The Kalevala by Elias Lonnrot

Author:Elias Lonnrot [Lonnrot, Elias]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0674500105
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 1985-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

POEM 30

Lemminkäinen with his former comrade-in-arms Snowfoot

sets out to wage war against North Farm (1–122).

To oppose him the mistress of North Farm produces a severe cold spell

which freezes their ships into the sea

and would have come within an ace of freezing the crewmen themselves

had not Lemminkäinen by means of effective charms and exorcisms

got Jack Frost to desist (123–316).

With his companion Lemminkäinen walks ashore on the ice,

in a woeful condition wanders a long way through the backwoods

until he finally gets to his home farm (317–500).

The lad Ahti, fine lad, the reckless lad Lemminkäinen, very early one morning, very early in the morning,

was walking along to the boat sheds, setting out toward the ships’ landing places.

There a wooden vessel was weeping, a boat with iron tholepins grieving: “What about me who has been built, me, poor wretch, who has been fashioned?

Ahti has not rowed to war for six, ten summers

out of a desire for silver, a craving for gold, either.”

Reckless Lemminkäinen struck the vessel with his mitt, his mitten with an embroidered wristband. He uttered these words: “Do not worry, deck of evergreen, do not complain, ship with extra freeboard.

You will yet wage war, go to battle;

you will be full of rowers from tomorrow morning on.”

He walks to his mother’s, uttered these words:

“Do not weep now, mother mine, do not complain, my parent, if I go somewhere or other, set out to scenes of war.

A scheme has come to my mind, a plan has entered my brain to destroy the people of North Farm, to avenge myself on the wretches.”

His mother tried to stop him, the aged woman warned him: “Do not go, my son, to those battles at North Farm.

There your death will come about, your death occur.”

What did Lemminkäinen care! He just considered going, vowed to set out. He uttered a word, spoke thus:

“Where will I get a second man, both a man and a sword to help Ahti in battle, as a reinforcement for the very mighty man?

I know Snowfoot, Hoarfrosty who is within earshot of me.

From him I will probably get a second man, both a man and a sword to help Ahti in battle, as a reinforcement for the very mighty man.

He walks over there about the community, along the path to Snowfoot’s farmstead.

When he got there he said, when he arrived announced:

“My Snowfoot, my trusty fellow, my dearest friend, my dear friend!

I wonder if you remember our days of yore, our former life when in the past we used to go together to great scenes of battle?

There was not a community in which there were not ten farms, not a farm on which there were not ten men,

not that man or a person of consequence

whom we did not destroy and between us overthrow.”

The father happened to be at the window shaping a spear shaft, the mother on the threshold of the storehouse banging the chum, the brothers by the gateway fashioning sleighs with long sides, the sisters on the floor fulling homespun.

The father spoke from the

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