughing,'Mid the field he left the ploughshare,On the spot his horse he mounted,And he rode directly homeward,To his dearest mother's dwelling,To his dear and aged mother.

And he said as he approached her,And he called, as he was coming,"O my mother, aged woman,Bring thou food, and bring it quickly,That the hungry man may eat it,And the moody man devour it,While they warm the bathroom for me,And the bathroom set in order,That the man may wash and cleanse him,And adorn him like a hero."

Then did Lemminkainen's mother,Bring him food, and bring it quickly,That the hungry man might eat it,And the moody man devour it,While they put the bath in order,And arranged the bathroom for him.

Then the lively LemminkainenQuickly ate the food she gave him,Hurried then into the bathroom,Hastened quickly to the bathroom,There it was the finch now washed him,There the bullfinch washed and cleansed him,Washed his head to flaxen whiteness,And his throat to shining whiteness.

From the bath the room he entered,And he spoke the words which follow:"O my mother, aged woman,Seek the storehouse on the mountain,Bring me thence my shirt, the fine one,Likewise bring the finest clothing,That I now may put it on me,And may fitly clothe me in it."

But his mother asked him quickly,Asked him thus, the aged woman,"Whither goes my son, my dearest,Dost thou go to hunt the lynxes,Or to chase the elk on snowshoes,Or perchance to shoot a squirrel?"

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"O my mother who hast borne me,Not to hunt the lynx I wander,Nor to chase the elk on snowshoes,Neither go I squirrel shooting,But I seek the feast at Pohja,And the secret drinking-party,Therefore fetch my shirt, the fine one,Bring me, too, the finest clothing,That I hasten to the wedding,And may wander to the banquet."

But his mother would forbid him,Vainly would his wife dissuade him,Two, whose like were not created,And three daughters of Creation,Sought to hold back LemminkainenBack from Pohjola's great banquet.

To her son then said the mother,And her child advised the old one,"Do not go, my son my dearest,O my dearest son, my Kauko,Go not to the feast at Pohja,To that mansion's drinking-party,For indeed they did not ask you,And 'tis plain they do not want you."

Then the lively LemminkainenAnswered in the words which follow:"Only bad men go for asking;Uninvited good men dance there.There are always invitations,Always a sufficient summons,In the sword with blade of sharpness,And the edge so brightly flashing."

Still did Lemminkainen's motherDo her utmost to restrain him."Go not, son, to sure destruction,Unto Pohjola's great banquet.Full of terrors is thy journey,On thy way are mighty wonders,Thrice indeed doth death await thee;Thrice the man with death is threatened."

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"Death is only for the women,Everywhere they see destruction;But a hero need not fear it,Nor need take extreme precautions.But let this be as it may be,Tell me that my ears may hear it,Tell me the first death that waits me,Tell the first and tell the last one."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,Answered then, the aged woman:"I will tell the deaths that wait you,Not as you would have me tell them;Of the first death I will tell you,And this death is first among them.When a little way you've travelledOn the first day of your journey,You will reach a fiery river,Flaming right across your pathway,In the stream a cataract fiery,In the fall a fiery island,On the isle a peak all fiery,On the peak a fiery eagle,One who whets his beak at night-time,And his claws in daytime sharpens,For the strangers who are coming,And the people who approach him."

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"This is perhaps a death for women,But 'tis not a death for heroes.For I know a plan already,And a splendid scheme to follow.I'll create, by songs of magic,Both a man and horse of alder.They shall walk along beside me,And shall wander on before me,While I like a duck am diving,Like a scoter duck am diving,'Neath the soaring eagle's talons,Talons of the mighty eagle.O my mother, who hast borne me,Tell me now of death the second."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,"Such the second death that waits you:When a little way you've journeyed,On the second day of travel,You will reach a trench of fire,Right across the path extending,Ever to the east extending,North-west endlessly extending,Full of stones to redness heated,Full of blocks of stone all glowing,And a hundred there have ventured,And a thousand there have perished,Hundreds with their swords have perished,And a thousand steel-clad heroes."

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"Such a death no man will perish,Nor is this a death for heroes,For I know a trick already,Know a trick, and see a refuge;And a man of snow I'll sing me,Make of frozen snow a hero,Push him in the raging fire,Push him in the glowing torment,Bathe him in the glowing bathroom,With a bath-whisk made of copper,I myself behind him pressing,Pushing through the fire a pathway,That my beard unburnt remaineth,And my locks escape a singeing.O my mother who hast borne me,Of the third death tell me truly."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,"Such the third death that awaits you:When you've gone a little further,And another day have travelled,Unto Pohjola's dread gateway,Where the pathway is the narrowest,Then a wolf will rush upon you,And a bear for his companion,There in Pohjola's dread gateway,Where the pathway is the narrowest.Hundreds have been there devoured,Heroes have by thousands perished;Wherefore should they not devour thee,Kill thee likewise, unprotected?"

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"Perhaps a young ewe might be eaten,Or a lamb be torn to pieces,Not a man, how weak soever,Not the sleepiest of the heroes!With a hero's belt I'm girded,And I wear a hero's armour,Fixed with buckles of a hero,So be sure I shall not hasten,Unto Untamo's dread wolf's jaws,In the throat of that curst creature.

"'Gainst the wolf I know a refuge,'Gainst the bear I know a method;For the wolfs mouth sing a muzzle,For the bear sing iron fetters,Or to very chaff will chop them,Or to merest dust will sift them;Thus I'll clear the path before me,Reach the ending of my journey."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,"Even yet your goal you reach not,There are still upon your pathway,On your road tremendous marvels.Three terrific dangers wait you,Three more deaths await the hero;And there even yet await you,On the spot the worst of marvels.

"When a little way you've travelled,Up to Pohjola's enclosure,There a fence is reared of iron,And a fence of steel erected,From the ground to heaven ascending,From the heavens to earth descending.Spears they are which form the hedgestakes,And for wattles, creeping serpents,Thus the fence with snakes is wattled,And among them there are lizards,And their tails are always waving,And their thick heads always swelling,And their round heads always hissing,Heads turned out, and tails turned inwards.

"On the ground are other serpents,On the path are snakes and adders,And above, their tongues are hissing,And below, their tails are waving.One of all the most terrificLies before the gate across it,Longer is he than a roof-tree,Than the roof-props is he thicker,And above, his tongue is hissing,And above, his mouth is hissing,Lifted not against another,Threatening thee, O luckless hero!"

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli:"Such a death is perhaps for children;But 'tis not a death for heroes,For I can enchant the fire,And can quench a glowing furnace,And can ban away the serpents,Twist the snakes between my fingers.Only yesterday it happenedThat I ploughed a field of adders;On the ground the snakes were twisting,And my hands were all uncovered.With my nails I seized the vipers,In my hands I took the serpents,Ten I killed among the vipers,And the serpents black by hundreds.Still my nails are stained with snake-blood,And my hands with slime of serpents.Therefore will I not permit me,And by no means will I journeyAs a mouthful for the serpents,To the sharp fangs of the adders.I myself will crush the monsters,Crush the nasty things to pieces,And will sing away the vipers,Drive the serpents from my pathway,Enter then the yard of Pohja,And into the house will force me."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,"O my son, forbear to venture,Into Pohjola's dread castle,House of Sariola all timbered;For the men with swords are girded,Heroes all equipped for battle,Men with drink of hops excited,Very furious from their drinking.They will sing thee, most unhappy,To the swords of all the keenest;Better men their songs have vanquished,Mighty ones been overpowered."

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli:"Well, but I have dwelt alreadyThere in Pohjola's dread fortress.Not a Lapp with spells shall chain me,Forth no son of Turja drive me.I'll enchant the Lapp by singing,Drive away the son of Turja,And in twain will sing his shoulders,From his chin his speech I'll sever,Tear his shirt apart by singing,And I'll break in two his breastbone."

Then said Lemminkainen's mother,"O alas, my son unhappy,Dost thou think of former exploits,Brag'st thou of thy former journey?True it is thou hast residedThere in Pohjola's dread fortress,But they sent thee all a-swimming,Floating overgrown with pond-weed,O'er the raging cataract driven,Down the stream in rushing waters.Thou hast known the Falls of Tuoni,Manala's dread stream hast measured,There would'st thou to-day be swimming,But for thine unhappy mother!

"Listen now to what I tell thee.When to Pohjola thou comest,All the slope with stakes is bristling,And the yard with poles is bristling,All with heads of men surmounted,And one stake alone is vacant,And to fill the stake remaining,Will they cut thy head from off thee."

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli:"Let a weakling ponder o'er it,Let the worthless find such ending!After five or six years' warfare,Seven long summers spent in battle,Not a hero would concern him,Nor retire a step before it.Therefore bring me now my mail-shirt,And my well-tried battle armour;I my father's sword will fetch me,And my father's sword-blade look to.In the cold it long was lying,In a dark place long was hidden;There has it been ever weeping,For a hero who should wield it."

Thereupon he took his mail-shirt,Took his well-tried battle armour,And his father's trusty weapon,Sword his father always wielded,And against the ground he thrust it,On the floor the point he rested,With his hand the sword he bendedLike the fresh crown of the cherry,Or the juniper when growing.Said the lively Lemminkainen,"Hard 'twill be in Pohja's castle,Rooms of Sariola the misty,Such a sword as this to gaze on,Such a sword-blade to encounter."

From the wall his bow he lifted,From the peg he took a strong bow,And he spoke the words which follow,And expressed himself in thiswise:"I would hold the man deserving,And regard him as a hero,Who to bend this bow was able,And could bend it and could string it,There in Pohjola's great castle,Rooms of Sariola the misty."

Then the lively Lemminkainen,He the handsome Kaukomieli,Put his shirt of mail upon him,Clad himself in arms of battle,And his slave he thus commanded,And he spoke the words which follow:"O my servant, bought with money,Workman, whom I got for money,Harness now my horse of battle,Harness me my fiery war-horse,That unto the feast I journey,Drinking-bout at house of Lempo."

Then the prudent slave, obedient,Hastened quickly to the courtyard,And the foal at once he harnessed,And prepared the fiery red one,And he said on his returning,"I have done what you commanded,And the horse have harnessed for you,And the best of foals have harnessed."

Then the lively Lemminkainen,Thought him ready for his journey,Right hand urging, left restraining,And his sinewy fingers smarting,Now would start, and then reflected,Started then in reckless fashion.

Then her son his mother counselled,Warned her child, the aged woman,At the door, beneath the rafters,At the place where stand the kettles."O my only son, my dearest,O my child, of all the strongest,When thou com'st to the carousal,And thou comest where thou wishest,Drink thou half a goblet only,Drink the measure to the middle,And the other half return thou;Give the worst half to a worse one.In the goblet rests a serpent,And a worm within the measure."

Yet again her son she cautioned,To her child again gave warning,At the last field's furthest limit,At the last of all the gateways."When thou com'st to the carousal,And thou comest where thou wishest,Sit upon a half-seat only,Step thou with a half-step only,And the other half return thou;Give the worst half to a worse one,Thus wilt thou a man be reckoned,And a most illustrious hero,And through armies push thy pathway,And will crush them down beneath thee,In the press of mighty heroes,In the throng of men of valour."

Then departed Lemminkainen,When the horse in sledge was harnessed.With his ready whip he struck him,With his beaded whip he smote him,And the fiery steed sprang forward,Onward sped the rapid courser.

When a short way he had journeyed,For about an hour had travelled,There he saw a flock of blackfowl,In the air the grouse flew upward,And the flock ascended rushingFrom before the speeding courser.

On the ice there lay some feathersCast by grouse upon the roadway;These collected Lemminkainen,And he put them in his pocket,For he knew not what might happen,Or might chance upon his journey.In a house are all things useful,Can at need be turned to something.

Then he drove a little further,On his road a little further,When to neigh began the courser,Pricked his long ears up in terror.

Then the lively Lemminkainen,He the handsome Kaukomieli,In the sledge at once leaned forward,Bending down to gaze about him.There he saw, as said his mother,As his own old mother warned him,How there flowed a fiery river,Right across the horse's pathway,In the stream a cataract fiery,In the fall a fiery island,On the isle a peak all fiery,On the peak a fiery eagle.In his throat the fire was seething,And his mouth with flame was glowing,And his plumage fire was flashing,And the sparks around were scattering.

Kauko from afar he noticed,From afar saw Lemminkainen.

"Whither wilt thou go, O Kauko,Whither goes the son of Lempi?"

Answered lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli,"Unto Pohja's feast I journey,The carousal held in secret.Turn thee on one side a little,From the youth's path do thou turn thee,Let the traveller make his journey,Do not hinder Lemminkainen,Therefore move aside a little,Let him now pursue his journey."

Thereupon the eagle answered,Hissing from his throat of fire,"I will let the traveller pass me,Will not hinder Lemminkainen,Through my mouth will let him hasten,Let him thus pursue his journey.Thither shall thy path direct thee,Fortunate shall be thy journey,To the banquet thou art seeking,Where thou all thy life may'st rest thee."

Little troubled Lemminkainen,And he let it not concern him,But he felt into his pocket,And his pouch he opened quickly,Took the feathers of the blackfowl,Leisurely he rubbed the feathers,And between his palms he rubbed them,'Twixt his fingers ten in number,And a flock of grouse created,And a flock of capercailzies,In the eagle's beak he thrust them,To his greedy throat he gave them,To the eagle's throat all fiery,In the fire-bird's beak he thrust them,Thus he freed himself from danger,And escaped the first day's danger.

With his whip he struck the courser,With the beaded whip he struck him,And the horse sped quickly onward,And the steed sprang lightly forward.

Then he drove a little further,But a little way had travelled,When the horse again was shying,And again the steed was neighing.From the sledge again he raised him,And he strove to gaze around him,And he saw, as said his mother,As his aged mother warned him,Right in front a trench of fire,Right across the path extending,Ever to the east extending,North-west endlessly extending,Full of stones to redness heated,Full of blocks of stone all glowing.

Little troubled Lemminkainen,But he raised a prayer to Ukko."Ukko, thou, of Gods the highest,Ukko, thou, our Heavenly Father,Send thou now a cloud from north-west,Send thou from the west a second,And a third to east establish.

"In the north-east let them gather,Push their borders all together,Drive them edge to edge together,Let the snow fall staff-deep round me,Deep as is the length of spear-shaft,On these stones to redness heated,Blocks of stone all fiery glowing."

Ukko, then, of Gods the highest,He the aged Heavenly Father,Sent a cloud from out the north-west,From the west he sent a second,In the east a cloud let gather,Let them gather in the north-east;And he heaped them all together,And he closed the gaps between them,Let the snow fall staff-deep downward,Deep as is the length of spear-shaft,On the stones to redness heated,Blocks of stone all fiery glowing.From the snow a pond was fashioned,And a lake with icy waters.Then the lively LemminkainenSang a bridge of ice together,Stretching right across the snow-pond,From the one bank to the other,O'er the fiery trench passed safely,Passed the second day in safety.

With his whip he urged the courser,Cracked the whip all bead-embroidered,And began to travel quickly,As the courser trotted onward.

Quick he ran a verst, a second,For a short space well proceeded,When he suddenly stopped standing,Would not stir from his position.

Then the lively LemminkainenStarted up to gaze around him.In the gate the wolf was standing,And the bear before the passage,There in Pohjola's dread gateway,At the end of a long passage.Then the lively Lemminkainen,He the handsome Kaukomieli,Quickly felt into his pocket,What his pouch contained exploring,And he took some ewe's wool from it,And until 'twas soft he rubbed it,And between his palms he rubbed it,'Twixt his fingers ten in number.

On his palms then gently breathing,Ewes ran bleating forth between them,Quite a flock of sheep he fashioned,And a flock of lambs among them,And the wolf rushed straight upon them,And the bear rushed after likewise,While the lively Lemminkainen,Further drove upon his journey.

Yet a little space he journeyed,Unto Pohjola's enclosure.There a fence was raised of iron,Fenced with steel the whole enclosure,In the ground a hundred fathoms,In the sky a thousand fathoms,Spears they were which formed the hedgestakes,And for wattles creeping serpents,Thus the fence with snakes was wattledAnd among them there were lizards,And their tails were always waving,And their thick heads always swelling,Rows of heads erected always,Heads turned out and tails turned inwards.

Then the lively LemminkainenGave himself to his reflections."This is what my mother told me,This is what my mother dreaded;Here I find a fence tremendousReared aloft from earth to heaven,Down below there creeps a viper,Deeper yet the fence is sunken,Up aloft a bird is flying,But the fence is builded higher."

Natheless was not LemminkainenGreatly troubled or uneasy;From the sheath he drew his knife out,From the sheath an iron weapon,And he hewed the fence to pieces,And in twain he clove the hedgestakes;Thus he breached the fence of iron,And he drove away the serpentsFrom the space between five hedgestakes,Likewise from the space 'twixt seven,And himself pursued his journey,On to Pohjola's dark portal.

In the path a snake was twisting,Just in front across the doorway,Even longer than the roof-tree,Thicker than the hall's great pillars,And the snake had eyes a hundred,And the snake had tongues a thousand,And his eyes than sieves were larger,And his tongues were long as spear-shafts,And his fangs were like rake-handles;Seven boats' length his back extended.Then the lively LemminkainenWould not instantly move onwardTo the snake with eyes a hundred,And the snake with tongues a thousand.

Spoke the lively Lemminkainen,Said the handsome Kaukomieli:"Serpent black and subterranean,Worm whose hue is that of Tuoni,Thou amidst the grass who lurkest,At the roots of Lempo's foliage,Gliding all among the hillocks,Creeping all among the tree-roots,Who has brought thee from the stubble,From the grass-roots has aroused thee,Creeping here on ground all open,Creeping there upon the pathway?Who has sent thee from thy nettles,Who has ordered and provoked theeThat thy head thou liftest threatening,And thy neck thou stiffly raisest?Was't thy father or thy mother,Or the eldest of thy brothers,Or the youngest of thy sisters,Or some other near relation?

"Close thy mouth, thy head conceal thou,Hide thou quick thy tongue within it,Coil thyself together tightly,Roll thyself into a circle,Give me way, though but a half-way,Let the traveller make his journey,Or begone from out the pathway.Creep, thou vile one, in the bushes,In the holes among the heathland,And among the moss conceal thee,Glide away, like ball of worsted,Like a withered stick of aspen.Hide thy head among the grass-roots,Hide thyself among the hillocks,'Neath the turf thy mouth conceal thou,Make thy dwelling in a hillock.If you lift your head from out it,Ukko surely will destroy it,With his nails, all steely-pointed,With a mighty hail of iron."

Thus was Lemminkainen talking,But the serpent heeded nothing,And continued always hissing,Darting out its tongue for ever,And its mouth was always hissingAt the head of Lemminkainen.Then the lively LemminkainenOf an ancient spell bethought him,Which the old crone once had taught him,Which his mother once had taught him.

Said the lively Lemminkainen,Spoke the handsome Kaukomieli,"If you do not heed my singing,And it is not quite sufficient,Still you will swell up with anguishWhen an ill day comes upon you.Thou wilt burst in two, O vile one,O thou toad, in three will burst thou,If I should seek out your mother,And should search for your ancestress.Well I know thy birth, vile creature,Whence thou comest, earthly horror,For Syöjätär was your mother,And the sea-fiend was your parent.

"Syöjätär she spat in water,In the waves she left the spittle,By the wind 'twas rocked thereafter,Tossed upon the water-current,Thus for six years it was shaken,Thus for seven whole summers drifted,On the ocean's shining surface,And upon the swelling billows.Thus for long the water stretched it,By the sun 'twas warmed and softened,To the land the billows drove it,On the beach a wave upcast it.

"Walked three Daughters of CreationOn the beach of stormy ocean,On the beach, the waves that bounded,On the beach they saw the spittle,And they spoke the words which follow:'What might perhaps of this be fashioned,If a life by the Creator,And if eyes were granted to it?'

"This was heard by the Creator,And he spoke the words which follow:'Evil only comes from evil,And a toad from toad's foul vomit,If I gave a life unto it,And if eyes were granted to it.'

"But the words were heard by Hiisi,One for mischief always ready,And he set about creating;Hiisi gave a life unto it,Of the slime of toad disgusting,From Syöjätär's filthy spittle,Formed from this a twisting serpent,To a black snake he transformed it.

"Whence the life he gave unto it?Life he brought from Hiisi's coal-heap.Whence was then its heart created?Out of Syöjätär's own heartstrings.Whence the brains for this foul creature?From a mighty torrent's foaming.Whence its sense obtained the monster?From a furious cataract's foaming.Whence a head, this foul enchantment?From the bean, a bean all rotten.Whence were then its eyes created?From a seed of flax of Lempo.Whence were the toad's ears created?From the leaves of Lempo's birch-tree.Whence was then its mouth constructed?Syöjätär's own mouth supplied it.Whence the tongue in mouth so evil?From the spear of Keitolainen.Teeth for such an evil creature?From the beard of Tuoni's barley.Whence its filthy gums created?From the gums of Kalma's maiden.Whence was then its back constructed?Of the coals of fire of Hiisi.Whence its wriggling tail constructed?From the plaits of Pahalainen.Whence its entrails were constructed?These were drawn from Death's own girdle.

"This thy origin, O serpent,This thy honour, as reported;Black snake from the world infernal,Serpent of the hue of Tuoni,Hue of earth, and hue of heather,All the colours of the rainbow.Go from out the wanderer's pathway,From before the travelling hero,Yield the pathway to the traveller,Make a way for LemminkainenTo the feast at Pohja holden,Where they hold the great carousal."

Then the snake obeyed his orders,And the hundred-eyed drew backward,And the great snake twisted sideways,Turning in a new direction,Giving thus the traveller pathway,Making way for LemminkainenTo the feast at Pohja holden,And the secret-held carousal.