The Words of the Sauna - A Spell
Over there the saunas are heating up,
The new huts are steaming,
With the gods above,
And the earth’s mothers below;
Let the steam rise here,
Let the water be splashed,
Steam rises from the stones,
Warmth from the sauna moss,
As a salve for aches,
As a remedy for injuries!
Hello, steam; hello, warmth,
Hello to the one who greets us!
The steam is Auterinen’s son,
Made by Auterettaren.
Come to the sauna, God,
Father, make it warm,
Make us healthy,
Build peace;
Let the steam rise,
Send away the excess heat,
Through the attic window,
From the well dug by Napakaira!
Hello, hello, my sauna heat,
My sauna heat, my warmth,
The heat of the wood, the warmth of the steam,
The sweat of old Väinämöinen!
The tree is God’s creation,
Drawn by Vesa Maattaren,
Your mountain is the birth of the breeze,
The birth of fire from the heavens;
There is no finding of the steam,
No penetrating warmth,
Nor the blowing of the wind,
Touching the harsh air,
Sifting the grain,
Not looking with envy,
Inventing a sly glance,
Oppressing the wicked,
Having seen with my own eyes,
Having covered my mouth,
Having spoken with my lips,
Having sighed with my spirit.
Gentle steam, warm steam,
Throw the excess steam onto the ground,
Bad steam, flee away
Out through the doorframe,
Steam onto the stones in the stove,
Smoke into the sauna’s moss,
Smoke from the chimney into the yard,
Or out through the chimney!
Ancient Incantation Poems of the Finnish People is one of the most important works of Finnish folk poetry. The incantations collected by Elias Lönnrot shed light on ancient Finnish beliefs and magical traditions. These powerful words were used to cure illnesses and to control both nature and other people.
Ancient Incantation Poems of the Finnish People contains 233 old Finnish incantations, ranging from fishing spells and birth spells to healing incantations used in folk medicine. The book was edited by Elias Lönnrot in 1880.