The Kalevala · 175 of 275 · tr. John Martin Crawford
Rune XXIXe
Dost thou leave from inattention, Is there here a dearth of maidens, Have our greetings been unworthy?" Sang the magic Lemminkainen To the maids as he was sailing, This in answer to their calling: "Leaving not for want of pleasure, Do not go from dearth of women Beautiful the island-maidens, Countless as the sands their virtues.
This the reason of my going, I am longing for my home-land, Longing for my mother's cabins, For the strawberries of Northland, For the raspberries of Kalew, For the maidens of my childhood, For the children of my mother." Then the merry Lemminkainen Bade farewell to all the island; Winds arose and drove his vessel On the blue-back of the ocean, O'er the far-extending waters, Toward the island of his mother.
On the shore were grouped the daughters Of the magic Isle of Refuge, On the rocks sat the forsaken, Weeping stood the island-maidens, Golden daughters, loud-lamenting.
Weep the maidens of the island While the sail-yards greet their vision, While the copper-beltings glisten; Do not weep to lose the sail-yards, Nor to lose the copper-beltings; Weep they for the loss of Ahti, For the fleeing Kaukomieli Guiding the departing vessel.
Also weeps young Lemminkainen, Sorely weeps, and loud-lamenting, Weeps while he can see the island, While the island hill-tops glisten; Does not mourn the island-mountains, Weeps he only for the maidens, Left upon the Isle of Refuge.
Thereupon sailed Kaukomieli On the blue-back of the ocean; Sailed one day, and then a second, But, alas!
upon the third day, There arose a mighty storm-wind, And the sky was black with fury.
Blew the black winds from the north-west, From the south-east came the whirlwind, Tore away the ship's forecastle, Tore away the vessel's rudder, Dashed the wooden hull to pieces.
Thereupon wild Lemminkainen Headlong fell upon the waters; With his head he did the steering, With his hands and feet, the rowing; Swam whole days and nights unceasing, Swam with hope and strength united, Till at last appeared a cloudlet, Growing cloudlet to the westward, Changing to a promontory, Into land within the ocean.
Swiftly to the shore swam Ahti, Hastened to a magic castle, Found therein a hostess baking, And her daughters kneading barley, And these words the hero uttered: "O, thou hostess, filled with kindness, Couldst thou know my pangs of hunger, Couldst thou guess my name and station, Thou wouldst hasten to the storehouse, Bring me beer and foaming liquor, Bring the best of thy provisions, Bring me fish, and veal, and bacon, Butter, bread, and honeyed biscuits, Set for me a wholesome dinner, Wherewithal to still my hunger, Quench the thirst of Lemminkainen.
Days and nights have I been swimming, Buffeting the waves of ocean, Seemed as if the wind protected, And the billows gave me shelter," Then the hostess, filled with kindness, Hastened to the mountain storehouse, Cut some butter, veal, and bacon, Bread, and fish, and honeyed biscuit, Brought the best of her provisions, Brought the mead and beer of barley, Set for him a toothsome dinner, Wherewithal to still his hunger, Quench the thirst of Lemminkainen.
Themes
◆Animismcosmology
The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.
The passage depicts natural phenomena like winds acting with agency ('sky was black with fury') and spirits inhabiting the landscape ('magic Isle of Refuge'), reflecting a worldview where nature possesses inherent spirit.
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
Natural forces and spirits are attributed human emotions and actions, such as the winds blowing with fury and the island-maidens weeping and lamenting.
The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.
Divine or spiritual forces (winds, island maidens) act as active, personal agents that interact directly with the hero rather than abstract principles.
The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.
The hero's profound longing for his mother and homeland mirrors the affective wound of exile from one's origin, driving the narrative journey.
The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.
Lemminkainen is described as 'magic' and he 'sang' to the maidens, consistent with the Kalevala tradition where spoken song carries causal-magical force.