Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 29, 1918.djvu/192

 1 82 So7ne Mythical Tales of the Lapps

While the lovers are embarking, the Giant's sons return from hunting, and, missing their sister, ask their father where she is. He replies that Peive's son is carrying her off in his boat. The brothers immediately launch another boat, and start in pursuit. The lovers discover that the brothers are gaining upon them, whereupon the bride unties one of her knots, and the boat, aided by the breeze which immediately springs up, shoots ahead and leaves the pursuers far behind. But the girl's brothers redouble their exertions, and once more threaten to overtake them. She unties a second knot, and a gale springs up, which carries them out of danger. Again, however, by straining every nerve, the giants draw near to the lovers' boat. The bride then unties the third knot, and a violent tempest comes on :

" Father Ilmar's self grew angry ; Angry grew the Sky Lord's servant." ^

So the lovers escape again, and night puts an end to the chase. Next morning, as soon as the sun has risen, the brothers mount a headland to look for their sister, but are turned into peaks of stone, and now they may be seen rising above the Lofoden Islands. The hero and the giant's daughter are happily married ; and some verses, added in later times, and only in the Tornio version, declare

"old Door-woman." They were the goddesses of Birth, corresponding to tlie Scandinavian Norns, and are said to have been unknown to the Eastern Lapps. Mader-akka gave to the young bride three chests with their keys. They contained magical instruments, which could help her in danger, so long as she was chaste. The three knots are the same as those referred to by J. Scheffer, I.apponia (Frankfurt, 1673), p. 144 S(|q. ; G. von Duben, Orn Lappland oih I.apparne (Stockholm, 1S73), p. 277, etc., the well-known instrument of Lapland wizards for raising winds. On the nature of these knots, or Nodi Virginitatis, see von Diiben, p. 324, note 4.

^ It is significant that these verses do not occur in an earlier copy of the song written out by Fjellner in a southern dialect about 1S35. Ilmar also occurs as a Wind-god on some magic drums, but only, it is said, among the P^astern Lapps. He is the Finno-Ugrian air-god, llmaritien (Finnish, ilina, air; Votiak, himar, the supreme god).