Sampo

The Sampo is an objeck frae Finnish meethologie. It wes made bi Ilmarinen, the maister smith, bot naebodie kens fer certaint exacklie whit it wes meant tae be, tho aften fowk think o it as a mill o sum kynd. Onieane wha haed a Sampo wadnae hae tae wark e'ev again, an sae in Kalevala it is cleirly sumthing that fowk desire tae he.

The Sampo in Kalevala

Bakgrund

On ane o his vaiges, Väinämöinen becam lost in Pohjola (Nor Land). He speirs the Spaewife o the Nor, Louhi, gin she'll gie him a boat. She tells him that she will, bot ainlie gin he maks her a Sampo - in retour fer whilk she will gie him her dauchter's haund in mairraige forbye. He says he cannae mak ane, bot haes a frien, Ilmarinen, that can. Ilmarinen daesna want tae dae it, bot Louhi hechts her dauchter tae him an aa, an sae he duis. Her wurds tae him ar:

Ilmarinen, wothie brithir,

Ye, wha ar the ainlie skeily blacksmith,

Gang an see her unco bonnieness;

See her gowd an siller claes,

See her clad in braw claes,

See her sittin on the wattergaw,

Walkand on the purpie cluds.

Smidd fer her the weirdly Sampo,

Smidd the lid in monie colours,

Yer fairin sall be the maiden,

Ye sall win this bonnie guidwife

Gang an bring the bonnie maiden

Tae yer hame in Kalevala.

The Makkin o the Sampo

Ilamarinen gangs on tae darg fer a twa-thrie day at his michty smiddy until he finally maks the Sampo. Ance it haes been duin, it is a braw piece o skeily warkmanskip, as is ainly fittin fer the maister smith. The finished Sampo is telt o thus:

On ae side the flour is runchin,

On anithir saut is makkin,

On a third is money smiddin,

An the lid is monie-coloured,

Weil the Sampo runches whan finished,

Tae an frae the lid is rockin,

Runches ae meisure at the day-brak

Runches a meisure guid fer eatin

Runches a seicond fer the mercat

Runches a third ane fer the store-hous.

The Sampo is Tint

Efter aa this, Louhi (a wickit spaewife) chores the Sampo, chawin Ilmarinen an Väinämöinen tae gang intil her stranghauld secretlike fer tae chore it bak. Whan Louhi gets kennin o this, she chases thaim an fechts Väinämöinen. In the strauchle, Louhi is defeatit, an the Sampo is brak an tint, sunk tae the bottom o the Sea.

Ithir Uises

Sampo is a boy's name in Finland.
There is a Christian ska baund cryed Sampo.
A nummer o Finnish projecks (e.g. scienteefic) hae been cryed "Sampo", as hae a wheen o producks.

See Forbye

• Kalevala
• Ilmarinen
• Väinämöinen