Here, Väinämöinen goes to the dead tietäjä Antero Vipunen to get three luote words. Vipunen swallows Väinämöinen as if he was a giant, but I don't think "being a giant" is an actual point here. In the oldest written down version of the myth, the one building a boat is actually Ilmarinen, and in Karelian runosongs, there are descriptions of a maiden of the Underworld swallowing Ilmarinen. Therefore, it could simply be a description of going to the Underworld, which is what a sinking left foot also symbolically implies.
Many researchers think that "Antero" cannot be the original name of this figure, as that name is very Christian. Karelian runosongs include, in addition to Antero, forms like Angervo and Kanderva. It's been suggested that the Olonets Karelian Kandervan Vibuine could even imply an origin in kantava vipuinen "carrying pillar", or the world pillar specifically. Anna-Leena Siikala, on the other hand, thought that "Angervo" connected the figure to a fertility deity.
This or that, in either way, I find these theories very convincing. There are Norse stories of the fertility god Freyr dying and being buried in a mound where snow always melted, and there are Estonian stories of "Lemming's father Osmi" who died, and herbs grew on the grave. In Kainuian runosongs, Lemminkäinen is called the son of Vipunen, and even in this runosong below, Väinämöinen mentions both getting words from Vipunen, as well as his son. Of course, with these fertility deity theories, it would imply that the dead figure here is the fertility god Virankannos, who I also think is sky god Ukko. But that sounds very odd! I think it more likely that the dead tietäjä here is symbolically Lemminkäinen himself, and as we know, he is resurrected eventually. Researchers have also suggested that the original version was Lemminkäinen visiting his dead father.
Not that it matters that much. This story has changed so much that regardless of what it originally was, it's now something different. Now, the protagonist is Väinämöinen, and the dead tietäjä is someone named Antero. Instead of anything related to fertility gods, we know have a shaman epic, because Antero has taken on features of Sámi shamans, most notably Akmeeli (Anderus) from Sodankylä, who possibly lived sometime in the 16th and 17th centuries.
  Vaka vanha Väinämöinen Teki tiedolla venettä Laati purtta laulamalla Jonka saatti tehneheksi Sen ketti kala ke'ellä Voiti sorvan suomuksella Puuttu kolmea sanoa Perälaian liittimessä Pannessahan parraspuita Vaan tuolla oisi sata sanoo Tuhat virren tutkelmaa Suussa Anterus Vipusen Sano vanha Väinämöinen Veljellehen Joukkahallen: ”Saas mullen sanoa kolmet Suusta Antero Vipusen Vatasta Vipusen pojan!” "Jo on viikon Vipunen kuollut Kauan Antero kaonnut Vipunsa virittämästä Ahtamasta ansatiensä Sen on kuusi kulmaluilla Suuri haapa hartioilla Pajupehko parran päällä Leppä leukopieloisilla Joka saattasi sanoa Asiankin arvoasi Kuinka laita liitetähän Pantanehe parraspuita” ”Tuolta ma sanoja saanen Tuon kuollehen kohusta Eesmenneen ehosta Ja vipuisen kielen alta” Lähti noita etsimähän Vaan on äiä mentäveä Hetkeks' maeteltoa Sek' on matkoja pahoja Naisten neulojen neniä Miesten miekkojen teriä Toki läksi, ei totellu Astu naisten neulojen neniä Miesten miekkojen teriä Pellon peuroja levitti Oravia suuren orren Tappo pannan pääskysiä Lauman hanhia hajotti Kävi päivän, kävi toisen Jopa kohta kolmannenki Kävi vieruja mäkiä Torkahahti toinen jalka Vapahti vasen jalka Suuhun Andero Vipuisen Sano Andero Vipuinen: "Äijä on tänne tullehia Ei paljon palannehia" Sano sanalla tuolla Virkko tuolla vintiöllä: ”En minä oo Väinälän vasikka Ulappalan umpisilmä Eli kantus Väinämöisen Jos en saa sanoja kuulta Luoa lempiluotteita Minä hongilla hosusin Maan munilla mukkiloisin Petäjöillä pehmittäisin Aukasen sanasen arkun Virsilippani viritän Jottei Samppu sanoja puutu Eikä Sämpsä siemeniä Umpilampi ahvenia Eikä kallio kiviä” Vaka vanha Väinämöinen Teki pajan paiastansa Sukat on pannut hormin suuksi Polvensa asettanut alasimeksi Ja kätensä vasaraksi Syösti sitte rautasen korennon Puri rautasen korennon Ei tiennyt terästä purra Eikä syöä rauan syäntä Sai sieltä sanoa kolmet Tuhat virren tutkelmusta Saip' on veno valmihiksi |
Steadfast old Väinämöinen Made a boat with knowledge Created a barque by singing Whatever he got made He flayed it with fish skin Greased it with a rudd's scale Missed three words To attach the rear side When setting up rail woods But there, there would be a hundred words A thousand song lyrics In the mouth of Anterus Vipunen Old Väinämöinen said To his brother Joukkaha: "Bring to me three words From the mouth of Antero Vipunen From the stomach of a son of Vipunen!" "Vipunen is long since dead Antero has been lost for ages From setting his string traps From filling his path of traps He has a spruce on his eyebrow A large aspen on his shoulder A bush of willows on his beard An alder on his jowl The one who would be able to say To assess the matter Of how the side can be attached The rail woods set up" "I could get my words from there From the plase of the dead one From the body of the passed And from below the lever-like tongue" He went to seek for them But there is a long way to go Lands to be crossed for a while As well as evil paths On the tips of women's needles On the blades of men's swords Still he went, not heeding to warnings Stepped on the tips of women's needles The blades of men's swords Felled a field of reindeer A large perch of squirrels Killed a ring of swallows Scattered a flock of geese Walked for a day, walked for another And soon, even a third one Walked on slopes and hills His other foot dipped His left foot shuddered Into the mouth of Andero Vipuinen Andero Vipuinen said: "Many have come here Few have returned" Said with that word Uttered with that (word): "I am not a calf of Väinälä The closed-eye of Ulappala The (???) of Väinämöinen If I don't get to hear the words Cast the favourite luotteet I'd swing with pines Batter with eggs of the earth Soften with pines I open my chest of words Tune my box of songs So Samppu wouldn't lack words Nor Sämpsä seeds Nor a closed pond perches Nor a rock stones" Steadfast old Väinämöinen Made his shirt into a forge Put his socks as the mouths of the flue Set his knee as the anvil And his hand as the hammer He spew out an iron cowlstaff He [Vipunen] bit the iron cowlstaff Didn't know to bite steel Or eat the heart of iron There, he [Väinämöinen] got three words A thousand song lyrics And got to finish his boat |
