Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 1, 1890.djvu/344

338 A little ash resulted, a small quantity of fine ashes. Where may the ashes be put? Thither they bore the ashes, To a clay-bottomed field, to a solid mountain's edge. Into it the flax was sown, Into the ash of 'Tuoni's grub', into the earth 'worm's' ash. From it sprang a young shoot, Endlessly high the flax shot up, the flax grew beyond all hope On a single summer night, in the interval between two days.

Once upon a time a black jade died, a white horse succumbed Upon a nameless grassfield, upon unknown ground; By its bones the grassfield was singed—an old rake was burnt, An old woman was scorched. A little ash appeared, a small quantity of ashes was obtained. Into it the flax was sown. By night Liiko [v. Liito] sowed the flax, by day Kauko made it grow.

Lines 3-7 (a.) will be found in the Kalevala, xlviii, 15, etc.; and the mention of the burning of the old boat in the old Kalevala, xxvi, 195.

Four maidens formerly, three [v. six] celebrated daughters v.four maidens, three grown men Were mowing a blue meadow—gathering horse-tail grass v. Were mowing on the sea beach On a misty headland's point, on a foggy island cape. They mowed one day, they mowed the next, Forthwith they mowed the third day too. What they mowed they raked up, then drew into swaths the whole of it,