[111.] I suppose rushes are here intended.


RUNO XIV

[33.] The word here translated "islands" properly means a wooded hill surrounded by marshland.

[47, 48.] Mielikki's gold and silver are the spoils of the chase.

[69.] Honey is sometimes used in the Kalevala for anything sweet and agreeable, just as golden is used for anything beautiful.

[103, 104.] It appears that the hunter's fortune in the chase was foretold by the rich or shabby garments worn by the forest-deities.

[142.] Finnish women often wear a blouse over their other garments.

[216.] Kuningas (king) is a Teutonic word, which rarely occurs in the Kalevala. The heroes are patriarchs, or chiefs of clans; not kings, as in Homer.

[248.] There is often much confusion of terms in the Kalevala. The creature here mentioned is generally called an elk, but often a reindeer, and in this line a camel-foal.