Chapter XX: Canto XVI: The Voyage of the Kalevide

The Kalevide now decided on a journey north, to the uttermost end of the world, where it touches the sky. He imagined that he could only reach this point by sea, and thought at first of travelling on the wings of an eagle. Meantime, a raven directed him, when he came to a broad expanse of blue water, to look for a place where rushes grew on the bank, and to stamp on the ground with his right foot, when the mouth of the earth and the strongly guarded doors would fly open, and he would reach the end of the world.

Then the Kalevide reflected how he had waded through every lake
and sea, and had found none too deep for him except Lake Ilma.
He then thought he would visit Finland, Norway, and the
islands, where he expected to find old friends to direct him on
his journey. So he directed Olev
[Pg 111]
to fell the great oak-tree which their father and mother had
planted, and which neither sun, moon, stars, nor rain, could
penetrate,
[82] and to make the strongest sailing vessels for exploring
voyages from the trunk, warships from the crown, merchantmen
from the large branches, slave-ships from the smaller ones,
children's boats from the splinters, and maiden's boats from
the chips. He ordered the remainder to be used for building
towns, fortresses, and houses for the people in various parts
of the country.

Olev replied, "I know what to do, dear brother, if we can find a strong man in the country able to fell the oak-tree." The raven told them to send out to seek for such a man, and they did so; whereupon the wise men of Norway and Finland assembled to give them advice. But they told the Kalevide that it was no use building a wooden ship to sail to the world's end, for the spirits of the Northern Lights would set it in flames. He must build a strong vessel of iron and copper and tin.

The Kalevide then constructed a vessel, not of
[Pg 112]
iron and copper, but of silver. The whole of the
ship—planking, deck, masts, and chains—was of silver, and he
named the vessel Lennuk.
[83] For himself he provided golden armour, silver for the
nobles, iron for the crew, copper for the old men, and steel
for the wise men.

The Kalevide selected experienced sailors and many wise men to accompany him, and they set sail joyfully towards Finland; but soon turned, and directed their course to the far north, in the direction of the Great Bear.

To the north they sailed under the guidance of a wise helmsman
who knew all languages and the speech of birds and beasts. But
the Finnish sorcerers raised storms against the ship, and they
were driven along for seven days and nights, till a coast rose
before them which the helmsman declared was quite unknown to
him. The son of Kalev then sprang into the sea, swam ashore,
and towed the ship after him.
[84] The birds sang to them that it was the poverty-stricken
coast of Lapland.
[85] They went
[Pg 113]

to explore the country, but wandered a long way without meeting
with any inhabitants. At last they found a solitary cottage,
where a maiden sat on the grass plot before the door spinning.
And she sang how a milkmaid once found a cock and a hen. The
cock flew away, but she caught the hen, and brought it home,
where it grew up into a proud princess who had many lovers,
among whom were the sun and—"The Kalevide," shouted he; and the
maiden screamed and fled into the house. Then her father came
to the door, and the Kalevide saluted him courteously, and
asked him the way to the world's end. The wise man answered
that it was a vain quest. The sea had no end, and those who had
formerly attempted this quest had found their deaths on the
Fire Island. The raven had only directed them on the road to
Põrgu, but if they wished to return home, he would be pleased
to guide them.

The Kalevide answered that he needed no pilot to show him the way home, but would be glad if the Lapp could pilot him to the door at the World's End. The Lapp consented, but bargained for what was chained to the wall at home, which the hero readily promised.

So Varrak the Laplander took the helm and
[Pg 114]
steered the vessel due north for many days and nights. The
first danger they encountered was a great whirlpool,
[86] which threatened to engulf the ship. Then Varrak threw a
small barrel overboard, wrapped in red cloths and ornamented
with red streamers. This bait was swallowed by a whale, which
took to flight, and towed the ship to a place of safety.

Again they sailed on for a long distance, till they came in
sight of the Island of Fire,
[87] where huge pillars of flame were towering up, and vast
clouds of smoke filled the air. The Kalevide wished to visit
the island, but Varrak warned him of the danger, and at length
the Sulevide volunteered to land alone. So Varrak ran the ship
ashore at a spot where one mountain was casting up flames, a
second smoke, and a third boiling water, while the burning lava
ran down into the valley.

The son of Sulev wandered on amid ashes and snowfields, amid a
rain of red-hot stones, till he
[Pg 115]
reached the mouth of the volcano, when his coat caught fire
and his hair and eyebrows were singed, and he returned
scorched to the ship. The Kalevide asked if he had seen
anything of the cupbearer, who had followed him; but he had
not. Then a white bird perched on the ship, and the wise Finn,
who knew the language of animals, asked for tidings of the
boy. But the bird answered that he had wandered away to a
beautiful country which lay behind the snow-mountains, where
he was enjoying himself in the company of the water-nymphs. He
would return no more; let the ship proceed on her course.
[88]

Next they reached a country where the birds all fed on gold and silver and copper, and where the herbage grew as high as the pine-trees. The Kalevide sent some of the crew ashore, under the guidance of the magician, to view the country, while he and the Sulevide lay down on deck to sleep in the sun, leaving the Alevide to keep watch.

The ship's company, headed by the magician, wandered into the
country, and, when night came, lay down to rest under a bush.
Next morning the
[Pg 116]

little daughter of a giant
[89] found them asleep, and wondering what they were, put them
all into her apron, and carried them home to her father, and
scattered them before him, saying:

"Look at these, O dearest father,

I have brought them here to play with,

For I found them in the cabbage,

Where the six like fleas were lying,

Stiffened in the chilly dewdrops,

Sleeping 'neath a head of cabbage."

The giant
[90] wished to test the wisdom of the strangers, so he
inquired, "What walks along the grass, steps on the edge of the
fence, and walks along the sides of the reeds?" "The bee,"
replied the magician.
[91] "What drinks from the brooks and wells, and from the
stones on the bank?" "The rainbow." "What comes hissing from
the
[Pg 117]

meadow, and rushing from the blue forest?" "The rain." The
giant was pleased with the answers to his riddles, and told his
daughter to carry the men back to where she had found them, but
the wise man asked her to take them to the ship for fun. The
maiden willingly obeyed; she leaned over the ship like a vast
cloud, shook the men out of her apron on deck, and then blew
the ship four miles out to sea, for which the Kalevide shouted
back his thanks to her.

Now they sailed farther north, and the cold became intense, while the spirits of the Northern Lights began their combats in the air with silver spears and golden shields. The sailors were frightened, but the Kalevide was pleased that they should now be able to direct their course when they had left the sun and moon behind them.

Next they reached an unknown shore, where the inhabitants were
half men and half dogs, and had long dog's tails.
[92] They were armed with great clubs, and the Kalevide sprang
ashore to fight. A
[Pg 118]
horse which he mounted soon fell dead under him, but he tore
up an oak by the roots and began to lay the country waste. The
wisest man of the country expostulated with him, and he
repented of his violence, and prayed to Ukko to send fish to
the country to replace the good ground which he had destroyed
in his fury. Peace was thus concluded; and the wise man told
the Kalevide that the raven had sent him on an idle quest to
the gates of Põrgu. The Kalevide then decided to return home,
and they directed the ship towards Lalli in the bay of
Lindanisa, where Olev was building a city.

[Pg 119]