While Wainamoinen was engaged in this task, Hisi, the god of evil, caused
him to cut his knee with the axe. None of his charms availed to stanch the
blood, so he dragged himself to his sledge and sought the nearest village.
In the third cottage he found a graybeard, who caused two maids to dip up
some of the flowing blood, and then commanded Wainamoinen to sing the
origin of iron. The daughters of Ukko the Creator had sprinkled the
mountains with black, white, and red milk,--from this was formed iron.
Fire caught the iron and carried it to its furnace, and later Ilmarinen
worked the unwilling metal into various articles. As he sought something
to harden it, Hisi's bird, the hornet, dropped poison into the water; and
the iron dipped into it, formed the hard steel, which, angry because it
could not be broken, cut its brother, and vowed that it would ever cause
man's blood to flow in torrents.
The old man then addressed the crimson stream flowing from the wound, and
prayed to mighty Ukko to stop it.
When it ceased to flow at his prayer, he sent forth his son to gather
various charmed plants, steep them, and make a magic balsam. After many
attempts the son was successful; and the balsam, applied to Wainamoinen's
wound, healed it immediately.
Wainamoinen returned home and sought Ilmarinen, who refused to go north to
forge the Sampo.
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