sea,
and had found none too deep for him except Lake Ilma. He then thought he
would visit Finland, Norway, and the islands, where he expected to find
old friends to direct him on his journey. So he directed Olev to fell
the great oak-tree which their father and mother had planted, and which
neither sun, moon, stars, nor rain, could penetrate,[82] and to make the
strongest sailing vessels for exploring voyages from the trunk, warships
from the crown, merchantmen from the large branches, slave-ships from
the smaller ones, children's boats from the splinters, and maiden's
boats from the chips. He ordered the remainder to be used for building
towns, fortresses, and houses for the people in various parts of the
country.

Olev replied, "I know what to do, dear brother, if we can find a strong
man in the country able to fell the oak-tree." The raven told them to
send out to seek for such a man, and they did so; whereupon the wise men
of Norway and Finland assembled to give them advice. But they told the
Kalevide that it was no use building a wooden ship to sail to the
world's end, for the spirits of the Northern Lights would set it in
flames. He must build a strong vessel of iron and copper and tin.

The Kalevide then constructed a vessel, not of iron and copper, but of
silver. The whole of the ship--planking, deck, masts, and chains--was of
silver, and he named the vessel Lennuk.[83] For himself he provided
golden armour, silver for the nobles, iron for the crew, copper for the
old men, and steel for the wise men.

The Kalevide selected experienced sailors and many wise men to accompany
him, and they set sail joyfully towards Finland; but soon turned, and
directed their course to the far north, in the direction of the Great
Bear.

To the north they sailed under the guidance of a wise helmsman who knew
all languages and the speech of birds and beasts. But the Finnish
sorcerers raised storms against the ship, and they were driven along for
seven days and nights, till a coast rose before them which the helmsman
declared was quite unknown to him. The son of Kalev then sprang into the
sea, swam ashore, and towed the ship after him.[84] The birds sang to
them that it was the poverty-stricken coast of Lapland.[85] They went
to explore the country, but wandered a long way without meeting with any
inhabitants. At last they found a solitary cottage, where a maiden sat
on the grass plot before the door spinning. And she sang how a m