The Kalevala · Chapter
Rune VII: Wainamoinen’s Rescue explained
Wainamoinen, after swimming for days in the ocean, is rescued by an eagle and carried to Pohyola.
What happens
Wainamoinen, after swimming for days in the ocean, is rescued by an eagle and carried to Pohyola. There, Louhi finds him weeping on the shore, brings him to her home, and offers him shelter. In exchange for forging the Sampo, Louhi promises to return him to Kalevala and give him her daughter. Wainamoinen declines, saying he cannot forge the Sampo but will send Ilmarinen instead. Louhi then harnesses a courser and sends Wainamoinen home with a warning not to look upward during the journey.
Themes in this chapter
Heroism and Quest
Wainamoinen's arduous swim and rescue by the eagle highlight his heroic endurance and his quest to return home.
Craftsmanship and Creation
The forging of the Sampo is a central demand by Louhi, emphasizing the value of skilled creation.
Nature and the Landscape
The vast ocean, the eagle's flight, and the shores of Pohyola are vividly described, underscoring the natural environment's role.
Characters to notice
- Wainamoinen
Swims for days in the ocean, is rescued by an eagle, weeps on the shore of Pohyola, is taken in by Louhi, and negotiates his return home.
- Louhi
Hostess of Pohyola who finds Wainamoinen weeping, brings him to her home, offers him food and shelter, and demands the forging of the Sampo in exchange for his return and her daughter's hand.
- Youkahainen
Mentioned as the one who slew Wainamoinen's steed with bow and arrow and tried to slay him.
- Ilmarinen
Referenced by Wainamoinen as the smith who can forge the Sampo, having forged the heavens.
- Ukko
Invoked by Wainamoinen in a prayer to return to his home and country.
Key passages
“Wainamoinen, old and truthful, Swam through all the deep-sea waters, Floating like a branch of aspen, Like a withered twig of willow; Swam six days in summer weather, Swam six nights in golden moonlight; Still before him rose the billows, And behind him sky and ocean.”
Wainamoinen swam through the ocean for six days and six nights, drifting like a piece of wood, with waves ahead and sky behind.
Describes Wainamoinen's long and exhausting swim.
“Comes a bird from far Pohyola, From the occident, an eagle, Is not classed among the largest, Nor belongs he to the smallest; One wing touches on the waters, While the other sweeps the heavens;”
An eagle from Pohyola arrives, of medium size, with one wing touching the water and the other reaching the sky.
Introduces the eagle that rescues Wainamoinen.
“Canst thou forge for me the Sampo, Hammer me the lid in colors, From the tips of white-swan feathers From the milk of greatest virtue, From a single grain of barley, From the finest wool of lambkins?”
Can you forge the Sampo for me, with a colorful lid, using swan feathers, virtuous milk, a barley grain, and lamb's wool?
Louhi's demand for the Sampo as a condition for Wainamoinen's return.
“Cannot forge for thee the Sampo, Cannot make the lid in colors. Take me to my distant country, I will send thee Ilmarinen, He will forge for thee the Sampo, Hammer thee the lid in colors, He may win thy lovely maiden;”
I cannot forge the Sampo, but if you take me home, I will send Ilmarinen, who can forge it and may win your daughter.
Wainamoinen declines to forge the Sampo but offers Ilmarinen as a substitute.
“Do not raise thine eyes to heaven, Look not upward on thy journey, While thy steed is fresh and frisky, While the day-star lights thy pathway, Ere the evening star has risen; If thine eyes be lifted upward, While the day-star lights thy pathway, Dire misfortune will befall thee, Some sad fate will overtake thee.”
Do not look up during your journey while the morning star is shining, or else misfortune will strike you.
Louhi's warning to Wainamoinen as he departs for home.
