some call him Ahti. He grew up amongst the islands and fed upon the
salmon until he became a mighty man, handsome to look at and skilled in
magic. But he was not as good as he was handsome--he had a wicked heart,
and was more famous for his dancing than for great deeds.

Now at the time my story begins, there lived in the Northland a
beautiful maiden named Kyllikki. She was so lovely that the Sun had
begged her to marry his son and come and live with them. But she
refused, and when the Moon came and besought her to marry her son, and
the Evening Star sought her for his son, she refused them both. And
after that came suitors from all the countries round about, but the
lovely Kyllikki would not marry one of them.

When Lemminkainen heard of this, he resolved that he would win her
himself. But his aged mother tried to dissuade him, telling him that the
maiden was of a higher family than his own, that all the Northland women
would laugh at him, and then if he should try to punish them for their
laughter, that the warriors of the Northland would fall on him and kill
him. But all this did not make him change his mind, and he started off
for the distant Northland.

When he came near to Kyllikki's home, all the women and maidens that saw
him began to laugh at him because he looked so poor, and yet dared to
try to win the fair Kyllikki's hand. When he heard them laughing, it
made him so angry that he drove on without paying any attention to how
he was driving, and when he came to the courtyard his sledge hit against
the gate-post and broke to pieces, and threw him out into the snow.

He rose up angrier than ever, but all those around only laughed the
harder at him, and made all manner of fun of him. Then they offered him
a place as a shepherd on the mountains. So Ahti became a shepherd, and
spent all the days on the hills, but in the evenings he went to their
dances, and when he had shown them what a skilful dancer he was, he
soon became a great favourite with all the women, and they began to
praise him instead of laughing at him.

But fair Kyllikki alone would have nothing to do with him--would not
even look at him in spite of all his endeavours to win her. At last she
was tired out with his attentions, and told him that he had better
return home, for she did not like him, and that so long as he stayed
there she would not even look at him.

Still he did not go away, but waited until a chance came to carry out
his new plan