the
Kalevipoeg, like Arthur, Olger, Barbarossa, and Tell, remains in
enchanted bondage till the day shall come for him to restore the ancient
glories of his country.[3]

[Footnote 3: Further information on most of the subjects discussed in
the Introduction will be found in the Notes and Index.]

PART I

THE HERO OF ESTHONIA

The _Kalevipoeg_, which may be called the national epic of Esthonia,
contains the adventures of a mythical hero of gigantic size, who ruled
over the country in its days of independence and prosperity. He is
always called by his patronymic, Kalevipoeg, or Kalevide, the son of
Kalev; and, notwithstanding the great differences between them, he is
evidently the Kullervo of the Finnish _Kalevala_.

The _Kalevipoeg_ consists of twenty cantos and about 19,000 lines; and a
fairly complete prose outline of the story is here given, all the
tedious lyrical interludes which break its continuity, especially at the
beginning of several of the cantos, being entirely omitted. For further
general information respecting the poem itself we will refer to the
Introduction, and will now proceed to give a short abstract of the
principal contents of the cantos, before proceeding to a more detailed
analysis.

ARGUMENT OF THE "KALEVIPOEG"

_Canto I._--Three brothers travel in various directions, one of whom,
Kalev,[4] is carried by an eagle to Esthonia, where he becomes king. A
widow finds a hen, a grouse's egg, and a young crow. From the two first
spring the fair maidens, Salme and Linda, and from the last a
slave-girl. Salme chooses the Youth of the Stars, and Linda the young
giant-king Kalev, as their respective husbands, with whom they depart.

_Canto II._--Death and burial of Kalev; birth of his posthumous son, the
Kalevipoeg.

_Canto III._--The Kalevipoeg and his brothers go hunting in the forest.
During their absence Linda is carried off by a Finnish sorcerer whose
suit she has despised. She escapes from him through the interference of
the gods, who afterwards change her into a rock. Return of the
brothers; the Kalevide seeks help and counsel at his father's grave.

_Canto IV._--The Kalevide throws himself into the sea to swim to
Finland. In the evening he lands on an island where he meets a maiden
whom he seduces. When she hears his name, she is horrified, and falls
into the sea. He plunges after her, but being unable to save her, swims
onwards on his journey. The parents rake the sea, a