Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/47

Rh His knees were burning, the flesh of his thighs was scorched, The narrow portions of the heels, the toes of the left foot. The tip of his toes were badly burnt, the nails had burnt into soot. He ran to a pool in his distress. Scraped off the soot, scratched off the scabby crust Into an unfrozen pool. Hence iron ore (F. rust) originated — ordinary black mire, In an unfrozen pool, in a bubbling spring. (e.) Whence originated wretched iron, whence originated and was produced ? Hence originated wretched iron, hence originated and was produced. A golden fish spawns, a salmon plunges close at hand In an unfrozen pool, in a bubbling spring. Four maidens were engendered— all three brides. From the spawn of the golden fish, from the natural aperture of the salmon, To be mothers of iron ore (F. rust), to be generators of "blue mouth". The maidens stood in a dell, the "tin-breasts" lay powerless On a little bank of land, on a narrow piece of ground. There they made (F. built) iron, and by degrees formed steel, Pulverised iron seeds, pounded lumps of steel. God happens to arrive at the place where the iron seeds were. Found the pounded bits of iron, the manufactured lumps of steel, Carries them to the smithy of a smith — under the forge of Ilmarinen. Then smith Ilmarinen Thrust them into the fire, shoves them under his forge. From the forge (they are taken) to the anvil. He hammers with repeated blows, keeps striking with incessant clang. Sweat trickled from the Creator's head — dew from the face of God While forging iron, while making steel.