Otso

Also known as: honey-pawed one · Family: Forest · Role: bear · First appears: Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 1

In Runo XLVI, Väinämöinen strikes Otso as he lies in his lair, overturns it, and brings him from the forest to the house, where the people welcome him. Väinämöinen strips off Otso’s bearskin and puts his flesh into kettles for cooking.

In Väinämöinen’s account, Mielikki fostered Otso in a honey-rich forest. Otso swore before Jumala not to do mischief or evil with his claws and teeth, and Mielikki fashioned his claws and fitted his teeth. At the bear feast, Väinämöinen recounts that Otso tumbled from a pine-tree and was badly injured; Väinämöinen then numbered and removed his teeth, and laid him in a tree on a mountain “As a joy to men for ever, And a pleasure to the travellers.”

Relationship record

Life events

• Väinämöinen strikes Otso and overturns his lair.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 1)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “Then the aged Väinämöinen Struck the bear where he was lying, Overturned his bed of satin, Overthrew his lair so golden, And he spoke the words which follow, And in words like these expressed him:”
• Väinämöinen brings Otso away from the forest.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 1)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “Then the aged Väinämöinen, He the great primeval minstrel, Walked across the plains, loud-playing, O'er the heath he wandered singing, And he brought the noble stranger. With his shaggy friend he wandered.”
• Väinämöinen brought Otso into the house, where the people welcomed him.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 2)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “And the people gave him answer, Shouted all the handsome people, “Better lead our guest illustrious, And conduct our golden beauty Underneath these famous rafters, Underneath this roof so handsome.”
• Väinämöinen stripped off Otso's bearskin and prepared the bear's flesh for cooking.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 2)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “Then the aged Väinämöinen From the bear stripped off the bearskin, On the storehouse floor he laid it, Put the flesh into the kettles, Put it in the gilded kettles, In the copper caldrons placed it.”
• In Väinämöinen's account, Mielikki fostered Otso.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 3)
  • With: Mielikki
  • “Thus it was the bear was nurtured, And the furry beast was fostered, There beside a bush of honey, In a forest dripping honey.”
• In Väinämöinen's account, Otso swore not to do mischief or evil with his claws and teeth.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 3)
  • With: Mielikki
  • “Then the bear by oath engaged him, Kneeling by the forest's Mistress, And in Jumala's high presence, 'Fore the face of Him Almighty, Never would he work a mischief, And would work no evil with them.”
• In Väinämöinen's account, Mielikki fitted Otso with claws and teeth.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 3)
  • With: Mielikki
  • “With her hands she plucked the branches, And from these the claws constructed, Others fixed in Otso's jawbones, In his gums securely fixed them.”
• Väinämöinen fetched Otso as his booty.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 3)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “And from thence I fetched my booty, There I found it on my journey.”
• In Väinämöinen's account at the bear feast, Otso tumbles from the pine-tree and is badly injured.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 4)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “He himself lurched from the archway, Tumbled from the pine-tree’s summit, And the branches broke his breastbone, Others ripped his belly open.”
• In Väinämöinen's account at the bear feast, Väinämöinen numbers and removes Otso's teeth.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 4)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “As no other man came forward, And no hero would attempt it, He himself the bear's teeth numbered, And the rows of teeth he reckoned, Kneeling down beneath the jawbones, With his grasp as strong as iron.”
• In Väinämöinen's account at the bear feast, Väinämöinen lays Otso in a tree on a mountain as a lasting joy to people.(Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 4)
  • With: Väinämöinen
  • “Thither have I brought my booty, There bestowed my little captive, On a golden mountain's summit, On a copper mountain's summit. In a splendid tree I laid him, Pine-tree with a hundred needles, In the very largest branches, In the broad and leafy summit, As a joy to men for ever, And a pleasure to the travellers.”

Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 1

• with Väinämöinen (They struggle; the passage does not say the bear dies.) “With the bear I now must struggle, Overthrow the shaggy monster,”

Runo XLVI · Väinämöinen and the Bear · Part 3

• guardian: Mielikki “Thus it was the bear was nurtured, And the furry beast was fostered, There beside a bush of honey, In a forest dripping honey.”
• patron: Mielikki “On the heath there grew a pine-tree, On the hill there rose a fir-tree, And the pine had silver branches, And the fir-tree golden branches. With her hands she plucked the branches, And from these the claws constructed, Others fixed in Otso's jawbones, In his gums securely fixed them.”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of Kalevala. Made with Rho MD.