- This is part of my "Kalevala series" in which I tell the epic folklore poetry of Finns as a series of short stories.
- Don't know what Kalevala is? Check my introduction post of it: Kaleva: An epic folklore of Finns - A source of inspiration for Tolkien's mythology
- Want to start from the beginning? Go to Part 1: The birth of Väinämöinen
Väinämöinen stood up on the treeless land and for years of time he wondered who would seed all the land:
Pellervoinen would be the one. He started seeding all the grounds, all the hills, all the valleys everything on where they belonged.
Väinämöinen went to look his work. Everything grew except for one: The oak tree of God.
In the distance of a misty cape there were four virgins cutting grass. From the sea next to them rose a male octopus and burned the grass leaving only dust after.
From an acorn lying on the dust, rose an oak that straightened its branches, extended its foliage, upper than the clouds, covering the sun, making life down tedious without the light from above.
So, Väinämöinen started thinking who could cut the oak and turned to his mother bearer:
"In the sea there are plenty of, crowd of water, some of here bring,
this oak on the ground to cut off, the evil tree into havoc,
away from the shining day light, reveal moons glow from behind it."
Not long until a man rose from the sea who wasn't grand: only the size of a man's thumb and Väinämöinen asked him:
"Who are you, damned one, dismal one,
slightly better than a dead one?"
The man answered:
"I am damned man, male small, sea folk,
here I am to cut the oak tree, to crush its logs into pieces."
He grew into a giant, went to the oak, striked it with his axe, striked again, third strike and the oak fell. The sun light was free, land grew strong and the parts of the oak held supernatural qualities for their holders.
Väinämöinen started to cultivate the land. He planted the seeds but they didn't grow and a tit told him why:
"Oat of Kalevala won't grow, if you don't make land obey you,
you need to slash and burn swidden."
When Väinämöinen gained control of the ground by cutting trees with an axe, he got help from a mighty eagle to burn them down as a thankful gesture for leaving one birch for birds to rest on.
With the result of fertile land, Väinämöinen cultivated his fields which were productive with loads of harvest for years to come.
- Part 3: The challenge of Joukahainen