Title of performance:
Louhi and the Golden Girl (Louhi ja kultanainen)
Theatre Group: Youth Theatre Floppi
Country: Finland
Director: Tuire Hindikka
Dramaturgy: Pirkko Kurikka, story is based on the Finnish National Epic, The Kalevala
Date and time: Thu August 12. / 20.00-20.50
Far up in the dark North there rules a cruel, mighty woman called LOUHI. She has three young daughters, one of which is famous for her beauty. The beautiful girl – called TALVIKKI – finds on the seashore the powerful shaman VÄINÄMÖINEN, who has been floating in the sea for a long time. The girl starts to play with the waves, intending to drown the man. Louhi scents the stranger and wants to get him for herself. The daughter does not give the man, and both Louhi and all her daughters fight for the man’s favour. Väinämöinen wants to get the beautiful Talvikki to his wife. Louhi threatens to kill the man, unless he forges a machine, which spits forth gold and silver. As soon as the machine will be ready, Väinämöinen will get the girl. In order to save his life, Väinämöinen promises to send his friend, blacksmith Ilmarinen, to forge the magical machine.
Ilmarinen, with the help of his ingenious sister Maura, manages to make the machine. Louhi promises to give him her beautiful daughter, whom she already had promised to Väinämöinen. During the wedding ceremonies Louhi exchanges Talvikki for another daughter. Ilmarinen accepts the situation.
A wild young man, Lemminkäinen, finds out that there is a wedding in Louhi’s house and he has not been invited. Although his mother warns, the young man rushes to the wedding and causes trouble. Louhi humiliates the youngster, and nearly by accident he kills Louhi’s second daughter. Louhi revenges and cuts the young man in pieces. Sorrow makes Louhi mad, and she hangs the head of her daughter into her garden. Lemminkäinen’s mother leaves for the realm of the dead. She finds her son, collects all the pieces and gives life back to her son.
Ilmarinen takes his new wife home. Women in Ilmarinen’s house test the bride traditionally with mirrors, and they notice that the bride has already had twenty-three men. Ilmarinen’s sister is jealous for the men and kills the bride. To comfort himself, Ilmarinen forges a golden wife for himself, but the artificial woman does not work properly.
Three heroes: Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen leave for war against Louhi to steal the machine that spits gold and silver. They succeed to grab both the machine and the beautiful daughter, the only one of Louhi’s daughters still alive. In the final battle both Louhi’s daughter, Lemminkäinen and Ilmarinen get killed, and the inmates of the underworld take them to the realm of the dead. Väinämöinen is tired for fighting, and only the mothers are left on the battlefield, mourning for their dead children.
