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vile one, in the bushes,

       In the holes among the heathland,

       And among the moss conceal thee, 660

       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." 670

      Thus was Lemminkainen talking,

       But the serpent heeded nothing,

       And continued always hissing,

       Darting out its tongue for ever,

       And its mouth was always hissing

       At the head of Lemminkainen.

       Then the lively Lemminkainen

       Of an ancient spell bethought him,

       Which the old crone once had taught him,

       Which his mother once had taught him. 680

      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 anguish

       When 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. 690

       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, 700

       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 Creation

       On the beach of stormy ocean,

       On the beach, the waves that bounded,

       On the beach they saw the spittle, 710

       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.' 720

      "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. 730

       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. 740

       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. 750

       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, 760

       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 Lemminkainen

       To the feast at Pohja holden,

       Where they hold the great carousal."

      Then the snake obeyed his orders,

       And the hundred-eyed drew backward, 770

       And the great snake twisted sideways,

       Turning in a new direction,

       Giving thus the traveller pathway,

       Making way for Lemminkainen

       To the feast at Pohja holden,

       And the secret-held carousal.

Runo XXVII.—The Duel at Pohjola

       Table of Contents

      Argument

      Lemminkainen comes to Pohjola and behaves with the greatest insolence (1-204). The Lord of Pohjola grows angry, and as he can do nothing against Lemminkainen by magic, he challenges him to a duel (205-282). In the course of the duel Lemminkainen strikes off the head of the Lord

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