Movies - Sampo

	Movies - Sampo

In Finnish mythology, the Sampo was a magical artifact constructed by Ilmarinen that brought good fortune to its holder; nobody knows exactly what it was supposed to be. When the Sampo was stolen, Ilmarinen's homeland falls upon hard times and sends an expedition to retrieve the it, but in the ensuing battle it is smashed and lost at sea.

The Sampo has been interpreted in many ways: a world pillar or world tree, a compass or astrolabe, a chest containing a treasure. In the Kalevala, compiler Lönnrot interpreted it to be a quern or mill of some sort that made flour, salt, and gold out of thin air. The poet Paavo Haavikko has suggested that it is a treasure stolen by Vikings from Constantinople. The discovery of the Antikythera mechanism prompted some to compare features of its construction with the Sampo.

Sampo is also a common Finnish given name.

Description in the Kalevala

The Sampo was a pivotal element of the plot of the Finnish epic poem Kalevala, compiled in 1835 (and expanded in 1849) by Elias Lönnrot based on earlier Finnish oral tradition. In the expanded second version of the poem, the Sampo is forged by Ilmarinen, a legendary smith, as a task set by the Mistress of Pohjola in return for her daughter's hand.

"Ilmarinen, worthy brother,
Thou the only skilful blacksmith,
Go and see her wondrous beauty,
See her gold and silver garments,
See her robed in finest raiment,
See her sitting on the rainbow,
Walking on the clouds of purple.
Forge for her the magic Sampo,
Forge the lid in many colors,
Thy reward shall be the virgin,
Thou shalt win this bride of beauty;
Go and bring the lovely maiden
To thy home in Kalevala."

Ilmarinen works for several days at a mighty forge until finally the Sampo is created:

On one side the flour is grinding,
On another salt is making,
On a third is money forging,
And the lid is many-colored.
Well the Sampo grinds when finished,
To and fro the lid in rocking,
Grinds one measure at the day-break,
Grinds a measure fit for eating,
Grinds a second for the market,
Grinds a third one for the store-house.

Portrayal in Film

In 1959 the joint Soviet-Finnish film production Sampo (titled The Day the Earth Froze when released in the United States) adapted the Kalevala to the big screen. Directed by Risto Orko and Aleksandr Ptushko, and written by Väinö Kaukonen and Viktor Vitkovich, the movie somewhat alters the circumstances surrounding the Sampo's creation; the evil witch Louhi kidnaps Ilmarinen's sister Annikki to compel him to build a Sampo for her. However, the movie remains reasonably true to the original tale in broad outline, and the Sampo's fate is the same.

Episode 422 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, produced in the 1992/93 season, featured The Day the Earth Froze. Though the movie does explain what a Sampo is, the MST3K characters are talking during the explanation, and miss it, and are therefore confused throughout the film as to what exactly a Sampo is. In Episode 506, Eegah, They are given a letter which shows that a Sampo is a small portable Television. The Sampo was thus thrust into modern-day Internet folklore as a terribly important and useful artifact that nobody understands the importance or use of.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Sampo ]

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Movies - Sampo

Description in the Kalevala

Portrayal in Film

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