Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/85

 Bibliographical Notes. 77

in a certain manner, or he advises it to remove to a more suitable place ; he extols his own irresistible power ; or he lays upon the evil spirit an impossible task which must be accomplished before the apprehended ill can be done. One very curious manner of exorcism is by relating the genealogy of the disturbing influence. It is conceived, namely, that if the history of an evil thing is known, power is thereby acquired over the in- truder, who may thus be shamed and exiled. Such are the spells set forth in the chapter on Origins, in which the supposed genesis is narrated in the most poetic and metaphorical manner. Thus, for instance, with charms against the bear. It would appear that, according to a myth not expressly related, the bear had originated in heaven (possibly the name of the con- stellation may have had something to do with this belief). Having been cradled and nursed by the forest spirits, he had received baptism, and taken an oath not to harm any innocent person. Naturally the notification of this contract would exercise a deterrent influence on any creature of the ursine race inclined to be hostile.

So, in order to tame and use fire, it is recounted how the element had a celestial birth, being a flash from the sword of the sky-god Ukko (Old Man). The fire-baby is given to be nursed by a nymph of the air, who carelessly drops it from the cradle ; it falls to earth, begins its evil career by burning a house with the family, sets a lake aboil, and consumes field and forest through half Bothnia, until it arrives at realization of its infamy, and in disgrace takes refuge in the hollow of a rotten stump (in tinder), whence it is taken indoors for use. It may be imagined what a wholesome effect the repetition of its history has on the element, if disposed to be stubborn or revolutionary.

The snake has a descent as curious. The wood-spirit, Hiisi, being weary with running, falls asleep and drops saliva, which is eaten by an ogress, who finds it too hot for comfort and spits it into the lake. Here the wind blows it into a spiral and wafts it ashore ; the sun dries it, and it excites the attention of the demons, who inspire it with life. Other for- mulae, however, make the viper to be part of the thread spun by the daughter of Night, or to come from the golden ring lost by the god Vai- namoinen while proving his sword.

A simpler story derives wasps from the hair of a maiden, lost in brush- ing ; the toothache-worm is bred from the sweepings of the divine being, Luonnotar.

A single prayer emerges from the average formula to rise into the dig- nity of an invocation to the orb of day : " Welcome for showing thy countenance, for dawning forth, thou golden Sun, for rising now, thou ' morning star ' ! From under the waves thou hast escaped, hast mounted above the clumps of firs, like a golden cuckoo : like a silver dove hast risen up to the level sky, to thy former state, on thy ancient tour. Rise ever at the proper time, after this very day as well, bring as a gift on coming home ; give us completest health ; into our hands convey the game, the quarry to our thumb's tip, good luck to our hook's point ; go on thy circuit pleasantly ; conclude the journey of the day, at eve attain to happiness."

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