up to behind my back!" cried the
Creator angrily. "Let the evil-doers receive the fitting reward of their
offences. You are on the moon, and there you shall stay with your bucket
for ever, as a warning to all who would rob the earth of its light. My
light must prevail over the darkness, and the darkness must flee before
it. And though you should strive against it with all your strength, you
would not be able to conquer the light. This shall be made manifest to
all who gaze on the moon at night, when they see the black spoiler of
the moon with his utensils."

The Creator's words were fulfilled. The Devil's servant still stands in
the moon to this day with his bucket of tar, and for this reason the
moon does not shine so brightly as formerly. He often descends into the
sea to bathe, and would like to cleanse himself from his stains, but
they remain with him eternally. However bright and clear he shines, his
light cannot dispel the shadows which he bears, nor pierce through the
black covering on his back. When he sometimes turns his back to us, we
see him only as a dull opaque creature, devoid of light and lustre. But
he cannot bear to show us his dark side long. He soon turns his shining
face to the earth again, and sheds down his bright silvery light from
above; but the more he waxes, the more distinct becomes the form of his
spoiler, and reminds us that light must always triumph over darkness.

* * * * *

In the following narrative we have a horrible story of black magic,
which, however, is extremely interesting as showing the prevalence of
fetishism, which probably preceded the worship of the powers of nature
among the Finns and Esthonians. The Kratt seems originally to have been
nothing worse than Tont, the house-spirit, who robbed the neighbours for
the benefit of his patrons, and it is probably only after the
introduction of Christianity that he assumed the diabolical character
attributed to him in the present story.

[Footnote 55: Ilmarine or Ilmarinen is the Vulcan of the Finnish and
Esthonian legends. He is represented in the _Kalevala_ as a young and
handsome hero, but deficient in courage. In Esthonian tales he generally
appears as a demigod. In the _Kalevala_ he plays a part second only to
that of Vaeinaemoeinen himself, but fails in many of his undertakings; for
though he is said to have forged the sky, he cannot confer speech or
warmth on the bride of gold and silver whom h