SAVIPOIKA
by Jalmari Finne · from Satujen maailma: Suomen kansan sadut I-II kokoelma
Original Story
SAVIPOIKA
Oli ukko ja akka. Heillä ei ollut perillistä, ei poikaa eikä tyttöä, ei ketään. He laittoivat silloin savesta pojan ja panivat sen uuniin kuivamaan.
Vähän ajan päästä alkoi se huutaa sieltä:
— Hoi, hoi, tuokaa ruokaa!
Akka sanoi:
— Mitä siellä huutelet? Tule pöydän ääreen!
— En minä tule, tuokaa tänne!
Akka antoi uuniin leivän pojalle, joka pisti sen suuhunsa ja heti pyysi toista. Senkin sai. Sitten pyysi se kolmatta. Senkin se sai. Mutta hänen neljättä pyytäessään, sanoi akka:
— Poikaseni, ei minulla sen enempää ole.
— On sinulla, tuo tänne vaan, huusi poika.
Akka toi viimeisetkin leivät ja antoi ne pojalleen. Ne syötyään se taas alkoi huutaa lisää ruokaa.
— Ei minulla ole enää mitään, sanoi akka.
— Onhan sinulla taikinaa, vastasi poika.
Akka kaasi kaiken taikinankin uuniin. Sitten poika taas alkoi huutaa lisää ruokaa.
— Nyt ei minulla ole enää yhtään mitään, vastasi akka.
— Tule itse sisään! vastasi poika ja otti akan suuhunsa.
Sitten hän kysyi isältään:
— Onko teillä vielä mitään ruokaa?
— Ei ole.
— Tule itse sisään!
— Ja poika söi isänsäkin.
Hän läksi kulkemaan tietä pitkin. Niin tuli vastaan joukko heinämiehiä, joilla oli hangot ja haravat ja viikatteet.
— Onko teillä mitään? kysyi poika.
— Ei ole mitään.
— Onko teillä mitään syötävää?
— Ei ole.
— Tulkaa sitten kaikki sisään!
Ja hän söi koko heinäväen, hangot, haravat, heinät, viikatteet, kaikki tyyni.
Pojan astellessa tietä myöten, tuli jänis vastaan.
— Minne sinä menet? kysyi poika.
— Menen vain tänne pitkin tietä.
— Tule sisään!
Hän söi senkin.
Tuli kettu poikaa vastaan.
— Minne sinä menet? kysyi poika.
— Minä vain täällä tiellä juoksentelen.
— Tule sisään!
Hän söi senkin.
Tuli karhu vastaan.
— Minne sinä menet? kysyi poika.
— Menen tänne ranteita myöten raskaan, rinteitä myöten riskoon.
— Tule sisään.
— Ei sinussa ole minun ottajaani.
— On kuin onkin, sanoi poika ja pisti karhun suuhunsa.
Oli siellä vatsassa jo jos jonkinlaista tavaraa.
Pojan astellessa tietä eteenpäin, tuli hirvi vastaan.
— Minne sinä menet? kysyi poika.
— Menen tänne pitkin maita, pitkin soita, pitkin kesäteitä.
— Tule sisään!
— Sinussa ei ole ottajaa.
— On kuin onkin, sanoi poika.
Hirvi sanoi hänelle:
— Mene tuonne kallion viereen ja avaa suusi, niin juoksen sinne suoraan.
Poika teki niin, ja hirvi juoksi sellaista vauhtia ja puski niin vimmatusti, että poika lensi kalliota vasten murskaksi, niin että savenpalaset vain paukkuivat.
Ja sitten hirvi murskasi koko savipojan ja päästi sen sisältä pois isän ja äidin ja akan leivät ja taikinan ja heinäväen ja kaikki niiden kapineet, ja jäniksen ja ketun ja karhun, joka oli tullut siellä pojan sisällä nilkuksi.
Story DNA
Moral
Unchecked greed leads to self-destruction.
Plot Summary
A childless old couple creates a boy from clay, who comes to life in the oven with an insatiable hunger. He devours all their food, then the couple themselves. The clay boy continues his rampage, consuming haymakers, their tools, and various forest animals. Finally, he encounters a clever moose who tricks him into opening his mouth against a cliff. The moose charges, shattering the clay boy into pieces and releasing all his victims unharmed.
Themes
Emotional Arc
creation to destruction
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Jalmari Finne was a Finnish author known for collecting and retelling folk tales. This story reflects traditional Finnish oral storytelling with its directness and focus on natural elements.
Plot Beats (12)
- An old, childless couple creates a boy from clay and bakes him in an oven.
- The clay boy, still in the oven, demands food.
- The old woman feeds him all their bread, then all their dough, but his hunger is insatiable.
- The clay boy eats the old woman, then the old man.
- The clay boy walks down the road and encounters a group of haymakers.
- He asks if they have food, and when they say no, he eats them all, along with their tools.
- He continues on, eating a hare, then a fox.
- He encounters a bear, who initially resists but is also devoured.
- He encounters a moose, who also initially resists being eaten.
- The moose suggests the clay boy stand by a cliff and open his mouth, promising to run directly into it.
- The clay boy complies, and the moose charges, smashing the boy against the cliff.
- The clay boy shatters into pieces, releasing all his victims, including the couple, the haymakers, and the animals, who emerge unharmed.
Characters
The Clay Boy
A figure molded entirely from clay, initially small enough to fit inside a traditional Finnish wood-fired oven. His body is solid, unyielding, and grows in size as he consumes more, eventually becoming large enough to swallow adults and animals whole. His surface is rough and earthy, the color of dried clay, with visible seams or marks from being molded.
Attire: None, he is entirely made of clay.
Wants: To consume everything and everyone around him, driven by an endless, unfillable hunger.
Flaw: His clay composition makes him brittle and vulnerable to blunt force trauma, especially when tricked into colliding with a hard surface.
He is born, grows in size and destructive power through consumption, and is ultimately shattered back into pieces by the cleverness of the moose.
Insatiable, demanding, relentless, selfish, cunning (in his interaction with the moose), destructive.
The Old Woman
A small, perhaps slightly stooped elderly Finnish woman, with the weathered hands and face of someone who has worked hard her entire life. Her build is likely thin from age.
Attire: Traditional Finnish peasant clothing: a long, practical linen or wool dress in muted colors (e.g., grey, dark blue, or brown), possibly with a simple apron over it. She might wear a plain headscarf (huivi) or cap (lakki).
Wants: To have a child and to care for it, even when it becomes monstrous.
Flaw: Her maternal instinct and fear make her vulnerable to the Clay Boy's demands.
She creates the Clay Boy out of longing, is consumed by him, and is later freed, having learned the danger of unchecked desires.
Longing, nurturing (initially), fearful, compliant (due to fear).
The Old Man
An elderly Finnish man, perhaps a bit gaunt, with a lean build and the stoic, weathered features of someone accustomed to rural life. He might have a short, neat beard.
Attire: Traditional Finnish peasant clothing: a simple linen or wool tunic or shirt, practical trousers, and possibly a waistcoat in muted, earthy tones. He might wear sturdy leather boots.
Wants: To have a child and to support his wife's desire for one.
Flaw: His desire for a child and his fear make him vulnerable to the Clay Boy.
He participates in the creation of the Clay Boy, is consumed by him, and is later freed, having learned the danger of unchecked desires.
Longing, quiet, fearful, compliant.
The Moose
A large, powerful adult bull moose, with broad, impressive antlers. Its coat is dark brown to black, shaggy, and thick, typical of a Nordic forest animal. It has long, sturdy legs and a distinctive dewlap under its throat.
Attire: None, as it is a wild animal.
Wants: To survive and avoid being consumed by the Clay Boy, and ultimately to free the others.
Flaw: None apparent, it is the hero of the story.
It encounters the Clay Boy, cleverly outsmarts him, and becomes the unlikely hero who defeats the monster and frees its victims.
Intelligent, cautious, observant, cunning, powerful.
Locations
Old Couple's Cottage Kitchen
A simple, rustic Finnish cottage kitchen, likely with a large, traditional masonry oven (leivinuuni) made of stone or brick, possibly whitewashed. The room would have a wooden table, perhaps some basic wooden stools, and minimal furnishings. The air is warm from the oven.
Mood: Initially cozy and hopeful, then increasingly tense and fearful as the Clay Boy's hunger escalates.
The Clay Boy is 'born' in the oven and devours the old couple and all their food.
Rural Finnish Road
A winding, unpaved dirt road cutting through a typical Finnish rural landscape. The road is flanked by dense, mixed coniferous and deciduous forests (pine, spruce, birch) and possibly open fields or meadows. The ground is likely covered with pine needles, moss, and some wild grasses. The sky is clear, suggesting a pleasant day.
Mood: Initially peaceful and ordinary, becoming increasingly ominous and unsettling as the Clay Boy encounters and consumes everything in his path.
The Clay Boy walks the road, encountering and consuming haymakers and various forest animals.
Rocky Outcrop by the Road
A prominent, weathered granite or gneiss rock face, typical of the Finnish landscape, situated directly beside the rural road. The rock is likely grey, possibly with patches of lichen and moss. The ground around it is uneven, with exposed roots and forest debris. The area feels rugged and ancient.
Mood: Tense and climactic, a place of final confrontation and destruction.
The Clay Boy is tricked by the moose and smashes into the rock, breaking into pieces and releasing everyone he consumed.