On the way they allied to themselves the
wizard Lemminkainen. As they approached the whirlpool near Pohyola, their
vessel stuck on the shoulders of a great pike. When neither Lemminkainen
nor Ilmarinen could slay it, Wainamoinen impaled it on his fire-sword, and
the three banqueted on the great fish. From its bones, Wainamoinen framed
the first harp. No one could win music from it but its creator; but when
he touched its strings and sang, the very trees danced about him, wild
animals lay in peace at his feet, and the hearts of men were ravished. As
his listeners wept at the strains, Wainamoinen's tears rolled down into
the ocean. Thence the duck brought them, changed to pearls, receiving for
a reward its beautiful coat. Such was the origin of sea-pearls.
When Wainamoinen had put the inhabitants of Pohyola to sleep with his
magic music, the heroes found the Sampo with little difficulty, and bore
it away from the copper mountain. But as they hastened home, the
discordant voice of Lemminkainen, who sang for joy of their capture,
caused the crane to screech, and the bird's cry roused the people of
Pohyola. Louhi speedily discovered her loss, and started in pursuit of the
heroes. In various ways she attacked them,--with war ships that were
stopped by a reef conjured up by Wainamoinen, by a terrible storm, and by
a giant eagle that perched on their boat.
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