Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



now happy, now tragic, concealed under the 

 history of other heroes in very distant lands. 



The parallel with Siegfried goes much 

 farther, if, as we can do in all these old tales, 

 we put Siegfried's father for himself; since it is 

 the commonest of all traits in mythology to 

 find the same plot under the life history of 

 father and son, or under that of earlier and later 

 folk-hero. 



It will be remembered that Sigurd dishonors 

 his own sister ; Kalevipoeg also ruins his sister, 

 but does not know her at the time. As soon 

 as she learns who he is, she throws herself into 

 the water, and in later versions he passes on 

 through life unwedded, and, though boister- 

 ously jovial, yet a prey to remorse. 



The very same story occurs as an episode 

 about a subordinate personage in the Kalevala 

 of the Finns. The brother is an unlucky 

 youth of giant strength named Kullervo, over 

 whose birth the poet seems intentionally 

 obscure, if not contradictory. When the sister 



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