rging it
of steel on a rock beneath the water, at a spot where three currents
met together, and the straps were to be of steel and copper mixed. And
Ilmarinen made a muzzle as she had directed, and set off for Manala, the
dismal Deathland. As he went he prayed to the goddess of the mists to
send a fog where the great bear of Manala was, so that he might not see
Ilmarinen as he approached. And the goddess sent the fog, and Ilmarinen
was able to creep up to the bear and throw the magic muzzle over his
head, and then to lead him to Louhi without any trouble.

When he had brought the bear to her, he asked her again for her lovely
daughter's hand. But Louhi said to him: 'Thou must perform one more task
still, and then, when that is done, thou shalt have my dear daughter.
Catch for me the monster-pike that lives in the river of Tuoni, but thou
may not use hook, nor line, nor nets, nor boat. Hundreds have been sent
to catch it, but all have died in Tuoni's dark waters.'

And now Ilmarinen was deeply discouraged, and went off to tell the
maiden of this third task, which he thought it was impossible to do. But
she told him to forge an eagle in his magic furnace, and that the eagle
would catch the monster-pike for him. So Ilmarinen went to work and
forged an eagle in his smithy: talons of iron, beak of steel and copper.
And when the eagle was entirely made from iron and copper, he mounted
on its back and bade it fly away to the river of Tuoni, there to catch
the monster-pike. When they had reached the bank, Ilmarinen dismounted
and began to search for the pike, while the eagle hovered over the
water. While Ilmarinen was searching, a huge monster rose from the
depths and tried to seize him, but the eagle swooped down, and with one
bite of his mighty beak, wrenched off the monster's head. Still
Ilmarinen continued his search, until at last the monster-pike itself
rose up to seize him. But as it came to the surface, the giant-eagle
swooped down upon it, and buried its talons in the pike's flesh. Then
the fish, maddened with the pain, rushed down to the deepest caverns,
dragging the eagle with it until the bird had to loose its hold and soar
aloft again. A second time the eagle swooped down and struck deep into
the pike's shoulders; but the pike dived to the bottom again and
escaped. At last the eagle made a third descent, and this time grasped
the pike firmly with his beak of steel, and planted his talons firmly on
the rocks, and t