"Broadforehead" then was christened, the "scanty-haired one" was baptised
10 Close to 'fiery' rapids, at the eddy of a 'holy' stream,
Who undertook to christen him? The King of Himmerkki[1] himself,
v.Juhannes, priest of gods,
He undertook to christen—to baptise the "scanty-haired".
v. Promised to christen him.
The Virgin Mary, mother dear, the holy little serving-maid,
Both acted as his godmother and to the christening carried him.
What was the name they gave him? "Hulking fellow" "Little Hay-stack",
"Lovely shaggy coat of hair", "Honey-paws", "The Corpulent".
Variants.
10-12 Beside the river Jordan, at an eddy of the holy stream,
E'en Christ was at the christening, the Almighty at the baptism.
(b.)
My dear "broadforehead", my beloved, my lovely little "honey-paws",
Of course, I know thy stock where thou wast born, "broad-forehead",
Wast gotten, thou "blue stumpy tail", wast formed, "claw-footed one".
There was "broadforehead" born―aloft within the sky,
On the Moon's points, upon the Sun, upon the Seven Stars' back,
Beside the maidens of the Air, near Nature's daughters.
Fire shot in flashes from the sky, air turned upon a whorl[2]
While "broadforehead" was produced—"lover of honey" took his shape.
- ↑ Himmerkki=Swedish Himmel-rike, kingdom of heaven.
- ↑ In Karelia ilma, "air", is sometimes used for maailma, "world", which may be the meaning here. But in general terms the meaning is clear enough that when the bear was born there was a great commotion, and Nature's general arrangements were disturbed. "Whorl" might also be taken as short for "the Lord's whorl", i.e., the sun.
