Chapter IV: Part I: The Hero of Esthonia

The _Kalevipoeg_, which may be called the national epic of
Esthonia, contains the adventures of a mythical hero of
gigantic size, who ruled over the country in its days of
independence and prosperity. He is always called by his
patronymic, Kalevipoeg, or Kalevide, the son of Kalev; and,
notwithstanding the great differences between them, he is
evidently the Kullervo of the Finnish _Kalevala_.

The _Kalevipoeg_ consists of twenty cantos and about 19,000
lines; and a fairly complete prose outline of the story is here
given, all the tedious lyrical interludes which break its
continuity, especially at the beginning of several of the
cantos, being entirely omitted. For further
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general information respecting the poem itself we will refer to
the Introduction, and will now proceed to give a short abstract
of the principal contents of the cantos, before proceeding to a
more detailed analysis.

ARGUMENT OF THE "KALEVIPOEG"

_Canto I._
—Three brothers travel in various directions, one of whom,
Kalev,
[4] is carried by an eagle to Esthonia, where he becomes king.
A widow finds a hen, a grouse's egg, and a young crow. From the
two first spring the fair maidens, Salme and Linda, and from
the last a slave-girl. Salme chooses the Youth of the Stars,
and Linda the young giant-king Kalev, as their respective
husbands, with whom they depart.

_Canto II._
—Death and burial of Kalev; birth of his posthumous son, the
Kalevipoeg.

_Canto III._
—The Kalevipoeg and his brothers go hunting in the forest.
During their absence Linda is carried off by a Finnish sorcerer
whose suit she has despised. She escapes from him through the
interference of the gods, who afterwards change her into a
rock. Return of the
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brothers; the Kalevide seeks help and counsel at his father's
grave.

_Canto IV._
—The Kalevide throws himself into the sea to swim to Finland.
In the evening he lands on an island where he meets a maiden
whom he seduces. When she hears his name, she is horrified, and
falls into the sea. He plunges after her, but being unable to
save her, swims onwards on his journey. The parents rake the
sea, and find an oak and a fir and other things, but not their
daughter. Song of a maiden who was enticed into the sea by a
man of copper.

_Canto V._
—The planting of the great oak-tree on the island. The Kalevide
arrives in Finland and slays the sorcerer.

_Canto VI._
—The Kalevide visits a famous smith, from whom he buys a huge
sword, which was bespoken by his father Kalev. A great
drinking-bout is held in his honour, during which he slays the
smith's eldest son in a fit of drunken fury, and the smith
curses him. The felling of the great oak-tree on the island.

_Canto VII._
—The Kalevide finds the sorcerer's boat, and sails homeward.
The three brothers relate their adventures and the eldest
proposes that they should now decide which of them shall settle
in the country as his father's heir. The Kalevide again visits
his father's grave.

_Canto VIII._
—The three sons of Kalev journey to the shores of a lake, and
try their strength in hurling rocks across it. The youngest
makes the best cast, and the other two leave the country. The
Kalevide ploughs the land, and one day while he is sleeping his
horse is devoured by wolves.
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_Canto IX._
—The Kalevide slaughters the wolves. News of war. The visit of
Taara. The Finnish Bridge.

_Canto X._
—In order to settle a dispute between two water-demons, the
Kalevide's cousin, the Alevide, begins to drain a swamp. The
water-demon begs the hero to desist, and the latter tricks the
demon out of his treasures. Visit of the Kalevide's cup-bearer
to the water-demon's palace, and his escape. The Kalevide
overcomes the demon in hurling and wrestling. He decides to
build fortified towns, and sets out to Lake Peipus to fetch
timber. Meeting with the Air-maiden at a well.

_Canto XI._
—The Kalevide wades through Lake Peipus. A sorcerer steals his
sword and sinks it in the brook Käpä, where the Kalevide leaves
it, after enjoining it to cut off the legs of him who had
brought it there; meaning the sorcerer. He encounters a man of
ordinary stature in a forest, whom he puts in his wallet. The
man relates his adventure with two giants and their mother.

_Canto XII._
—The Kalevide is attacked by three sons of the sorcerer, and
beats them off with the boards, which are destroyed. Adventure
with the hedgehog. The Kalevide finds to his grief that the man
in his wallet has been killed by a chance blow during the
fight. He falls asleep, and the sorcerer casts a spell upon him
which throws him into a deep sleep for seven weeks. Vision of
Ilmarine's workshop. The Kalevide wakes, and sets out on his
return. Adventures of two poor boys.

_Canto XIII._
—On his return journey the Kalevide finds some demons cooking
at the entrance to a cave. He enters the cavern, which leads
him to the door of the palace of
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Sarvik,
[5] which he breaks open. In the antechamber, he finds three
maidens.

_Canto XIV._
—Next day the maidens show the Kalevide over Sarvik's palace.
Sarvik surprises them, and wrestles with the Kalevide in the
enclosure, but is overcome and vanishes. The Kalevide and the
sisters escape from the palace.

_Canto XV._
—The fugitives are pursued by the demons, but the youngest
sister raises a flood between them. The leader, Tühi, questions
the Kalevide, who answers him sarcastically, and the demons
take to flight. The three sisters are married to the Kalevide's
kinsmen.

_Canto XVI._
—The Kalevide projects a voyage to the end of the world.
Building of the ship Lennuk. Voyage to Finland and Lapland.
Meeting with Varrak, the Laplander. Voyage to the Island of
Fire. The Giant's Daughter. The Northern Lights. The Dog-men.
Homeward voyage.

_Canto XVII._
—The fortified cities. Great battle with invaders. Land journey
of the Kalevide and his friends. Encounter with Sarvik
disguised as a dwarf. The daughters of the Meadow-Queen.

_Canto XVIII._
—The gates of Põrgu.
[6] The Kalevide enters the cavern, notwithstanding every
obstacle fights his way across an iron bridge, and enters
Sarvik's palace.

_Canto XIX._
—The Kalevide overcomes Sarvik in a wrestling match, and loads
him with chains. He returns to the upper world, and finds the
Alevide waiting for him
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at the entrance to the cavern. Return of the Kalevide to
Lindanisa.
[7] Great feast and songs. News of a formidable invasion.
Departure of Varrak for Lapland. Arrival of fugitives.

_Canto XX._
—The Kalevide buries his treasure. Terrible battles, in which
his cousin the Sulevide is slain. Drowning of the Alevide. The
Kalevide abdicates in favour of his surviving cousin, the
Olevide, and retires to live in seclusion on the bank of a
river. Being annoyed by occasional visitors, he wanders away
towards Lake Peipus, and steps into the brook Käpä, when his
sword cuts off his legs. His soul takes flight to the halls of
Taara,
[8] but is bidden by the gods to reanimate his body. He is
mounted on a horse, and stationed at the gates of Põrgu, to
keep watch and ward on Sarvik and his hosts.

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THE KALEVIPOEG

OR,

_THE ADVENTURES OF THE SON OF KALEV, THE HERO OF ESTHONIA._

The poem commences with an invocation to Vanemuine.
[9] This is followed by a long lyrical exordium.