Kalevala: The Pike by JoeJarrah
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
Back to the Finnish epic for this one.
One of the best-known stories of the Kalevala (certainly the one I remember most from childhood) is the story of the pike-bone kantele.
the heroes Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen set forth on an expedition to recover the sampo, a magical mill, from Pohjola. On their way their ship safely navigates waterfalls and rapids, but runs aground on the back of a monstrous pike. Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen both fail to dispatch the fish so it is left to Väinämöinen, who plunges his sword into the creatures back and kills it. Väinämöinen fashions a magnificent kantele (a traditional stringed instrument) from the jawbone, but none can play the fabulous instrument other than Väinämöinen himself, and such is the beauty of the music that all the creatures of the world and even the gods themselves come to hear it.
This was rather fun to do, but i couldn't find a pike model anywhere, so i made up something using the body of the late great Dinoraul's Rhizodus, and the head of the DAZ spinosaurus... works for me! :)

Comments (13)
This is outstanding, Joe! Amazing work. :)
Thanks so much Bella, you've made my day :)
Oh, Boy! I wouldn't dare to jump into the water with that monster in it... Awesome work!!!
Thanks! "should have seen the one that got away..." ;)
Really an extraordinary image, excellent done,like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brilliant image...class work on this....!!
Goodness, here you have really outdone yourself, Mr. Spock would say: Fascinating!
Ein sehr schöner Render
I think you did an amazing job on this, my friend! Top marks!
Vikings! love it!
Fantastic work!
Tasty fish, but very bitey and too many fine bones. Eating them is as much of a chore as catching them.
Agreed. Catching them is in fact easier, as they're greedy! Though, given the Kalevala is Finnish, they're probably referring to the sea pike they get in parts of the Baltic, which I understand are big, spook easily and less easy to catch.
You did an amazing job on that pike! Excellent picture. Great to see some images based on Finnish lore.
Terrific scene Joe.
I never heard stories like this in my childhood. Something about your was quite extraordinary I think.
Your creature is fabulous!
I was given a book on fairytales and folk stories of the world when i was about 10... never looked back!😀