Erkki overheard this and that night he put the churn in his bed under the covers, and where his head ordinarily would be he put a big round stone. Then he himself curled up on the stove and went comfortably to sleep.
During the night the Devil took his great sword from the wall and went over to Erkki’s bed. His first blow hit the round stone and nicked the sword. His second blow struck sparks.
“Mercy me!” the Devil thought, “he’s got a mighty hard head! I better strike lower!”
With the third stroke he hit the churn a mighty blow. The hoops flew apart and the churn collapsed.
The Devil went chuckling back to bed.
“Ha!” he said boastfully to his wife, “I got him that time!”
But the next morning when he woke up he didn’t feel like laughing for there was Erkki as lively as ever and pretending that nothing had happened.
“What!” cried the Devil in amazement, “didn’t you feel anything strike you last night while you were asleep?”
“Oh, I did feel a few mosquitoes brushing my cheek,” Erkki said. “Nothing else.”
“Steel doesn’t touch him!” the Devil said to his wife. “I think I’ll try fire on him.”