The Kalevide threw down the planks and asked the men what they had got
in the caldron, and whether they were getting ready for a feast or a
wedding. They replied that the caldron cooked for everybody, and that
when they made a feast they killed a great ox. It took a hundred men to
kill it, five hundred to bleed it, and a thousand to cleanse it.[67] But
to-day they were only cooking for poor people; only half an elk, the
ribs of an old boar, the lungs and liver of a bear, the suet of a young
wolf, the hide of an old bear, and an egg from an eagle's nest. Old
Sarvik[68] and the old mother were to dine from it; the cat and dog were
to get their share, and the rest was to be divided among the cooks and
workmen; but the old mother was going to bake cakes for the young
ladies' dinner.

The Kalevide expressed his disgust at such cookery, but they told him it
was good enough for witches and sorcerers, and he then asked them to
show him the way to their master's house, as he wished to pay his
respects to the family. They warned him that he might not escape easily;
but as he persisted, they directed him to the cavern, which he
immediately entered, while the demons laughed, saying that the bear had
fallen into the trap and the lion[69] into the net, and that he was
carrying his hide to market for nothing.

The cave was so dark and narrow that the hero soon found himself obliged
to creep on all fours, and to grope his way. At last he perceived a
faint light at a distance, and the cavern enlarged so much that he could
now stand upright again.

Where the roof rose highest, a heavy lamp hung by chains from the
ceiling, and beyond it were great folding-doors. On each side stood a
jar, one filled with a liquid as white as milk, and the other with a
liquid as black as pitch. Inside he could hear maidens spinning and
singing,[70] lamenting the happiness of their former lives, and hoping
that some deliverer might appear. Then he strove to force the door, but
it resisted all his efforts, so he sang a song in his softest tones,
telling how he had encountered four fair maidens gathering flowers in
the woods. The maidens sang back that he had come at a good time, for
all the family were out, and they directed him to dip his hands in the
dark liquid, which would give him magic strength; but if he wished to
moderate his strength, then to dip his hands in the white liquid, for
the dark liquid would give him strength to dash everything to pie