Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/324

316 plausible, we must fall back upon the argument from loan-words. The idea then for which we have to find an approximate date may be worded as follows: "Three maidens, all of them brides, were engendered from the spawn of a golden salmon to be mothers of iron." Striking out the words 'brides', 'golden salmon', and 'iron', the statement becomes: " (Three) girls were engendered from the spawn of a fish." Undoubtedly such a notion may have been current among the early Finns in archaic times (though this cannot be affirmed with certainty), but the longer theme cannot be older than the introduction of the word for iron — a really essential word, since it is bound up with the ultimate purpose of the whole act. Rauta (iron) belongs to the older series of loan-words, and may therefore have been put in circulation quite early in the present era, together with its origin. But, nevertheless, the origin itself cannot be ascribed to the archaic period in the sense I have defined it above, as the metal was then unknown. And my own impression is, that it does not coincide in date with the first introduction of iron among the Finns, but is a good deal later.

There are many other interesting points that might be discussed with reference to these origin-stories, but to do so would be to digress from the main object in view. I shall therefore pass on at once to the analysis proper. As it is convenient sometimes to employ abbreviations for the sake of greater conciseness, the following will be used : S. stands for any inanimate subject; L. S. for a living subject, the origin of which is sought ; O. for any inanimate object; F. M. for father and mother: when either letter is in italics, that particular parent is inanimate from the modern point of view; B. stands for birthplace. In the brief summary of the narrative, the words that hint at, or have some special bearing upon S., F., M., or O., are sometimes in italics.

1. S. or L. S. is born of F. M. or M. The character of the parents is reflected in L. S. (No narrative.)