Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



Swim against the shore and listen 

 To the playing of the minstrel. 

 To the harp of Wainamoinen. 

 All the little things in nature 

 Come and listen to the music. 

 To the notes of the enchanter. 

 To the songs of the magician. 

 To the harp of Wainamoinen. 



{Kalevala, Rune XLIV, Crawford's translation^ 



The adventures of Vaino, Ilmarinen and 

 Lemminkainen while bringing back the Sampo 

 from Pohjola have dim resemblance to those 

 of Jason, Orpheus and the other heroes on 

 their trip to Colchis : notably the attack on the 

 Finnish heroes by Louhi in the shape of an 

 eagle bearing armed men resembles the attack 

 of the Stymphalian birds on the Greek heroes. 



But we must beware of supposing that a 

 Greek poem like the Argonautica of ApoUonius 

 of Rhodes was imitated in the north. The 

 differences are too great. Each appears to 

 have grown spontaneously ; only a very remote 

 common origin can be imagined for both. 

 M3 



