Ilmatar, the Maiden of Air, weary of the endless void, descended to the sea. Tossed by waves and storms, she drifted for ages until her yearning birthed the world. From broken eggs of a nesting duck upon her knee, land, sky, and stars were shaped, and life began.

The Plague, in the form of a pale old woman, sought ferrymen to cross rivers, lakes, and fjords. The ferrymen pleaded for mercy, but if their names were in her book, death was certain—though some were granted a quick end. The Plague marked homes with a broom or rake, sparing few in her path.