# Rune XX: The Brewing of Beer explained — The Kalevala > Chapter companion for The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot. ## What happens This chapter details the extensive preparations for Ilmarinen's wedding to the Maiden of Pohyola, including the slaughter of a giant ox and the brewing of beer. Louhi orchestrates the feast but explicitly forbids inviting the troublemaker Lemminkainen. The brewing process is described through magical means, involving Osmotar and Kalevatar, who use a marten and a bee to gather fermenting agents. The beer eventually ferments and demands a singer to praise it, leading to a search for a suitable bard. ## Themes in this chapter ### Love and Marriage The entire chapter revolves around the preparations for Ilmarinen's wedding to the Maiden of Pohyola, emphasizing the communal effort and ritual significance of marriage. ### Craftsmanship and Creation The brewing of beer is depicted as a magical and creative process, involving Osmotar and Kalevatar using natural elements to produce the drink. ### Power of Song and Magic The beer itself demands a singer to praise it, and the brewing process involves magical creatures like the marten and bee, highlighting the intertwining of song and magic. ## Character check-ins ### Ilmarinen The blacksmith whose marriage to the Maiden of Pohyola is the occasion for the wedding feast. ### Louhi Hostess of Pohyola who organizes the wedding preparations and explicitly forbids inviting Lemminkainen. ### Lemminkainen Referred to as wild and trouble-making; explicitly excluded from the wedding invitation by Louhi. ### Wainamoinen Mentioned as the famous bard and wisdom-singer who is to be invited to the wedding. ### Wirokannas The gray-haired hero from Karelen who attempts to slaughter the giant ox but fails. ### Osmotar The beer-preparer who brews the barley beer and uses magical ingredients to ferment it. ### Kalevatar The sparkling maiden who assists Osmotar by finding a birch-chip and a pod to aid the brewing process. ### Palwoinen Mentioned as the hero who swings his war-club but hides when the ox turns on him. ## Key lines > Grew an ox in far Karjala, Not the largest, nor the smallest, Was the ox that grew in Suomi; But his size was all-sufficient, For his tail was sweeping Jamen, And his head was over Kemi, Horns in length a hundred fathoms, Longer than the horns his mouth was; Seven days it took a weasel To encircle neck and shoulders; One whole day a swallow journeyed From one horn-tip to the other, Did not stop between for resting. A massive ox was raised in Karjala, so enormous that its tail spanned the Jamen River and its head reached over Kemi; its horns were a hundred fathoms long, and it took a weasel seven days to circle its neck, while a swallow needed a full day to fly from one horn tip to the other without resting. _Describes the gigantic ox prepared for the wedding feast, emphasizing its mythical proportions._ > Osmotar, the beer-preparer, Kapo, brewer of the liquor, Deeply thought and long considered: 'What will bring the effervescence, Who will lend me aid efficient, That the beer may foam and sparkle, May ferment and be refreshing?' Osmotar, the brewer, pondered deeply about what would cause the beer to ferment and become effervescent and refreshing. _Highlights the magical and thoughtful process of brewing beer._ > Louhi, hostess of Pohyola, Called a trusted maiden-servant, Sent her to invite the people To the marriage of her daughter, These the words that Louhi uttered: '...But I give command explicit Not to ask wild Lemminkainen, Not the island-dweller, Ahti!' Louhi instructed her servant to invite everyone to the wedding except the wild Lemminkainen, whom she explicitly excluded due to his troublemaking nature. _Shows Louhi's deliberate exclusion of Lemminkainen from the wedding festivities._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kalevala_se/chapters/rune-xx-the-brewing-of-beer - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kalevala_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kalevala_se/chapters