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Väinämöinen and the Sampo What Is the Sampo Cycle?

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Väinämöinen and the Sampo What Is the Sampo Cycle? 13.10.2010 Väinämöinen and the Sampo • What is the Sampo cycle? • Parcipants in the Sampo Cycle • Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen • Louhi at North Farm (Pohjola) • Birds and Animals • The Sampo – What is it? • Features • Etymology • Theories What is the Sampo Cycle? • Narrave • Story • ” Beginning, middle, end’ • More than one hundred variants recorded • What are the parts of the Sampo Cycle? • Need for the Sampo • Väinämöinen shot, falls into the sea, and dris • Return to Kaleva • Creaon of the Sampo • Ilmarinen • Magical forging • Sampo remains at North Farm (Pohjola) • The of the Sampo • War party • Journey by sea • Bale for the Sampo • Sea bale • Destrucon Who Parcipates in the Sampo Cycle? • Väinämöinen • Poem always begins with Väinämöinen’s wound and fall into the sea • Creaon poems • Always Väinämöinen • Lönnrot separate creaon elements of many Sampo variants, emphasizing Väinämöinen’s human characteriscs in Sampo cycle • Väinämöinen leads the expedion to North Farm • Ilmarinen • Forges the Sampo • Magical powers • Acquision of materials for Sampo • Transformaon of materials into Sampo • Foil to Väinömöinen • Lemminkäinen • Foil to Väinämöinen • ’ Islander’ heightens associaon with the sea 1 13.10.2010 Who Parcipates in the Sampo Cycle? • Louhi, Maid of North Farm • Farm wife • Matriarch of North Farm • Matriarchy stands in contrast to Kaleva • Scheming figure, who tricks Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen • Rescues and aids Väinämöinen • Posessor of objects of desire to people of Kaleva • Daughter • Magical powers • Sampo • Transformaon into enormous bird of prey • Birds and Animals • Crane (284) • Migratory waterfowl • Symbol of spring • Link to planng season (spring) • Along with other waterfowl make small island nests, similar to creaon mofs • Eagle, ducks, swans (Variants) Features of the Sampo • The sampo is associated with Väinämöinen • The Sampo carries posive associaons – it produces wealth • The sampo’s epithet is ’lid of many colors’ • The sampo is an object (forged, carried away, and broken to pieces) • The Sampo is associated with the shores of North farm and the sea •The Sampo has roots, which need to be detached to take the Sampo • The Sampo grinds • The sampo has a handle and a cover • The sampo is forged from an amalgam of organic materials • The sampo is valuable – it is stored in a cavern at North Farm behind nine locked doors • The sampo is somemes called ’new’ and ’big’ Etymology of the word Sampo • The word sampo is related to sammas, an old Finnish word meaning statue or pillar • Many non‐Finnish words have been suggested as cognates of sampo • sam bog (Slovenian) means ’self god’, as pointed out by Lönnrot • sangfu (Tibetan and Mongolian) can mean ’temple’ and ’secret source of happiness’ • sam‐bú (old Icelandic) means a shared household, which carries an associaon with economy • Samboo (Sanskrit) means ’greatest wisdom’ • Sancto (Lan) means holy 2 13.10.2010 Theories of the Sampo • An image of God (Lönnrot, 1839) • A talismanic image (1841) • A mill or mortar (Jakob Grimm, 1845) • An image of the sun (1850) • A decorated treasure trunk (1854) • A shaman’s drum (1868) • A metal shield (1902) • The world pillar, culminang in the North Star (1918) • A ferlity symbol (1945) • Ancient totem transformed into naonal symbol Conclusion • Analysis of the Sampo cycle helps make clear the relaonships and imagined world on which the Kalevala rests • Parcipants in Sampo cycle are both ’sloed’ into place and defined by their relaonship to the Sampo • Sampo itself is a ’riddle’ as scholars have all acknolwedged • Kalevala’s vitality arises in part from the many layers that do not fully cohere, and thus create mystery • Sampo is an example of such mystery 3 .
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