 Kave-ukko, Pohjan herra Ikäinen iku-Turilas Isä vanha Väinämöisen Makais äitinsä kohdussa Kolme kymmentä keseä Ikävystyi aikojaan Oudostui elämätään Viilaisi äitinsä kohdun Potkaisi punaista tuota Sormella nimettömällä Vasemmalla varpahalla Päästi sotamiehen miekkoneen Satuloineen orihin Kupehesta Kunottaran Lapsen vaimon lappiosta |
Lord Kave, Lord of the North Ancient eternal giant Old father of Väinämöinen Lied in his mother's womb For thirty summers Grew bored of his days Began to wonder his life Slit open his mother's womb Kicked that red one With his nameless finger With his left toe Released a warrior with a sword With a saddled stallion From the loins of Kunotar A child from the lap of a woman |
There is no certainty as to who this "Kunotar" is. The only theory (presented by Kaarle Krohn) I've found is that it would be "Kunnotar" who in one incantation is the same as Maatar. I've tried looking, but there is really no other theory I've come across. In another version of this runosong, it is a "Maiden of the North" who is impregnated by waves and then gives birth to Väinämöinen himself. In most runosongs, those lines are used to describe Louhi being impregnated by waves of a sea giant and then giving birth to the diseases and disasters of the world. Mikko Heikkilä has suggested that the origin of the name "Kaleva" is in Proto-Germanic *χᵃlewaz "sea, sea-god giant".
Should this be understood as the birth of Väinämöinen or his father, then? I think that the descriptions of a warrior are more fitting for Kaleva than Väinämöinen. Still, it would not be out of the question if Kaleva was also able to impregnate someone with waves, but it is only based on the speculation of the origin of his name and has no other support in the actual runosongs. Technically Kunotar here could've given virgin birth, though that is not a relevant part of Finnish cosmology. Maatar is called the mother of us all, and Krohn suggested her "cult" could've originally been that of a female ancestor buried in the ground. It does make me think about the fact that southern creation myths, though far away from the place where this runosong above was collected from, present the first human as "Maiden of Grass" who gave birth to a son or sons who went to a great war.
I also have an additional personal hypothesis. The mother of Kaleva here could also be Kave-eukko, a goddess and the "oldest of women", the "first of generous mothers". Though out of the two theories above, I probably prefer the Maatar theory over Kave theory.
But what if, Kave-eukko gave virgin birth to Kaleva, and Kaleva then impregnated Maatar with waves and she gave birth to Väinämöinen? Maybe which Kave and Maatar around? Maybe switch them around and replace Maatar with Louhi? Maybe Maatar and Louhi are the same??? See, I feel like we can speculate about these things 'till the end of the Earth. Anna-Leena Siikala thought Väinämöinen's mother, called Saint Mary or Saint Irene in Karelia, was originally Päivätär because Väinämöinen is often called the "Son of the Sun" (Pätösen poika).