Kullervo's Life and Death

Kullervo hurried away before Ilmarinen could return and discover what had happened. Once he was at a safe distance, he began to play on the horn he had made. Ilmarinen ran out of his forge to see who it could be, and there in the courtyard he saw the body of his wife. He understood what had occurred, and he sat down and wept bitterly, for all the joy of his life was gone.

But Kullervo pressed on, mourning his hard fate. After traveling a short distance, he met an old witch on the road. She asked him where he was going. "I am journeying to the gloomy Northland," Kullervo replied, "to slay the wicked Untamo, who killed all my kin." The witch said, "You are mistaken, for your father and sisters escaped Untamo's wrath, and now your mother has joined them. They live happily together on the distant borders of Kalevala." Kullervo begged her to tell him the way, and she did. He hurried off to find them.

At last he reached his parents' home, but at first they did not recognize him. When he spoke to his mother, she knew him at once. She embraced him and kissed him, welcoming him to his new home. They shared all that had happened during the years they had been apart. His mother ended by saying, "Praise be to Ukko that you have returned to us. But one is still missing: your eldest sister strayed away many years ago while picking berries on the hills, and we have never seen or heard of her since."

Kullervo settled down with his parents and began to work alongside the others. The first day they all went fishing for salmon, and Kullervo was put at the oars to row the boat. He asked whether he should row with all his strength or only a little. They told him he could not pull too hard. So he put forth his full giant's strength, and in a moment the boat broke to pieces.

His father said, "I see you are too clumsy to row. Perhaps you will do better driving the salmon into the nets." Kullervo asked again whether he should use all his strength, and he received the same answer. He set to work beating the water to scare the fish into the net, but he beat so hard that he churned up mud from the bottom, pounded the salmon to pulp, and destroyed all the nets.

His father saw that he was not suited for such work, so he sent him to pay the yearly taxes. Kullervo did so, and after paying, he started back in his sledge. He had not driven far when he met a lovely maiden. He asked her to get into his sledge and come home to marry him, but she mocked him, and he drove off in anger. Farther on, he met another maiden, even lovelier than the first. This one he persuaded to come with him and marry him. They traveled for two days toward his home, and then she asked about his family. He told her he was Kalervo's son.

No sooner had the maiden heard this than she cried out in anguish: "Alas, then you are my brother! For I am Kalervo's daughter, who wandered off to pick berries and never returned." With these words she jumped from the sledge and ran weeping to a nearby river. She plunged beneath the icy waters and was never seen alive again, but her lifeless body floated down to the black river of Tuoni.

Kullervo unharnessed his horse and galloped home. He told his mother all that had happened, how he had unknowingly caused his sister's death. When he finished, he added, "Woe is me that I did not die long ago. Now I must hasten to gloomy Pohjola, to slay the wicked Untamo and myself be slain." He prepared his armor and sharpened his broadsword until it was as sharp as a razor. Before he left, he asked his father, brother, sister, and mother if they would grieve when they heard of his death. All but his mother said they would never mourn such an evil person. But his mother said that despite all his wrongdoing, her mother's love was still strong, and she would weep for him for years to come.

Kullervo set out on his journey to the icy Northland. Before he had gone far, a messenger came to say his father had died and asked him to return for the burial, but he refused. Later he was told of his brother's death, then his sister's, and finally his mother's. He still refused to come and bury any of them, but when he heard of his mother's death, he mourned that he had not been with her in her final moments, and he ordered the servants to bury her with all possible honor.

As he neared the home of Untamo's tribe, he prayed to Ukko to give his sword magic powers so that Untamo and all his people would be slain. Ukko granted his request. With the magic sword, Kullervo single-handedly slew all of Untamo's people and burned their villages to ashes, leaving behind only dead bodies and smoking ruins.

Then he hurried home and found that it was all too true: his entire family had died while he was away. He went to his mother's grave and wept. As he wept, his mother spoke from the grave, telling him to let their old dog lead him into the forest to the home of the wood-nymphs, who would care for him. So Kullervo set off, led by the faithful dog. On the way they came to the grassy mound where Kullervo had met his long-lost sister. There he found that even the grass, flowers, and trees were weeping. Suddenly overcome with sorrow, he drew his magic sword from its scabbard, bade farewell to the world, thrust the handle firmly into the earth, and threw himself upon the sword-point, so that it pierced his heart. Thus ended the evil life of Kullervo.

They were all silent for a moment when the sad story ended. Then Mimi said, "I wish you'd tell us about nice men like Ilmarinen and Wainamoinen, Pappa Mikko; Kullervo was real hateful."

"Well, then, I will tell you of what Ilmarinen did when he had lost his wife, the Rainbow-maiden," and the old man began.