The Courageous Barn Keeper : Sacred-Texts Legends but his host knew him well enough, though he pretended not, and had made up his mind to box Old Hornie's ears if he could. One evening the Old Boy began to complain of the hard life of a bachelor, and how he had nobody to knit him a p. 196 pair of stockings or to hem...
The Lucky Egg : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE LUCKY EGG. (KREUTZWALD.) ONCE upon a time a poor man lived in a great forest with his wife. God had given them eight children, and the elder ones were already earning their living with strangers. So the parents were not much rejoiced when...
The Milky Way : Sacred-Texts Legends and like a flower in the morning sunlight under a thousand dewdrops, so brightly shone Lindu in her motherly care for the birds. Therefore was it not surprising that all gazed upon her and loved her. Every one desired the maiden as a wife, and suitors came in crowds. The North...
The Two Brothers And The Frost : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 71 The next story, which belongs to the same class as Grimm's "Devil with the Three Golden Hairs," introduces us to the personified Frost, who is here a much less malevolent being than in the "Kalevala", Runo xxx. It also combines two familiar...
The Twelve Daughters : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next We will now proceed to stories relative to the nature-spirits, commencing with those of the water, who are both numerous and powerful among the Finns and Esthonians. Other stories concerning them will be found in different parts of the book...
The Church Of The Holy Cross : Sacred-Texts Legends and on touching it, he recovered his sight. In gratitude, he built a church on the spot, which was afterwards destroyed in war-time, and only the walls left standing. The people were too poor to rebuild it, but from the ruins grew a tree which all regarded as holy. The then...
Introduction : Sacred-Texts Legends on the east by the Government of St. Petersburg; on the south by Livonia, and on the west by the Baltic. Opposite its western coast lie numerous large islands, the most important of which are Dag and Oesel; these islands nearly close the north-west corner of the Gulf of Rig...
Bibliography : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous p. 299 BIBLIOGRAPHY THE present list contains only books and papers which have been used or specially consulted in the preparation of this work, or which have been published in England on Esthonian tales and poems. Other books quoted are referred...
The Nocturnal Church Goers : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next We may end this section with the story of a man who failed to raise a treasure through fear. THE NOCTURNAL CHURCH-GOERS. (KREUTZWALD.) ONE Christmas Eve the people at a farm-house a couple of versts from a church went to bed early, intending to go...
The Song God's Departure : Sacred-Texts Legends therefore his song moves the soul most deeply, and lifts it towards the throne of God. Vanemuine sang of the grandeur of heaven and the beauty of earth, of the banks of the Ema and her beauty, and of the joy and sorrow of the children of men. And his song was so moving that he...
Argument Of The kalevipoeg : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next ARGUMENT OF THE "KALEVIPOEG" "Canto I".--Three brothers travel in various directions, one of whom, Kalev,1 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 Magic Egg : Sacred-Texts Legends but if anybody took them home, some misfortune befell him. One day a man found what he thought was a duck's egg, and boiled and ate it; but the more he ate, the more there seemed to be, and he could not finish it. Next morning the portion left proved to be not an egg, but half...
The Good Deed Rewarded : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next Our next story is a very odd one about a hat. p. 128 THE GOOD DEED REWARDED. (KREUTZWALD.) ONCE upon a time a young countryman was busy raking up his hay in the meadow, when a threatening thundercloud which arose on the horizon caused him to hasten...
Canto Viii The Contest And Parting Of The Brothers : Sacred-Texts Legends but they rested under the trees and took some refreshment during the heat of the day. In the evening they passed a house which was lighted up as if for company. The father and mother stood at the door, and invited them to choose brides from among their rich and beautiful...
The Soldier And The Devil : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The next story, that of the Devil being pounded in a sack, is current in various forms throughout Northern Europe. p. 76 THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL. (JANNSEN.) THE Devil encountered a soldier outside the town, and said to him, "Good friend, please...
Canto V The Kalevide And The Finnish Sorcerer : Sacred-Texts Legends but though the morning was calm and peaceful, his dreams were but of battle and murder. Meantime the islander and his wife, not being able to find their daughter, returned home weeping, and planted the oak and the fir in the field where their daughter used to swing...
The Officious Flies : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE OFFICIOUS FLIES. A FEW dozen flies once attacked a cart-horse who was feeding quietly in a thicket, and lamented that they were not more numerous, that they might make him lie down. Presently his skin began to itch, when he lay down, rolled...
Canto Xx Armageddon : Sacred-Texts Legends but the man is not yet born who shall raise it. When the morning dawned, the son of Kalev took his spear and sword, mounted his war-horse, and p. 136 ordered the Alevide to follow him as his shield-bearer. Then he blew his horn, and set his forces in battle array. The sound...
Heath Legends : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 132 SECTION VI "HEATH LEGENDS." (JANNSEN.) JANNSEN gives the following account of heath-spirits, &c. Abstracts of stories not included under other headings we have appended to his general observations. In former days, when trees and bushes talked...
Tiidu The Flute Player : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The story of Tiidu1 the Flute-player introduces us to a mysterious old man, and is therefore given a place after the narrative of the stolen prince. It contains many points of interest, including the cosmopolitan incident of the Nose-tree (which...
The Dragon Slayer : Sacred-Texts Legends but the princess contrives to delay her marriage with the coachman, and on the wedding-day Peter returns, is imprisoned by order of the king, but released by Break-Iron. Then he sends Run-for-Food to the princess, who recognises him, and reveals the secret to her father...
The Wonderful Haycock : Sacred-Texts Legends but when a cock crew in the village, the haycock vanished, and the girl made her way home exhausted, and died within a week. Since then, the people say that cries for help have been heard from the heath by night. But they are very particular that every haycock shall be tied...
Untitled : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas "The Hero of Esthonia by W. F. Kirby in two volumes [London, 1895] VOLUME 1 Title Page CONTENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION PART I -- THE HERO OF ESTHONIA ARGUMENT OF THE "KALEVIPOEG" CANTO I -- THE MARRIAGES OF SALME AND LINDA CANTO II -- THE DEATH OF KALEV CANTO III...
Stories Of The Gods, And Spirits Of The Elements : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 80 SECTION V "STORIES OF THE GODS, AND SPIRITS OF THE ELEMENTS" VANEMUINE appears in the "Kalevala", under his Finnish name of Vinminen, as a culture-hero, though in the first recension of the poem, as well as in most of the creation-myths...
Red Riding Hood : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next RED RIDING-HOOD. ONE of the most fantastic stories of this series is "The Devil's Visit" (Jannsen: Veckenstedt), which, notwithstanding its subject, has an absurd p. 39 resemblance in some of its details to "Little Red Riding-Hood." Two men...
Unnatural Brothers : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 267 SECTION XII "UNNATURAL BROTHERS" THE story of the wicked rich brother who oppresses the poor one is not unknown in Esthonia. There is a hideous story of such a pair, relating how when the poor brother died his widow begged grave-clothing...
The Idiot's Luck : Sacred-Texts Legends so he ties it to the tree, and takes a log home with him as security for the money. Not receiving it when he expected, he breaks open the log, and finds a jar of money inside. He afterwards kills a shepherd who tries to cheat him out of it; and it is given out th...
Section I.Tales Illustrative Of The kalevipoeg : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 147 SECTION I "TALES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE "KALEVIPOEG" THE following stories are thoroughly Esthonian in character, and, with the exception of the first, mostly exhibit variants of the Kalevide's journeys to Prgu. That of "Slyboots" is also...
Charm Against Snake Bite : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 298 CHARM AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.1 THOU beneath the bridge, the smooth wood Under juniper the rough wood, Thou the arrow in the willows, O thou challenged gold-adorned one, Earthy-coloured, liver-coloured, Rainy-hued and hazel-coloured, Firebr...
The Orphan Boy And The Hell Hounds : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next In the story of "The Orphan's Handmill" (Kreutzwald), a compassionate magician from Finland in the guise of a beggar enables an ill-used and overworked orphan girl to obtain a wonderful handmill in a chest, which he forbids her to open, but which...
The Hero Of Esthonia : Sacred-Texts Legends 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...
Title Page : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Next THEHEROOFESTHONIA ANDOTHERSTUDIESINTHE ROMANTICLITERATUR THATCOUNTRY COMPILED FROMESTHONIANANDGERMANSOURCESBY W.F.KIRBY,F.L.S.,F.E.S.,ETC. CORRESPONDINGMEMBEROFTHEFINNISH LITERARYSOCIETY WITHAMAPOFESTHONIA "INTWOVOLUMES" VOLUMETHEFIRST LONDON JOHNC.NIMMO 14...
The Man In The Moon : Sacred-Texts Legends but it seemed to come in more appropriately in another place. We meet with sons and daughters of the Sun and Moon among the Finns and Lapps, as well as among the Esthonians. Next
The Stepmother : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next Another story belonging to the class of the witch-bride is THE STEPMOTHER. (KREUTZWALD.) HERE the two girls are half-sisters, not step-sisters; and the younger one is dressed up, and married, veiled, to the suitor of the other. When the husb...
The Compassionate Shoemaker : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next Another story, in which the Devil gets the worst of it, is p. 182 THE COMPASSIONATE SHOEMAKER. (JANNSEN.) ONCE upon a time, when God himself was still on earth, it happened that he went to a farm-house disguised as a beggar,1 while a christening w...
The Herald Of War : Sacred-Texts Legends p. 288 With his beak he sniffed around him, And his nostrils snuffed the vapour; He had smelt the war already, When his nostrils snuffed the vapour, That he might discern the message Which I carried in my pocket; He had smelt the war already, And the scent of blood allured him...
The Treasure Bringer : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next In the following narrative we have a horrible story of black magic, which, however, is extremely interesting as showing the prevalence of fetishism, which probably preceded the worship of the powers of nature among the Finns and Esthonians...
The Gifted Brothers : Sacred-Texts Legends and as soon as the children were brought home from the christening, to give each two drops of the mixture on his tongue. Of course one boy was gifted with great swiftness, and another with great strength and skill in handiwork, and another with great sharpness of sight. When...
Bluebeard : Sacred-Texts Legends but he was always known as "Goose-Tony." He was nearly of the same age as the young lady, who had been his playmate, and he declared that the rich suitor was a murderer; his heart told him so, and his presentiments had never yet deceived him. The boy was scolded and threatened...
The Lake At Eusekull : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE LAKE AT EUSEKLL. (JANNSEN.) IN former times there was no lake at Eusekll, for it was carried there from the district of Oiso in Esthonia. One day a great black cloud p. 143 like a sack rolled up from the north, and drew up all the water...
Canto Iii The Fate Of Linda : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 24 CANTO III THE FATE OF LINDA ONE hot day, the youngest son of Kalev was sitting on the top of a cliff watching the clouds and waves. Suddenly the sky became overcast, and a terrific storm arose, which lashed the breakers into foam. Aike,1...
Slyboots : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THEHEROOFESTHONIA ANDOTHERSTUDIESINTHE ROMANTICLITERATUR THATCOUNTRY COMPILED FROMESTHONIANANDGERMANSOURCESBY W.F.KIRBY,F.L.S.,F.E.S.,ETC. CORRESPONDINGMEMBEROFTHEFINNISH LITERARYSOCIETY WITHAMAPOFESTHONIA "INTWOVOLUMES" VOLUMETHESECOND LONDON JOHNC...
The Church At Puhalepp : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE CHURCH AT PHALEPP. BEFORE Christian times there was a great alder forest in the island of Dag, where the people used to make sacrifices and hold festivals. Afterwards the forest was hewn down, all but one tree, under which the people wished...
Next : Sacred-Texts Legends For the bird was wholly nestless, Like a swallow needing shelter, Where her down could grow to feathers And her wing-plumes could develop; Yet did Ukko wisely order, And the aged Father's wisdom Gave his daughter wind-like pinions, Wings of wind and cloudy pinions, That his...
The Wooden Man And The Birch Bark Maid : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE WOODEN MAN AND THE BIRCH-BARK MAID. (KREUTZWALD.) THIS is another story which relates how a stingy farmer starved all his servants, till no one would live with him. He applied to a sorcerer, who directed him to take a black hare in a bag...
Polyphemus : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 38 POLYPHEMUS. (JANNSEN.) IN the Esthonian version the Devil visits a locksmith, who promises to cast him new eyes. When the Devil calls for them, he binds him to a bench on his back, telling him that his name is Myself. He then pours molten t...
Canto Xii The Fight With The Sorcerer's Sons : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 80 CANTO XII THE FIGHT WITH THE SORCERER'S SONS AS the Kalevide proceeded on his way, carrying his heavy load of planks, the sorcerer's three sons rushed upon him from an ambush close to a high waterfall which foams over steep rocks. He had been...
The Wood Of Tontla : Sacred-Texts Legends but the old man shook himself free. After this, a black cat as large as a foal, which had been sitting on the doorstep glaring with fiery eyes, leaped upon the old man's sack, and then disappeared in the cottage. But as the spectator's head ached and everything swam before his...
Church Stories : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 262 SECTION XI CHURCH-STORIES SEVERAL of these, given by Jannsen, may be briefly narrated. Next
The Grateful Prince : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE GRATEFUL PRINCE. (KREUTZWALD.) ONCE upon a time, the king of the Golden Land1 lost his way in a forest, and, notwithstanding all his efforts, could not find his way out. Presently he encountered a stranger, who said to him, "What are you doing...
Stories Of The Devil And Of Black Magic : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 148 SECTION VIII "STORIES OF THE DEVIL AND OF BLACK MAGIC." STORIES relating to the Devil are very frequent in Esthonian literature, and notwithstanding the universal notion that you sell yourself to him by giving him three drops of your blood...
The Four Gifts Of The Water Sprite : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 98 THE FOUR GIFTS OF THE WATER-SPRITE. (JANNSEN.) FOUR boys were playing one Sunday on the banks of Lake Peipus, when the water-spirit appeared to them in the form of an old man with long grey hair and beard, and gave each of them a present...
Oriental Tales : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 233 SECTION X "ORIENTAL TALES." UNDER this heading I propose to notice two stories only. The first of these is called the "Maidens who Bathed in the Moonlight" (Kreutzwald), and is peculiarly tame and inconsequential, but yet exhibits one or two...
The Royal Herd Boy : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE ROYAL HERD-BOY. (KREUTZWALD.) ONCE upon a time there lived a king who was so mild and good to his subjects that there was no one who did not bless him, and pray to the Heavenly Father to grant him a long life. The king had lived happily with his...
Lake Legends : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 135 SECTION VII "LAKE LEGENDS." ALTHOUGH Esthonia is not so distinctly a lake-country as Finland,1 which is often called "The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes," yet it is a low swampy country, with many small lakes besides the great Lake Peipus...
The Son Of The Thunder God : Sacred-Texts Legends but the Thunderer's son had no particular inclination to part with his soul so easily, and looked about for some trick by which he could escape the necessity of fulfilling his share of the bargain. He had already tricked the Devil when the compact was signed, for instead...
The Man With The Bast Shoes : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 278 THE MAN WITH THE BAST SHOES. ONCE upon a time a traveller came to a village and asked for a night's lodging. He was handsomely dressed, but he had coarse bast shoes on his feet. A friendly farmer received the stranger hospitably, and offered...
Canto Xiv The Palace Of Sarvik : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 94 CANTO XIV THE PALACE OF SARVIK THE sisters were sorry to see the dawn of day, though they were no longer obliged to spin and weave, for the old woman was locked up in the kitchen, and could not interfere with them. That day they amused...
The Three Wishes : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE THREE WISHES. THIS well-known story appears in one of its commonest forms in the tale of "Loppi and Lappi" (Kreutzwald), a quarrelsome couple who are granted three wishes by a fairy. At supper-time the wife wishes for a sausage, which is wished...
Canto Ii The Death Of Kalev : Sacred-Texts Legends 1 but the Country was small, and as soon as the children were grown up they wandered forth into the world to seek their fortunes, more especially as Kalev had determined that one son only should be the heir to his possessions. At length Kalev began to grow old, and felt th...
The Origin Of The Swallow : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE ORIGIN OF THE SWALLOW. THE wife of a drunkard was sitting weaving with her child on her lap. She wore a black cloth on her head, a red neckerchief, a white shift, and a coal-black petticoat. When her husband came home, he pushed his wife away...
The Cave Dwellers : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The next story introduces us to the Gnomes, who appear to come more frequently into contact with human beings than any of the other nature-spirits, perhaps because their nature may be more akin to that of man. They are seen with more or less similar...
The Magician's Heirs : Sacred-Texts Legends as, for example, in that of Hasan of El Basrah in the "Thousand and One Nights". In the Esthonian stary of the "Dwarf's1 Quarrel," the articles form the leading "motif"; but mixed up with details curiously resembling some Celtic fairy tales. A man passing through a wood came...
Cinderella : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 4 CINDERELLA. (KREUTZWALD.) THE Esthonian story of Tuhka-Triinu (Ash-Katie1), as given by Kreutzwald, is more on the lines of the German "Aschenputtel" than on those of the French "Cendrillon". Once upon a time there lived a rich man with his...
The Spirits Of The Northern Lights : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The following short stories relate to different classes of spirits of the air. p. 107 THE SPIRITS OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. (JANNSEN.)1 A CERTAIN nobleman was in the habit of driving away from his mansion every Thursday during hard winters, and not...
Canto X The Heroes And The Water Demon : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 64 CANTO X THE HEROES AND THE WATER-DEMON As the Kalevide was wandering through Esthonia, he arrived one day at the swamp of Kikerpr. Two demon brothers had settled themselves in the swamp, and were fighting for its possession, and when the hero...
Preface : Sacred-Texts Legends but I found it so dissimilar, and at the same time so interesting, when divested of the tedious and irrelevant matter that has been added to the main story, that I finally decided to publish a full account of it in prose, especially as nothing of the kind has yet been...
Hidden Treasures : Sacred-Texts Legends those which follow are given here only in abstract. In all countries which have been devastated by war, traditions on hidden treasure are common. I remember once reading a story in a newspaper (but I do not know if the report was true) of a quantity of coins of Edward...
Canto Xvii The Heroes And The Dwarf : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 119 CANTO XVII THE HEROES AND THE DWARF OLEV had now built a magnificent city, fortified with towers and ditches, around the burial-mound of Kalev. Large numbers of people flocked to it, and the Kalevide named it Lindanisa, in memory of his...
Canto Xi The Loss Of The Sword : Sacred-Texts Legends so he girded himself, and plunged into it at a point where it was too wide to see the opposite shore, while the fish fled before him as he waded through. On the shore opposite, a hideous sorcerer was hiding in the bushes. He was as bristly as a wild boar, with wide mouth...
The Compassionate Woodcutter : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next Leaving the gnomes, we will now proceed to the wood-spirits, who may properly be classed among the nature-spirits, though they are not exactly spirits of the elements. THE COMPASSIONATE WOODCUTTER. (JANNSEN.) THIS is a story of a man who went...
Why The Dog And Cat And The Cat And Mouse : Sacred-Texts Legends but then it befell that the dogs killed and devoured hares and other game in the open fields. The other animals complained, and when God called the dogs to account, they objected that they had nothing to eat. Their plea was admitted, and leave was granted them to eat fallen...
The Gallows Dwarfs : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE GALLOWS-DWARFS. (KREUTZWALD.) ONCE upon a time a parson was looking out for a servant who would undertake to toll the church bell at midnight in addition to his other duties. Many men had already made the attempt, but whenever they went to toll...
Beast Stories : Sacred-Texts Legends and the Devil objected that there was no animal to scare away mischievous boys from the woods when the bear and the snake were sunk in their winter sleep. Thereupon God gave leave to the Devil to make such an animal as he wished, and to give it life by the formula, "Stand up...
Cosmopolitan Stories : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 1 PART II ESTHONIAN FOLK-TALES ("CONTINUED") SECTION III "COSMOPOLITAN STORIES" UNDER this heading we propose to notice a series of tales which are almost the common property of all nations, and the origin of which is lost in remote antiquity...
The Blue Bird : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 296 THE BLUE BIRD (II.). This totally different ballad is from Neus, "Ehstnische Volkslieder", p. 42. Neus quotes Ganander as saying that one of the names of the Finnish Wood-goddess (the spouse of Tapio) is Blue Bird. The present poem is...
How The Sea Became Salt : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next HOW THE SEA BECAME SALT. (JANNSEN.) THIS is an interesting variant of a story known from Iceland to Finland. There were two brothers, one rich and one poor. One Christmas the rich brother gave the other a ham, on condition that he should go to Prgu...
Plague Legends : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 271 SECTION XIII "PLAGUE-LEGENDS" THE plague continued to rage in Eastern Europe long after it had disappeared from the West, and down to a very recent period. Consequently we find plague-legends, which have almost died out in the British Islands...
Lake Peipus : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 136 LAKE PEIPUS. (JANNSEN.) IN former ages, a great and famous king named Karkus ruled over Esthonia. In his days, fierce bears and bison lurked in the thick forests, and elk and wild horses careered swiftly through the bushes. No merchants had...
Canto Xviii The Kalevide's Journey To Porgu : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 124 CANTO XVIII THE KALEVIDE'S JOURNEY TO PRGU NEXT morning the Kalevide rose at daybreak and looked about him. Where the dwarf had vanished in blue smoke, he now beheld a sheet of blue water with rushes on the bank, and knew that he had...
The Egg Born Princess : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next Of the next story we give only an abstract. It will be remembered that Linda was hatched from an egg, while the later adventures of the princess in the following tale resemble those of Cinderella. THE EGG-BORN PRINCESS. (KREUTZWALD.) LIKE many...
Canto Xv The Marriage Of The Sisters : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 105 CANTO XV THE MARRIAGE OF THE SISTERS THE Kalevide had not gone far on his homeward journey when he found that Thi himself was pursuing him with a band of his followers. Then the youngest sister took the wishing-rod, and called upon it...
The Fisherman And His Wife : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE. KREUTZWALD'S story of "The Powerful Crayfish and the Insatiable Wife" is almost identical with that of Grimm. At last the woman wishes to be God, and the crayfish sends the foolish couple back to their poverty. Next
The Magician In The Pocket, The God Daughter : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 321 Kreutzwald relates several other stories of young adventurers who go forth into the world to seek their fortunes with the aid of powerful protectors. In one of these, "The Magician in the Pocket," a young man releases a magician who had been...
The Dwarf's Christening : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 8 THE DWARF'S CHRISTENING. (JANNSEN.) THIS story takes a very similar form in Esthonia to that familiar to us nearer home. A young lady out walking with her maid encounters a snake, which the maid wishes to destroy, but the lady remonstrates...
The Envious Sisters : Sacred-Texts Legends but her eider sister was jealous of her, and availed herself of the services of an old witch, who carried the children away by night, and handed them over to the Old Boy, replacing them with puppies. The queen was confined a second and a third time, each time of three princes...
The Foundling : Sacred-Texts Legends and when the children grew up, they married, and had two children. One Sunday they went to church, and the wife laughed; but when her husband asked why, she replied that she would tell him if he told her how she came into his house. Thinking no harm, he promised to tell her...
The Treasure At Kertell : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE TREASURE AT KERTELL. (JANNSEN.) DURING a great war, the people of Kertell, in the island of Dag, caused a great iron chest to be made, p. 223 wherein they stored all their gold and silver, and sunk it in the river near the old bridge. But they...
Canto Xvi The Voyage Of The Kalevide : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 110 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...
The Gold Spinners : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The next story is peculiarly interesting and original. I place it here, because we find three maidens busy spinning for a witch, as the Kalevide found them in the palace of Sarvik. THE GOLD-SPINNERS. (KREUTZWALD.) I AM going to tell you a beautiful...
Esthonian Ballads, Andc : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 286 p. 287 PART III ESTHONIAN BALLADS, &C. FOR reasons stated in the Preface, only a few specimens are here given. Next
Snowwhite, The Glass Mountain, And The Despised : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next SNOWWHITE, THE GLASS MOUNTAIN, AND THE DESPISED YOUNGEST SON. WE have these tales combined in the story of the "Princess who slept for seven years" (Kreutzwald). A princess falls into a deep sleep, and is placed by a magician in a glass coff...
Martin And His Dead Master : Sacred-Texts Legends "but what do you think? Shouldn't we go home now for a short visit? Won't you accompany me? I'm ready," said Martin, and he rose and followed his master. On the way he found a frozen glove, which he put in his pocket. They came to the mansion, and the master went first...
The Mermaid : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 49 THE MERMAID.{1} (KREUTZWALD.) IN the happy days of old, better men lived on earth than now, and the Heavenly Father revealed many wonders to them which are now quite concealed, or but rarely manifested to a child of fortune. It is true th...
The Faithless Fisherman : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The following tales relate to beings inhabiting the sea. THE FAITHLESS FISHERMAN. (JANNSEN.) A FISHERMAN was sleeping on the sand, by the Baltic, when a stranger roused him, telling him that the sea was full of fish. They fished together all day...
The Witch Bride : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE WITCH-BRIDE. VERSIONS of this story are common in Finland as well as in Esthonia. One of the latter is "Rugutaja's Daughter" (Kreutzwald). Old Rugutaja1 lived with his wife and daughter in a wood. The daughter had a beautiful face, but it w...
The Church At Revel : Sacred-Texts Legends and when it was completed, and he was about to fix the cross on the summit, his wife cried out joyfully, "Olaf will come home to-day with a thousand barrels of gold."2 But scarcely had p. 263 Olaf fixed the cross in its place, when he slipped and fell to the ground, and a toad...
Canto Vi The Kalevide And The Sword Smiths : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 42 CANTO VI THE KALEVIDE AND THE SWORD-SMITHS THE Kalevide mourned two days for his mother, but on the third day he began to get over his grief, and determined, before returning home, to visit a famous smith of Finland, and to provide himself...
Emmu Lake And Virts Lake : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next EMMU LAKE AND VIRTS LAKE. (KREUTZWALD.) SOON after the Creation, Vanaisa1 formed a beautiful lake, called the Emmu Lake, which was intended to furnish men with refreshing water at all times, but owing to the wickedness of men, he caused all...
The Spider And The Hornet : Sacred-Texts Legends but the hornet still retains the pinched-in body which she got when falling from heaven, but is fat enough at both ends. Next
Canto Xiii The Kalevide's First Journey To Hades : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 87 CANTO XIII THE KALEVIDE'S FIRST JOURNEY TO HADES ON the Kalevide's homeward journey he slept for a night at the place where his sword had been stolen, and set out early next morning, making his way through bush and brake. He walked on till...
The Devil's Treasure : Sacred-Texts Legends but the shoemaker was buried under the pulpit in the church at Ringen. Next
Familiar Stories Of Northern Europe : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 48 SECTION IV "FAMILIAR STORIES OF NORTHERN EUROPE" UNDER this heading we include variants of well-known but not cosmopolitan tales, some of which are of considerable interest. Among them is a variant of "Melusina," close in some points, but...
Slyboots. Part 1 : Sacred-Texts Legends for twice already, seven years ago and fourteen years ago, the anticipated festival had come to nothing. Both times the king had made full preparations for the feast, but no man had tasted it. This seemed strange and incredible, but there were many people everywhere who could...
The Bewitched Horse : Sacred-Texts Legends but, to his horror, he saw the door slowly open, and his dead horse enter. The horse came in snuffling and snorting, and broke down several of the posts that supported the loft where his master had been sleeping; but the farmer contrived to scramble into the rafters. At last...
Section Ii.Orphan And Foundling Stories : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 236 SECTION II "ORPHAN AND FOUNDLING STORIES" THE Esthonians appear to be very compassionate towards orphans, for many of their tales relate to the adventures of neglected or ill-used orphan children, and the wonderful events by which their...
The Golden Snakes : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE GOLDEN SNAKES. (JANNSEN.) TWO woodcutters found a number of snakes in the wood, and one of the men killed some, and he and his comrade followed them up till they came to a vast mass of snakes, among which was one with a golden crown. They fled...
The Spirit Of The Whirlwind : Sacred-Texts Legends but the other would not believe him till they saw a cloud of dust, when they turned their backs to it, and the young man repeated a spell after the old one. When they turned round, they saw an old grey man with a long white beard, a broad flapping coat, and streaming hair...
The Moon Painter : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next In our next story we shall see the Devil and his p. 159 companions overreaching themselves in a manner worthy of the "Ingoldsby Legends", while in the Polyphemus story already referred to under Cosmopolitan Tales we find the Devil blinded...
Canto Iv The Island Maiden : Sacred-Texts Legends but at length he espied a black speck in the distance, which proved to be a small rocky island. The hero discovered a mossy bank on a projecting rock, and made his way to the shore, and lay down, intending to sleep a little, when he was roused by the voice of a maiden singing...
The Rich Brother And The Poor One : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE RICH BROTHER AND THE POOR ONE. ONCE upon a time there were two brothers, one of whom had abundance, but the other was very poor. p. 268 As is the way of the world, riches do not heed poverty, and thus it was with the two brothers. The rich one...
Canto Vii The Return Of The Kalevide : Sacred-Texts Legends but he got up half-dazed, and walked on without stopping till he reached the seashore on the third day afterwards. Here he found the sorcerer's boat; so he stepped into it, hoisted sail, and set off homewards. Kalev's offspring was not weary, For his back was like an oak-tree...
Canto Xix The Last Feast Of The Heroes : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 129 CANTO XIX THE LAST FEAST OF THE HEROES AFTER this the Kalevide and Sarvik engaged in a terrific wrestling-match, which lasted for seven days and nights, with varying success. At length the shade of Linda, who was looking on, took her distaff...
The Will O' The Wisps : Sacred-Texts Legends and he could not drive round it, because there was deep water on all sides. Presently he saw a light flare up like a torch, and then another, till many of them were flitting about everywhere. In consternation, the farmer cried out, "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what's going...
The Blue Spring : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 145 THE BLUE SPRING. (JANNSEN.) AT the foot of the Villina hill, near the church of Lais,1 is a swamp where rises a spring of water, called from its colour the Blue Spring. It is said that the spring can produce rain or drought, and thus cause...
Part Ii.Esthonian Folk Tales : Sacred-Texts Legends though not in the "Kalevipoeg". It is possible that the Gospel of Nicodemus, which describes the descent into hell, may have suggested the name of Nicodemus for Slyboots. Next
The Maiden At The Vaskjala Bridge : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE MAIDEN AT THE VASKJALA BRIDGE. (KREUTZWALD.) ON a beautiful and quiet summer evening many years ago, a pious maiden went to the Vaskjala1 Bridge to bathe and refresh herself after the heat of the day. The sky was clear, and the song...
The Black Pool : Sacred-Texts Legends but presently they vanished. One day a fisherman caught a black tail-less pike, when the voice of the old nobleman was heard asking, "Are all the swine safe?" And another voice answered, "The old tail-less boar is missing." Many people, too, have seen a great hoop...
The Northern Frog : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next The next story is extremely interesting, and it contains a more elaborate description of the Seal p. 236 of Solomon (which we should hardly expect to be known in the legends of a country like Esthonia) than any other which I have seen, except th...
Canto I The Marriages Of Salme And Linda : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 7 THE KALEVIPOEG OR, THE ADVENTURES OF THE SON OF KALEV, THE HERO OF ESTHONIA. THE poem commences with an invocation to Vanemuine.1 This is followed by a long lyrical exordium. CANTO I THE MARRIAGES OF SALME AND LINDA In ancient days, the race...
The Three Sisters : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 43 THE THREE SISTERS.1 (JANNSEN.) THIS is the familiar story of an ill-used younger sister. A countryman was taking game to market, and his two elder daughters asked him to bring them fine clothes, but the youngest asked him to bring her anything...
The Church At Fellin : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next THE CHURCH AT FELLIN. IN former days, the church of Fellin did not stand where it stands at present, but close to the lake. It was prophesied that it should stand till seven brothers should be present in it together. When this happened by chance...
The Lake Dwellers : Sacred-Texts Legends but every autumn when the lake was covered with young ice, he went to it, hoping to see or hear something of his father. The ice often cracked and heaved just before his footsteps, as if his father was trying to speak to him, but there was no other sign. p. 100 Many years...
Canto Ix Rumours Of War : Sacred-Texts Legends and he secured the skin as a relic, cursing the wolves, and then drew his sword, and rushed into the wood in pursuit of them, breaking down the trees and bushes in his way, and destroying all the wild beasts he met with, while those who could fled to distant swamps...
The Woman In The Moon : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 37 THE WOMAN IN THE MOON. (JANNSEN.) ONE Saturday evening a woman went very late to the river to fetch water. The Moon shone brightly in the heavens, and she said to him, "Why do you stand gaping up there? You'd better come and help me carry...
Videvik, Koit, Andamarik : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next p. 30 VIDEVIK, KOIT, ANDMARIK1 ("TWILIGHT, DAWN, AND EVENING TWILIGHT"). THE Creator had three diligent servants--two fair and lovely maidens, Videvik and marik, and the slender youth Koit. They fulfilled his orders and looked after his affairs. One...
Jutta : Sacred-Texts Legends & Sagas Index Previous Next In the "Kalevala", Vainamonien has neither wife nor child, but the Esthonians ascribe to him a foster-daughter, of whom the following story is related. JUTTA. (JANNSEN.)1 ONCE upon a time the God of Song wandered musing by the banks of Lake Endl...
