From Lönnrot's Collection of Ancient Finnish Charm Songs

The Uhkasanoja — Threatening Words — are the tietäjä's escalating arsenal of violence against spirits who will not yield to gentler commands. Where the Yielding Words demanded departure and the Conveyance Words offered transport, these charms promise progressively terrible punishment. The first charm climbs through seven levels of threat: willow switches, ram's horns, the claws of the dead, eagle talons, bear claws, and finally a monstrous black dog with a mouth of fire, teeth like ember-forks, a heart of iron, and copper bowels — a beast that has eaten a hundred men and will devour the spirit's entire bloodline. The second charm boasts of the tietäjä's prior feats — plowing serpent-fields with a fire-edged plow, holding vipers in bare hands — then warns that whoever breaks the baptized will be broken by the cross. The third returns every curse to its sender's own body: mouth, head, brain, heart, lungs, liver, spleen — and if that fails, the fiery sword.

These incantations were collected by Elias Lönnrot and published in Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Ancient Charm Songs of the Finnish People, Helsinki, 1880), section 16. This is the eleventh file in the charm-singer sequence. Translated from the Finnish by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

Uhkasanoja — Threatening Words

a.

If you will not yield between,
Depart, you motherless cur,
I will seek out your dame,
I will find your old mother;
The mother shall first be milked,
Then the son shall be fed
With his own mother's milk,
The white milk of his parent.

If you will not obey from that,
I will beat you with willows,
Thrash you with rowan switches,
Stroke you with spruce tips.

If that be not enough
And you will not dodge aside,
I raise the ram's curved horn,
The bull's branching gore-horn,
I set the butts to butting,
I make the horns to hurting.

If from that but little came,
I take claws from the dead,
Claws from beneath the earth, from Manala,
Hands from the death-owl's churchyard,
With those I claw the villains,
With those I hurt the Satans.

When that is not enough,
I take the eagle's talons,
The hawk's spreading claws:
There is an eagle, a great eagle,
Rolling on the sea's waters,
Dwelling on the sea's waves,
One wing cuts the water,
The other reaches to heaven.
With its hard talons
I drive away the seizures,
I crumple the murder-men,
I press down the evil-doers.

When it still does not obey,
Does not separate at all,
I take claws from the bear,
From the blood-drinker, talons;
Hard are the eagle's claws,
The hawk-bird has raking talons,
But the bear's claws are harder still,
The bear's nails more terrible.
With those I claw the villain,
I settle the evil one's age.

If it still will not obey,
I remember another way,
I find other means,
Stronger resistances:
I have a black dog,
A fur-muzzle in the pen,
My father's former dog,
The very watch-hound of my elder.
Its mouth burns with fire,
Its maw glows with heat,
Its teeth are like ember-forks,
Its tongue thrust to center,
Its heart is built of iron,
Its bowels are copper in its belly.
It has already eaten a hundred men,
Destroyed a thousand warriors;
With that I will have you eaten too,
I will feed it your father, your mother,
I will feed it your great-grandparents
And all your great kindred.
It will bite you, bones and all,
Crunch you, spine and all,
The head past buzzing,
The breath past sighing.

b.

Did you think me dead already,
Pine for me as vanished?
I am not dead after all,
Nor have I truly vanished.
Just yesterday
I was in the bear's home,
In the iron-bear's court,
I sang a bridle into the wolf's mouth,
I built the bear into irons;
I walked on the serpent-field,
I plowed snake-riddled earth,
I turned ground full of serpents,
With a fire-edged plow,
With copper coulters.

I held vipers in my nails,
Serpents in my hands,
I slew vipers by the ten,
Hundreds of black snakes;
Still my nails are in viper's blood,
My hands in serpent's grease.
I take my viper-gloves,
My earthworm-mittens,
With which I wrestle the stranger,
I gnaw the murder-man,
I budge the flesh-eater,
I slip past the bone-biter,
From eating, you fiery dog,
From tearing, you evil cur,
From breaking the baptized,
From felling the christened.
If you break the baptized
Or fell the christened,
The cross will break you,
The baptism will fell you.

c.

O you, evil pagan,
Hiisi's wretch, fit for hanging,
Evil spirit, fit for roasting,
Do not come here in fullness!
Here bones are being cut,
Limbs are being shaken
By a fiery stranger,
By a bitter arrival;
Here your shirt will burn,
Your skirt will glow
When I have spoken my words,
When I have breathed my breath.
Whatever word you may speak,
However you charm against another,
Into yourself let it settle,
Your own words into your mouth,
Your evil charms into your head,
Your thoughts into your brain,
Into your heart let them settle,
Into your lungs let them come,
Into your liver let them lie,
Into your spleen let them hide!
If you will not obey from that,
But still keep trying,
I have a fiery sword,
My staff is in its sheath;
I take my own sword,
My staff from its sheath,
With which I thrash the devils,
With which I press down the evil,
I dim Hiisi's power,
I weigh down the pagan's might,
By day past escape,
By night past attempting.

Colophon

Translated from the Finnish by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026 (Uralic Verse Translator, scheduled). Source: Elias Lönnrot, Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1880), §16 "Uhkasanoja," pp. 36–37. The three threatening charms form the tietäjä's escalation toolkit — deployed when yielding words, conveyance words, and pain words have failed. Charm (a) is the longest and most elaborate, climbing seven levels of violence. Charm (b) is a boast-and-warning hybrid, establishing credentials before threatening. Charm (c) is a reflective curse — every evil sent is returned to the sender's own organs. Blood Rule clean: translated directly from Lönnrot's Finnish. No prior English translation exists. Variant readings (Toisin) noted in source but not reproduced.

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Source Text

Uhkasanoja

a.

Kun et vaajanne välehen,
Eronne, emoton rakki,
Etsittelen eukkoasi,
Muistuttelen muoriasi;
Emo ensin lypsetähän,
Siitä poika juotetahan
Maiolla oman emonsa,
Valkoisella vanhempansa.

Josp' on et totelle tuosta,
10 Mie sun painelen pajuilla,
Pieksän pihlajan vesoilla,
Hautelen havun nenillä.

Jos ei siitä kyllin liene,
Etkä vääjeä välehen,
Nostan oinon kieroaarven,
Härän hankin haatosarven,
Panen puskut puskemahan,
Saan sarvet satuttamahan.

Jos siitä vähän tulisi,
20 Otan koprat kuollehelta,
Maan alta manalan koprat,
Käet kuokon kalmistosta,
Joilla konnat kopristelen,
Joilla saatanat satutan.

Kun ei tuosta kyllin liene,
Otan ma kokolta koprat,
Havukalta haarottimet:
Onpa kokko, maini kokko,
Vellova meren vesillä,
30 Meren aalloilla asuva,
Yksi siipi vettä viilsi,
Toinen taivasta tavotti.
Senpä koprilla kovilla
Kohtaukset karkottelen,
Mutristelen murhamiehet,
Painelen pahantekiät.

Kun ei tuostana totelle,
Ei erota aiokkana,
Otan koprat kontiolta,
40 Veren juojalta vekarat;
Kovat on kokolla koprat,
Havulinnulla haravat,
Koprat on kontion kovemmat,
Kynnet karhun kauheammat.
Niillä konnan kopristelen,
Ilkeän iki asetan.

Jos ei jo totelle tuosta,
Vielä muistan muunki keinon,
Löyän muita luottehia,
50 Vahvempia vastuksia:
Ompa mulla musta koira,
Karvaturpa karsinassa,
Entinen isoni koira,
Varsin haukku vanhempani.
Suu sen on tulen palava,
Kita kiiran lämpiävä,
Hampahat kuin hiilihangot,
Kieli keskelle sysätty,
Syän rauasta rakettu,
60 Suolet vaskesta vatsassa.
Söi se jo sataki miestä,
Tuhosi tuhat urosta;
Sillä mie sinunki syötän,
Syötän isosi, emosi,
Syötän valtavanhempasi,
Sekä muun sukusi suuren;
Se sun luinehen purevi,
Ruotinehen rouhaisevi,
Pään pärisemättömäksi,
70 Hengen huokumattomaksi.

b.

Joko mun katsoit kuolleheksi,
Kaipasit kaonneheksi?
En mä kuollut kuitenkana,
Enkä kaiketi kaonnut.
Äsken päänä eillisenä
Olin kontion kotona,
Rautakarhun kartanolla,
Suen lauloin suitsi suuhun,
Karhun rautoihin rakensin;
10 Kävin kyisen pellon päälle,
Kynnin maata kyynälaista,
Käänsin maata käärmehistä,
Auralla tuliterällä,
Vaamahilla vaskisilla.

Kyyt pitelin kynsissäni,
Käsissäni käärmehyiset,
Tapoin kyitä kymmenkunnan,
Sa'an mustia matoja;
Viel' on kynnet kyyn veressä,
20 Käet käärmehen tallissa.
Otan kyiset kintahani,
Maanmatoiset vanttuhuni,
Joilla outoa otelen,
Mututtelen murhamiestä,
Lihan syöjän liikahutan,
Luikahutan luun purian.
Syömästä tulisen koiran,
Pahan rakin raastamasta,
Ristittyä rikkomasta,
30 Kastettua kaatamasta.
Jospa rikot ristittyä,
Tahi kaa'at kastettua,
Risti sinun rikkonevi,
Elaste sinun kaatanevi.

c.

Oi sinä, paha pakana,
Hiien herja hirtettävä,
Pahan hengen paistettava,
Ellös tänne täyvykkänä!
Täällä luuta leikatahan,
Jäsentä järitetähän,
Tulialta vierahalta,
Saavalta käkeävältä;
Täällä paitasi palavi,
10 Hamehesi lämpiävi,
Minun suin puheltuani,
Hengin huokueltuani.
Minkä sie sanan sanonet,
Kunka loitset toista vasten,
Itsehesi istukohon,
Suuhusi omat sanasi,
Päähäsi pahat panosi,
Ajatukset aivohosi,
Syämehesi siutukohon,
20 Keuhkoihisi koitukohon,
Maksoihisi maatukohon,
Pernoihisi peittyköhön!
Kun sa et totelle tuosta,
Vaan yhä yritteleihet,
On mulla tulinen miekka,
Sauvani sarajahalla;
Otan miekkani omani,
Sauvani sarajahalta,
Jolla pieksän perkeleitä,
30 Jolla painelen pahoja,
Himmennytän Hiien voiman,
Vaivutan pakanan vallan,
Päivin pääsemättömäksi,
Öin yrittämättömäksi.

Source Colophon

Elias Lönnrot, Suomen kansan muinaisia loitsurunoja (Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 1880), §16 "Uhkasanoja," pp. 36–37. Public domain (1880 publication). Finnish text from the Google Books digitization of the SKS Toimituksia 62 edition, accessed via archive.org (identifier: suomenkansanmui00lngoog). OCR cleaned.

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