Juha had a land that he plowed and planted. He rejoiced whenever he saw the grain of wheat he had sown and buried in the soil come out as a small ear that grew and grew and grew, became filled with large grains, turned yellow, and swayed with its sisters while the wind played with them.
Juha in Summer: In the summer, he would harvest the ears with the sickle and heap them, then wrap each heap with a rope and carry it to the threshing floor for threshing. He would harvest and sing and entertain the harvesters. At night, he would stay up with his companions at the threshing floors, telling stories.
The Moon Walks: Once, Juha was returning at night from the evening gathering at the threshing floor. He was singing and looking at the sky, at the stars, and looking at the sky again… and at the stars and the moon. Juha was amazed: The moon is walking with him!
The Moon Imitates Juha: Juha stopped, and the moon stopped with him. He said, “This moon is playing with me!” Juha began to walk in a zigzag line to make it difficult for the moon, but the moon imitated him exactly. Juha said to the moon, “Come, let’s race.” He ran, and it ran with him. But Juha, looking at the sky all the time, his foot tripped over a stone, and he fell and got hurt. But he got up quickly and said, “I don’t want the moon to fall with me.” He apologized to the moon and asked him, “Are you hurt?”
Juha, His Companion, the Sun, and the Moon: The moon was shining and smiling, then said to Juha, “You are brave like me. I fell and didn’t care.” Juha continued to look at the moon, walked backward, then the moon walked with him backward. Two days later, his companion asked him, “O Juha, which is stronger, the sun or the moon?” Juha said, “Of course the moon.” His companion asked him, “How, O Juha?” Juha answered, “Because the moon rises at night; it is brave. As for the sun, it rises during the day; it is cowardly and afraid of the darkness!”
Juha and the Small Dog: Juha thought, “This moon follows me to the house. Is he hungry?” He remembered how a small dog had followed him a month earlier. He looked at him sadly, began scratching his fur with his foot. The dog was hungry and entered Juha’s house with him. Juha fed him and said to him, “Do you like to be my friend and live with me in my house?” The dog wagged his tail with joy, stuck to Juha’s leg, and Juha said, “My name is Juha, and yours?” Juha said, “You say your name is Asil! An honor for us. This is my house and your house.”
Juha thought, “This moon is like my dog Asil, hungry!” So Juha said to the moon, “Come with me to dine. Come, I’ll introduce you to Asil. I will not tie you with a rope, nor will I lock you in a cage. No, you must know many stories we can entertain ourselves with.”
Juha, the Moon, and the Water Well: Juha reached the water well. There was a bucket tied with a long rope at the well’s door. He said, “I will wash my hands and drink.” He grabbed the rope, bent his body over the well’s door, and threw the bucket to draw water. He shouted, “Ah… poor this moon! He fell into the well. How, how did I not notice? The moon is shining in the well, but his face is wrinkled.” Juha said, “Pull, O Juha… pull… pull.” But the rope stopped. The moon is heavy! “Pull, O Juha, pull…!” The bucket got stuck on a large stone in the well’s wall. Juha pulled strongly, moving backward. He said, “O moon, don’t worry. I will pull you, and I will pull what is bigger than you.”
Juha’s Attempts to Rescue the Moon: Juha kept pulling the rope and bending his body backward. He pulled more and more, the bucket slipped, and Juha fell on his back. He shouted, “Aaah, my head…” He closed his eyes from the pain. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at the sky.
Great, O Juha: Heeey! The moon returned to the sky. Great, O Juha, great! True, I got hurt, but I pulled the moon from the well. I saved him from drowning. Listen, O moon, pay attention next time; maybe I won’t be with you… who will save you! Juha stood up, dusted the dirt from his clothes, and said, “Praise be to God for your safety, O moon.” He walked to the house, and the moon walked with him again. Is he hungry? Does he want to dine, or does he want to get to know Juha and his dog Asil?