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= Kalevala =
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Introduction
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The 'Kalevala' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry,
compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and
mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing
the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the
land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land of Pohjola and their
various protagonists and antagonists, as well as the construction and
robbery of the mythical wealth-making machine Sampo.
The 'Kalevala' is regarded as the national epic of Karelia and
Finland, and is one of the most significant works of Finnish
literature along with J. L. Runeberg's 'The Tales of Ensign Stål' and
Aleksis Kivi's 'The Seven Brothers'. The 'Kalevala' was instrumental
in the development of the Finnish national identity and the
intensification of Finland's language strife that ultimately led to
Finland's independence from Russia in 1917. The work is known
internationally and has partly influenced, for example, J. R. R.
Tolkien's legendarium (i.e. Middle-earth mythology, especially 'The
Children of Húrin').
The first version of the 'Kalevala', called the 'Old Kalevala', was
published in 1835, consisting of 12,078 verses. The version most
commonly known today was first published in 1849 and consists of
22,795 verses, divided into fifty folk stories (). An abridged
version, containing all fifty poems but just 9,732 verses, was
published in 1862. In connection with the 'Kalevala', there is another
much more lyrical collection of poems, also compiled by Lönnrot,
called 'Kanteletar' from 1840, which is mostly seen as a "sister
collection" of the 'Kalevala'.
The 'Kalevala' begins with the traditional Finnish creation myth,
leading into stories of the creation of the earth, plants, creatures,
and the sky. Creation, healing, combat and internal story telling are
often accomplished by the character(s) involved singing of their
exploits or desires. Many parts of the stories involve a character
hunting or requesting lyrics (prayers) to acquire some skill, such as
boatbuilding or the mastery of iron making. As well as prayer casting
and singing, there are many stories of lust, romance, kidnapping and
seduction. The protagonists of the stories often have to accomplish
feats that are unreasonable or impossible which they often fail to
achieve, leading to tragedy and humiliation.
The Sampo is a pivotal element of the whole work. Many actions and
their consequences are caused by the Sampo itself or a character's
interaction with the Sampo. It is described as a device that brings
its possessor great fortune and prosperity, but its precise nature has
been the subject of debate to the present day.
Elias Lönnrot
===============
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (9 April 1802 - 19 March 1884) was a physician,
botanist, linguist, and poet. At the time he was compiling the
'Kalevala' he was the district health officer based in Kajaani
responsible for the whole Kainuu region in the eastern part of what
was then the Grand Duchy of Finland. He was the son of Fredrik Johan
Lönnrot, a tailor, and Ulrika Lönnrot; he was born in the village of
Sammatti, Uusimaa.
At the age of 21, he entered the Imperial Academy of Turku and
obtained a master's degree in 1826. His thesis was entitled 'De
Vainamoine priscorum fennorum numine' ('Väinämöinen, a Divinity of the
Ancient Finns'). The monograph's second volume was destroyed in the
Great Fire of Turku the same year.
In the spring of 1828, he set out with the aim of collecting folk
songs and poetry. Rather than continue this work, though, he decided
to complete his studies and entered Imperial Alexander University in
Helsinki to study medicine. He earned a master's degree in 1832. In
January 1833, he started as the district health officer of Kainuu and
began his work on collecting poetry and compiling the 'Kalevala'.
Throughout his career Lönnrot made a total of eleven field trips
within a period of fifteen years.
Prior to the publication of the 'Kalevala', Elias Lönnrot compiled
several related works, including the three-part 'Kantele' (1829-1831),
the 'Old Kalevala' (1835) and the 'Kanteletar' (1840).
Lönnrot's field trips and endeavours helped him to compile the
'Kalevala', and brought considerable enjoyment to the people he
visited; he would spend much time retelling what he had collected as
well as learning new poems.
History
=========
Before the 18th century, 'Kalevala' poetry, also known as runic song,
was common throughout Finland and Karelia, but in the 18th century it
began to disappear in Finland, first in western Finland, because
European rhymed poetry became more common in Finland. Finnish folk
poetry was first written down in the 17th century and collected by
hobbyists and scholars through the following centuries. Despite this,
the majority of Finnish poetry remained only in the oral tradition.
Finnish-born nationalist and linguist Carl Axel Gottlund (1796-1875)
expressed his desire for a Finnish epic in a similar vein to the
'Iliad', 'Ossian' and the 'Nibelungenlied' compiled from the various
poems and songs spread over most of Finland. He hoped that such an
endeavour would incite a sense of nationality and independence in the
native Finnish people. In 1820, founded the journal 'Turun
Wiikko-Sanomat' (Turku Weekly News) and published three articles
entitled 'Väinämöisestä' ('Concerning Väinämöinen'). These works were
an inspiration for Elias Lönnrot in creating his masters thesis at
Turku University.
In the 19th century, collecting became more extensive, systematic and
organised. Altogether, almost half a million pages of verse have been
collected and archived by the Finnish Literature Society and other
collectors in what are now Estonia and Russia's Republic of Karelia.
The publication 'Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot' ('Ancient Poems of the
Finns') published 33 volumes containing 85,000 items of poetry over a
period of 40 years. They have archived 65,000 items of poetry that
remain unpublished. By the end of the 19th century this pastime of
collecting material relating to Karelia and the developing orientation
towards eastern lands had become a fashion called Karelianism, a form
of national romanticism.
The chronology of this oral tradition is uncertain. The oldest themes,
the origin of Earth, have been interpreted to have their roots in
distant, unrecorded history and could be as old as 3,000 years.
The newest events, e.g. the arrival of Christianity, seem to be from
the Iron Age, which in Finland lasted until c. 1300 CE. Finnish
folklorist Kaarle Krohn proposes that 20 of the 45 poems of the
'Kalevala' are of possible Ancient Estonian origin or at least deal
with a motif of Estonian origin (of the remainder, two are Ingrian and
23 are Western Finnish).
It is understood that during the Finnish reformation in the 16th
century the clergy forbade all telling and singing of pagan rites and
stories. In conjunction with the arrival of European poetry and music
this caused a significant reduction in the number of traditional folk
songs and their singers. Thus the tradition faded somewhat but was
never totally eradicated.
Lönnrot's field trips
=======================
A caricature of Elias Lönnrot by A. W. Linsen: "Unus homo nobis
currendo restituit rem" - "One man saved everything for us by
running".
In total, Lönnrot made eleven field trips in search of poetry. His
first trip was made in 1828 after his graduation from Turku
University, but it was not until 1831 and his second field trip that
the real work began. By that time he had already published three
articles entitled 'Kantele' and had significant notes to build upon.
This second trip was not very successful and he was called back to
Helsinki to attend to victims of the Second cholera pandemic.
The third field trip was much more successful and led Elias Lönnrot to
Viena in east Karelia where he visited the town of Akonlahti, which
proved most successful. This trip yielded over 3,000 verses and
copious notes. In 1833, Lönnrot moved to Kajaani where he was to spend
the next 20 years as the district health officer for the region,
living in the Hövelö croft located near the Lake Oulujärvi in the
Paltaniemi village, spending his spare time searching for poems. His
fourth field trip was undertaken in conjunction with his work as a
doctor; a 10-day jaunt into Viena. This trip resulted in 49 poems and
almost 3,000 new lines of verse. It was during this trip that Lönnrot
formulated the idea that the poems might represent a wider continuity,
when poem entities were performed to him along with comments in normal
speech connecting them.
On the fifth field trip, Lönnrot met Arhippa Perttunen who, over two
days of continuous recitation, provided him with some 4,000 verses for
the 'Kalevala'. He also met a singer called Matiska in the hamlet of
Lonkka on the Russian side of the border. Although this singer had a
somewhat poor memory, he did help to fill in many gaps in the work
Lönnrot had already catalogued. This trip resulted in the discovery of
almost 300 poems at just over 13,000 verses.
In the autumn of 1834, Lönnrot had written the vast majority of the
work needed for what was to become the 'Old Kalevala'; all that was
required was to tie up some narrative loose ends and complete the
work. His sixth field trip took him into Kuhmo, a municipality in
Kainuu to the south of Viena. There he collected over 4,000 verses and
completed the first draft of his work. He wrote the foreword and
published in February of the following year.
With the 'Old Kalevala' well into its first publication run, Lönnrot
decided to continue collecting poems to supplement his existing work
and to understand the culture more completely. The seventh field trip
took him on a long winding path through the southern and eastern parts
of the Viena poem singing region. He was delayed significantly in
Kuhmo because of bad skiing conditions. By the end of that trip,
Lönnrot had collected another 100 poems consisting of over 4,000
verses. Lönnrot made his eighth field trip to the Russian border town
of Lapukka where the great singer Arhippa Perttunen had learned his
trade. In correspondence he notes that he has written down many new
poems but is unclear on the quantity.
Notable towns visited by Elias Lönnrot during his 15 years of field
trips - both sides then belonged to Russia
Elias Lönnrot departed on the first part of his ninth field trip on 16
September 1836. He was granted a 14-month leave of absence and a sum
of travelling expenses from the Finnish Literary Society. His funds
came with some stipulations: he must travel around the Kainuu border
regions and then on to the north and finally from Kainuu to the
south-east along the border. For the expedition into the north he was
accompanied by Juhana Fredrik Cajan. The first part of the trip took
Lönnrot all the way to Inari in northern Lapland. The second, southern
part of the journey was more successful than the northern part, taking
Lönnrot to the town of Sortavala on Lake Ladoga then back up through
Savo and eventually back to Kajaani. Although these trips were long
and arduous, they resulted in very little Kalevala material; only
1,000 verses were recovered from the southern half and an unknown
quantity from the northern half.
The tenth field trip is a relative unknown. What is known however, is
that Lönnrot intended to gather poems and songs to compile into the
upcoming work 'Kanteletar'. He was accompanied by his friend C. H.
Ståhlberg for the majority of the trip. During that journey the pair
met Mateli Magdalena Kuivalatar in the small border town of Ilomantsi.
Kuivalatar was very important to the development of the 'Kanteletar'.
The eleventh documented field trip was another undertaken in
conjunction with his medical work. During the first part of the trip,
Lönnrot returned to Akonlahti in Russian Karelia, where he gathered 80
poems and a total of 800 verses. The rest of the trip suffers from
poor documentation.
Methodology
=============
Lönnrot and his contemporaries, e.g. Matthias Castrén, Anders Johan
Sjögren,
and David Emmanuel Daniel Europaeus collected most of the poem
variants; one poem could easily have countless variants, scattered
across rural areas of Karelia and Ingria. Lönnrot was not really
interested in, and rarely wrote down the name of the singer except for
some of the more prolific cases. His primary purpose in the region was
that of a physician and of an editor, not of a biographer or
counsellor. He rarely knew anything in-depth about the singer himself
and primarily only catalogued verse that could be relevant or of some
use in his work.
The student David Emmanuel Daniel Europaeus is credited with
discovering and cataloguing the majority of the Kullervo story.
Of the dozens of poem singers who contributed to the 'Kalevala',
significant ones are:
* Arhippa Perttunen (1769-1840)
* Juhana Kainulainen
* Matiska
* Ontrei Malinen (1780-1855)
* Vaassila Kieleväinen
* Soava Trohkimainen
Form and structure
====================
The poetry was often sung to music built on a pentachord, sometimes
assisted by a kantele player. The rhythm could vary but the music was
arranged in either two or four lines in Quintuple meter metre. The
poems were often performed by a duo, each person singing alternative
verses or groups of verses. This method of performance is called an
antiphonic performance, it is a kind of "singing match".
Metre
=======
Despite the vast geographical distance and customary spheres
separating individual singers, the folk poetry the 'Kalevala' is based
on was always sung in the same metre.
The 'Kalevala's' metre is a form of trochaic tetrameter that is now
known as the 'Kalevala metre'. The metre is thought to have originated
during the Proto-Finnic period. Its syllables fall into three types:
strong, weak, and neutral. Its main rules are as follows:
* A long syllable (one that contains a long vowel or a diphthong, or
ends in a consonant) with a main stress is metrically strong.
:In the second, third, and fourth foot of a line, a strong syllable
can occur in only the rising part:
:: (1:11)
:: ("Dearest friend, and much-loved brother")
:The first foot has a freer structure, allowing strong syllables in a
falling position as well as a rising one:
:: (1:37)
:: ("These my father sang aforetime")
* A short syllable with a main stress is metrically weak.
:In the second, third, and fourth feet, a weak syllable can occur only
in the falling part:
:: (1:1)
:: ("I am driven by my longing")
:Again, the first foot's structure is more free, allowing weak
syllables in a rising position as well as a falling one:
:: (1:56)
:: ("Others taken from the saplings")
* All syllables without a main stress are metrically neutral. Neutral
syllables can occur at any position.
There are two main types of line:
* A normal tetrameter, word-stresses and foot-stresses match, and
there is a caesura between the second and third feet:
:
* A broken tetrameter (Finnish: 'murrelmasäe') has at least one
stressed syllable in a falling position. There is usually no caesura:
:
Traditional poetry in the Kalevala metre uses both types with
approximately the same frequency. The alternating normal and broken
tetrameters is a characteristic difference between the Kalevala metre
and other forms of trochaic tetrameter.
There are four additional rules:
* In the first foot, the length of syllables is free. It is also
possible for the first foot to contain three or even four syllables.
* A one-syllable word can not occur at the end of a line.
* A word with four syllables should not stand in the middle of a line.
This also applies to non-compound words.
* The last syllable of a line may not include a long vowel.
Schemes
=========
There are two main schemes featured in the 'Kalevala':
* Alliteration
:Alliteration can be broken into two forms. Weak: where only the
opening consonant is the same, and strong: where both the first vowel
or vowel and consonant are the same in the different words. (e.g. ).
* Parallelism
:Parallelism in 'The Kalevala' refers to the stylistic feature of
repeating the idea presented in the previous line, often by using
synonyms, rather than moving the plot forward. (e.g. ). Lönnrot has
been criticised for overusing parallelism in 'The Kalevala': in the
original poems, a line was usually followed by only one such parallel
line.
The verses are sometimes inverted into chiasmus.
Poetry example
================
Verses 221 to 232 of song forty.
Lönnrot's contribution to the ''Kalevala''
============================================
Very little is actually known about Elias Lönnrot's personal
contributions to the 'Kalevala'. Scholars to this day still argue
about how much of the 'Kalevala' is genuine folk poetry and how much
is Lönnrot's own work - and the degree to which the text is
'authentic' to the oral tradition. During the compilation process it
is known that he merged poem variants and characters together, left
out verses that did not fit and composed lines of his own to connect
certain passages into a logical plot. Similarly, as was normal in the
preliterate conventions of oral poetry—according to the testimony of
Arhippa Perttunen—traditional bards in his father's days would always
vary the language of songs from performance to performance when
reciting from their repertoire.
The Finnish historian Väinö Kaukonen suggests that 3% of the lines
are Lönnrot's own composition, 14% are Lönnrot compositions from
variants, 50% are verses which Lönnrot kept mostly unchanged except
for some minor alterations, and 33% are original unedited oral poetry.
Finnish language
==================
The first version of Lönnrot's compilation was entitled 'Kalewala,
taikka Wanhoja Karjalan Runoja Suomen Kansan muinoisista ajoista'
("The Kalevala, or old Karelian poems about ancient times of the
Finnish people"), also known as the 'Old Kalevala'. It was published
in two volumes in 1835-1836. The 'Old Kalevala' consisted of 12,078
verses making up a total of thirty-two poems.
Even after the publication of the 'Old Kalevala' Lönnrot continued to
collect new material for several years. He later integrated this
additional material, with significantly edited existing material, into
a second version, the 'Kalevala'. This 'New Kalevala', published in
1849, contains fifty poems, with a number of plot differences compared
with the first version, and is the standard text of the 'Kalevala'
read and translated to this day. (Published as: Suomalaisen
Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia. 14 Osa. KALEVALA.)
The word 'Kalevala' rarely appears in the original folk songs. The
first appearance of the word in folk songs was recorded in April 1836.
Lönnrot chose it as the title for his project sometime at the end of
1834, but his choice was not random. The name "Kalev" appears in
Finnic and Baltic folklore in many locations, and the 'Sons of Kalev'
are known throughout Finnish and Estonian folklore.
Lönnrot produced 'Lyhennetty laitos', an abridged version of the
Kalevala, in 1862. It was intended for use in schools. It retains all
50 poems from the 1849 version, but omits more than half of the
verses.
Translations
==============
Of the few complete translations into English, it is only the older
translations by John Martin Crawford (1888) and William Forsell Kirby
(1907) which attempt to strictly follow the original (Kalevala metre)
of the poems.
A notable partial translation of Franz Anton Schiefner's German
translation was made by Prof. John Addison Porter in 1868 and
published by Leypoldt & Holt.
Edward Taylor Fletcher, a British-born Canadian literature enthusiast,
translated selections of the 'Kalevala' in 1869. He read them before
the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec on 17 March 1869.
Francis Peabody Magoun published a scholarly translation of the
'Kalevala' in 1963 written entirely in prose. The appendices of this
version contain notes on the history of the poem, comparisons between
the original 'Old Kalevala' and the current version, and a detailed
glossary of terms and names used in the poem. Magoun translated the
'Old Kalevala', which was published six years later entitled 'The Old
Kalevala and Certain Antecedents'.
Eino Friberg's 1988 translation uses the original metre selectively
but in general is more attuned to pleasing the ear than being an exact
metrical translation; it also often reduces the length of songs for
aesthetic reasons. In the introduction to his 1989 translation, Keith
Bosley stated: "The only way I could devise of reflecting the vitality
of Kalevala metre was to invent my own, based on syllables rather than
feet. While translating over 17,000 lines of Finnish folk poetry
before I started on the epic, I found that a line settled usually into
seven syllables of English, often less, occasionally more. I
eventually arrived at seven, five and nine syllables respectively,
using the 'impair' (odd number) as a formal device and letting the
stresses fall where they would."
Most recently, Finnish/Canadian author and translator Kaarina Brooks
translated into English the complete runic versions of 'Old Kalevala'
1835 (Wisteria Publications 2020) and 'Kalevala' (Wisteria
Publications 2021). These works, unlike some previous versions,
faithfully follow the Kalevala meter (Trochaic tetrameter) throughout
and can be sung or chanted as Elias Lönnrot had intended. Brooks says,
"It is essential that the translation of Kalevala into any language
follows the Kalevala metre, for that was how these runes were sung in
times immemorial. So that readers get the full impact of these ancient
runes, it is imperative that they be presented in the same chanting
style." Kaarina Brooks is also the translator of, An Illustrated
Kalevala Myths and Legends from Finland, published by Floris Books UK.
Modern translations were published in the Karelian and Urdu languages
between 2009 and 2015. Thus, the 'Kalevala' was published in its
originating Karelian language only after 168 years since its first
translation into Swedish.
As of 2010, the 'Kalevala' had been translated into sixty-one
languages and is Finland's most translated work of literature.
*. Text at Project Gutenberg: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Complete work.
*
*. Text at Project Gutenberg: Volume 1 and Volume 2.
*
*
* , translation of the 1835 'Old Kalevala'
*
First Väinämöinen Cycle
=========================
Cantos 1 to 2: The poem begins with an introduction by the singers.
The Earth is created from the shards of the egg of a sotka bird, from
which the first man, Väinämöinen, is born to Ilmatar, the Holy Spirit
of the Heaven. Ilmatar forms the seas and the archipelagos and the
lands, while Väinämöinen brings trees and life to the barren world.
Cantos 3-5: Väinämöinen encounters the jealous Joukahainen and they
engage in a battle of song. Joukahainen loses and pledges his sister's
hand in return for his life; the sister Aino soon drowns herself in
the sea.
Cantos 6-10: Väinämöinen heads to Pohjola to propose to a maiden of
the north, a daughter of the mistress of the north Louhi. Joukahainen
attacks Väinämöinen again, and Väinämöinen floats for days on the sea
until he is carried by an eagle to Pohjola. He makes a deal with Louhi
to get Ilmarinen the smith to create the Sampo. Ilmarinen refuses to
go to Pohjola so Väinämöinen forces him against his will. The Sampo is
forged. Ilmarinen returns without a bride.
First Lemminkäinen Cycle
==========================
Cantos 11-15: Lemminkäinen sets out in search of a bride. He and the
maid Kyllikki make vows but the happiness doesn't last long and
Lemminkäinen sets off to woo a maiden of the north. His mother tries
to stop him, but he disregards her warnings and instead gives her his
hairbrush, telling her that if it starts to bleed he has met his doom.
At Pohjola Louhi assigns dangerous tasks to him in exchange for her
daughter's hand. While hunting for the swan of Tuonela, Lemminkäinen
is killed and falls into the river of death. The brush he gave to his
mother begins to bleed. Remembering her son's words, she goes in
search of him. With a rake given to her by Ilmarinen, she collects the
pieces of Lemminkäinen scattered in the river and pieces him back
together.
Second Väinämöinen Cycle
==========================
Cantos 16-18: Väinämöinen builds a boat to travel to Pohjola once
again in search of a bride. He visits Tuonela and is held prisoner,
but he manages to escape and sets out to gain knowledge of the
necessary spells from the giant Antero Vipunen. Väinämöinen is
swallowed and has to torture Antero Vipunen for the spells and his
escape. With his boat completed, Väinämöinen sets sail for Pohjola.
Ilmarinen learns of this and resolves to go to Pohjola himself to woo
the maiden. The maiden of the north chooses Ilmarinen.
Ilmarinen's Wedding
=====================
Cantos 19-25: Ilmarinen is assigned dangerous unreasonable tasks to
win the hand of the maiden. He accomplishes these tasks with some help
from the maiden herself. In preparation for the wedding, beer is
brewed, a giant steer is slaughtered, and invitations are sent out.
Lemminkäinen is uninvited. The wedding party begins and all are happy.
Väinämöinen sings and lauds the people of Pohjola. The bride and
bridegroom are prepared for their roles in matrimony. The couple
arrive home and are greeted with drink and viands.
Second Lemminkäinen Cycle
===========================
Cantos 26-30: Lemminkäinen is resentful for not having been invited to
the wedding and sets out immediately for Pohjola. On his arrival he is
challenged to and wins a duel with Sariola, the Master of the North.
Louhi is enraged and an army is conjured to enact revenge upon
Lemminkäinen. He flees to his mother, who advises him to head to
Saari, the Island of Refuge. On his return he finds his house burned
to the ground. He goes to Pohjola with his companion Tiera to exact
his revenge, but Louhi freezes the seas and Lemminkäinen has to return
home. When he arrives home he is reunited with his mother and vows to
build larger better houses to replace the ones burned down.
Kullervo Cycle
================
Cantos 31-36: Untamo kills his brother Kalervo's people, but spares
his wife who later conceives Kullervo. Untamo sees the boy as a
threat, and after trying to have him killed several times without
success, sells Kullervo as a slave to Ilmarinen. Ilmarinen's wife
torments and bullies Kullervo, so he tricks her into being torn apart
by a pack of wolves and bears. Kullervo escapes from Ilmarinen's
homestead and learns from an old lady in the forest that his family is
still alive, and is soon reunited with them. While returning home from
paying taxes, he meets and seduces a young maiden, only to find out
that she is his sister. Upon realizing this, she kills herself and
Kullervo returns home distressed. He decides to wreak revenge upon
Untamo and sets out to find him. Kullervo wages war on Untamo and his
people, laying all to waste, and then returns home, where he finds his
farm deserted. Filled with remorse and regret, he kills himself in the
place where he seduced his sister.
Second Ilmarinen Cycle
========================
Cantos 37-38: Grieving for his lost love, Ilmarinen forges himself a
wife out of gold and silver, but finds her to be cold and discards
her. He heads for Pohjola and kidnaps the youngest daughter of Louhi.
The daughter insults him so badly that he instead sings a spell to
turn her into a bird and returns to Kalevala without her. He tells
Väinämöinen about the prosperity and wealth that has met Pohjola's
people thanks to the Sampo.
Theft of the Sampo
====================
Cantos 39-44: Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen sail to Pohjola
to recover the Sampo. While on their journey they kill a monstrous
pike and from its jaw bone the first is made, with which Väinämöinen
sings so beautifully even deities gather to listen. The heroes arrive
in Pohjola and demand a share of the Sampo's wealth or they will take
the whole Sampo by force. Louhi musters her army; however, Väinämöinen
lulls everyone in Pohjola to sleep with his music. The Sampo is taken
from its vault of stone and the heroes set out for home. Louhi
conjures a great army, turns herself into a massive eagle and fights
for the Sampo. In the battle the Sampo is lost to the sea and
destroyed.
Louhi's Revenge on Kalevala
=============================
Cantos 45-49: Enraged at the loss of the Sampo, Louhi sends the people
of Kalevala diseases and a great bear to kill their cattle. She hides
the sun and the moon and steals fire from Kalevala. Väinämöinen heals
all of the ailments and, with Ilmarinen, restores the fire.
Väinämöinen forces Louhi to return the Sun and the Moon to the skies.
Marjatta cycle
================
Canto 50: The shy young virgin Marjatta becomes impregnated from a
lingonberry she ate while tending to her flock. She conceives a son.
Väinämöinen orders the killing of the boy, but the boy begins to speak
and reproaches Väinämöinen for ill judgement. The child is then
baptised King of Karelia. Väinämöinen sails away leaving only his
songs and kantele as legacy but vowing to return when there's no moon
or sun and happiness isn't free anymore.
The poem ends and the singers sing a farewell and thank their
audience.
Väinämöinen
=============
Väinämöinen, the central character of 'The Kalevala', is a shamanistic
hero with a magical power of song and music similar to that of
Orpheus. He is born of Ilmatar and contributes to the creation of
Earth as it is today. Many of his travels resemble shamanistic
journeys, most notably one where he visits the belly of a
ground-giant, Antero Vipunen, to find the songs of boat building.
Väinämöinen's search for a wife is a central element in many stories,
but he never finds one.
Väinämöinen is associated with playing a , a Finnish stringed
instrument that resembles and is played like a zither.
Ilmarinen
===========
Seppo Ilmarinen is a heroic artificer (comparable to the Germanic
Weyland and the Greek Daedalus). He crafted the dome of the sky, the
Sampo and various other magical devices featured in 'The Kalevala'.
Ilmarinen, like Väinämöinen, also has many stories told of his search
for a wife, reaching the point where he forges one of gold.
Lemminkäinen
==============
Lemminkäinen, a handsome, arrogant and reckless seducer, is the son of
. He has a close relationship with his mother, who revives him after
he has been drowned in the river of Tuonela while pursuing the object
of his romantic desires.
Ukko
======
is the god of sky and thunder, and the leading deity mentioned within
'The Kalevala'. He corresponds to Thor and Zeus.
Joukahainen
=============
Joukahainen is a base young man who arrogantly challenges Väinämöinen
to a singing contest, which he loses. In exchange for his life
Joukahainen promises his young sister Aino to Väinämöinen. Joukahainen
attempts to gain his revenge on Väinämöinen by killing him with a
crossbow, but only succeeds in killing Väinämöinen's horse.
Joukahainen's actions lead to Väinämöinen promising to build a Sampo
in return for Louhi rescuing him.
Louhi
=======
Louhi, the Mistress of the North, is the shamanistic matriarch of the
people of Pohjola, a people rivalling those of Kalevala. She is the
cause of much trouble for Kalevala and its people.
Louhi at one point saves Väinämöinen's life. She has many daughters
whom the heroes of Kalevala make many attempts, some successful, to
seduce. Louhi plays a major part in the battle to prevent the heroes
of Kalevala from stealing back the Sampo, which as a result is
ultimately destroyed. She is a powerful witch with a skill almost on a
par with that of Väinämöinen.
Kullervo
==========
Kullervo is the vengeful, mentally ill, tragic son of Kalervo. He was
abused as a child and sold into slavery to Ilmarinen. He is put to
work and treated badly by Ilmarinen's wife, whom he later kills.
Kullervo is a misguided and troubled youth, at odds with himself and
his situation. He often goes into berserk rage, and in the end commits
suicide.
Marjatta
==========
Marjatta is a young virgin of Kalevala. She becomes pregnant from
eating a lingonberry. When her labour begins she is expelled from her
parents' home and leaves to find a place where she can sauna and give
birth. She is turned away from numerous places but finally finds a
place in the forest and gives birth to a son. Marjatta's nature,
impregnation and searching for a place to give birth are in allegory
to the Virgin Mary and the Christianisation of Finland. Marjatta's son
is later condemned to death by Väinämöinen for being born out of
wedlock. The boy in turn chastises Väinämöinen and is later crowned
King of Karelia. This angers Väinämöinen, who leaves Kalevala after
bequeathing his songs and kantele to the people as his legacy.
Influence
======================================================================
The 'Kalevala' is a major part of Finnish culture and history. It has
influenced the arts in Finland and in other cultures around the world.
In 2024, the European Commission granted the epic with a European
Heritage Label.
Finnish daily life
====================
The influence of the 'Kalevala' in daily life and business in Finland
is tangible. Names and places associated with the 'Kalevala' have been
adopted as company and brand names and as place names.
There are several places within Finland with 'Kalevala'-related names,
for example: the district of Tapiola in the city of Espoo; the
district of Pohjola in the city of Turku, the district of Metsola in
the city of Vantaa, and the districts of Kaleva and Sampo in the city
of Tampere. In addition, the Russian town of Ukhta was in 1963 renamed
Kalevala. In the United States a small community founded in 1900 by
Finnish immigrants is named Kaleva, Michigan; many of the street names
are taken from the 'Kalevala'.
The banking sector of Finland has had at least three
'Kalevala'-related brands: Sampo Bank (name changed to Danske Bank in
late 2012), OP-Pohjola Group and Tapiola Bank.
The jewellery company Kalevala Koru was founded in 1935 on the 100th
anniversary of the publication of the 'Old Kalevala'. It specialises
in the production of unique and culturally important items of
jewellery. It is co-owned by the Kalevala Women's League and offers
artistic scholarships to a certain number of organisations and
individuals every year.
The Finnish dairy company Valio has a brand of ice-cream named Aino,
specialising in more exotic flavours than their normal brand.
The construction group Lemminkäinen was formed in 1910 as a roofing
and asphalt company. The name was chosen specifically to emphasise
that they were a wholly Finnish company. They now operate
internationally.
Finnish calendar
==================
Kalevala Day is celebrated in Finland on 28 February, to celebrate the
publication date of Elias Lönnrot's first version of the 'Kalevala' in
1835. By its other official name, the day is known as the Finnish
Culture Day.
Several of the names in the 'Kalevala' are celebrated as Finnish name
days. The name days themselves and the dates they fall upon have no
direct relationship with the 'Kalevala' itself; however, the adoption
of the names became commonplace after the release of the 'Kalevala'.
Art
=====
Several artists have been influenced by the 'Kalevala', most notably
Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
Iittala group's Arabia brand kilned a series of 'Kalevala'
commemorative plates, designed by Raija Uosikkinen (1923-2004). The
series ran from 1976 to 1999, and the plates are highly sought-after
collectibles.
One of the earliest artists to depict the 'Kalevala' was Robert
Wilhelm Ekman.
In 1989, the fourth full translation of the 'Kalevala' into English
was published, illustrated by Björn Landström.
Literature
============
The 'Kalevala' has been translated over 150 times, into over 60
different languages. (See § translations.)
Re-tellings
=============
Finnish cartoonist Kristian Huitula illustrated a comic book
adaptation of the 'Kalevala'. The 'Kalevala Graphic Novel' contains
the storyline of all the 50 chapters in original text form.
Finnish cartoonist and children's writer Mauri Kunnas wrote and
illustrated . The story is that of the 'Kalevala', with the characters
presented as anthropomorphised dogs, wolves and cats. The story
deviates from the full 'Kalevala' to make the story more appropriate
for children.
In the late 1950s, students from the Rose Bruford College of Speech
and Drama performed excerpts from the Kalevala in a presentation to
the poet laureate John Masefield at Oxford. Some images from this
presentation can be viewed [
https://catalogue.bruford.ac.uk/kalevala
online] .
The 'Kalevala' inspired the American Disney cartoonist Don Rosa to
draw a Donald Duck (who is himself a popular character in Finland)
story based on the 'Kalevala', called 'The Quest for Kalevala'. The
comic was released on the 150th anniversary of the 'Kalevala'.
Works inspired by
===================
Franz Anton Schiefner's translation of the 'Kalevala' was one
inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem 'The Song of
Hiawatha', which is written in a similar trochaic tetrameter.
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's Estonian national epic 'Kalevipoeg'
was inspired by the 'Kalevala'. Both Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen are
mentioned in the work, and the overall story of Kalevipoeg, Kalev's
son, bears similarities to the Kullervo story.
J. R. R. Tolkien claimed the 'Kalevala' as one of his sources for 'The
Silmarillion'. For example, the tale of Kullervo is the basis of Túrin
Turambar in 'Narn i Chîn Húrin', including the sword that speaks when
the anti-hero uses it to commit suicide. Aulë, the Lord of Matter and
the Master of All Crafts, was influenced by Ilmarinen, the Eternal
Hammerer. Echoes of the 'Kalevala's' characters, Väinämöinen in
particular, can be found in Tom Bombadil of 'The Lord of the Rings'.
Poet and playwright Paavo Haavikko took influence from the 'Kalevala',
including in his poem 'Kaksikymmentä ja yksi' (1974), and the TV drama
'Rauta-aika' (1982).
American science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and
Fletcher Pratt used the 'Kalevala' as source materials for their 1953
fantasy novella "The Wall of Serpents". This is the fourth story in
the authors' Harold Shea series, in which the hero and his companions
visit various mythic and fictional worlds. In this story, the
characters visit the world of the Kalevala, where they encounter
characters from the epic, drawn with a skeptical eye.
Emil Petaja was an American science fiction and fantasy author of
Finnish descent. His best known works, known as the 'Otava Series',
were a series of novels based on the 'Kalevala'. The series brought
Petaja readers from around the world, while his mythological approach
to science fiction was discussed in scholarly papers presented at
academic conferences. He has a further 'Kalevala' based work which is
not part of the series, entitled 'The Time Twister'.
British fantasy author Michael Moorcock's sword and sorcery anti-hero,
Elric of Melniboné was influenced by the character Kullervo.
British fantasy author Michael Scott Rohan's 'Winter of the World'
series feature Louhi as a major antagonist and include many narrative
threads from the 'Kalevela'.
The web comic "A Redtail's Dream", written and illustrated by Minna
Sundberg, cites the 'Kalevala' as an influence. (Physical edition
2014.)
The British science fiction writer Ian Watson's 'Books of Mana'
duology, 'Lucky's Harvest' and 'The Fallen Moon', both contain
references to places and names from the 'Kalevala'.
In 2008, Vietnamese author and translator Bùi Viêt Hoa published a
piece of epic poetry 'The Children of Mon and Man' (), which delves
into Vietnamese folk poetry and mythology, but was partially
influenced by the 'Kalevala'. The work was written mainly in Finland
and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs co-financed it.
Music
=======
Finnish music has been greatly influenced by the 'Kalevala', following
in the tradition of the original song-poems.
Classical music
=================
The first recorded example of a musician influenced by the 'Kalevala'
is Filip von Schantz. In 1860, he composed the Kullervo Overture. The
piece premièred at the opening of a new theatre in Helsinki on
November of the same year. Von Schantz's work was followed by Robert
Kajanus' 'Kullervo's Funeral March' and the symphonic poem 'Aino' in
1880 and 1885, respectively. 'Aino' is credited with inspiring Jean
Sibelius to investigate the richness of the 'Kalevala'. 'Die
Kalewainen in Pochjola', the first opera freely based upon the
'Kalevala', was composed by Karl Müller-Berghaus in 1890.
Jean Sibelius is the best-known 'Kalevala'-influenced classical
composer. Twelve of Sibelius' best-known works are based upon or
influenced by the 'Kalevala', including his 'Kullervo', a tone poem
for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra composed in 1892. Sibelius
also composed the music of to words written by Finnish soldier and
writer Heikki Nurmio. The march features the line .
Other classical composers influenced by the 'Kalevala':
* Einojuhani Rautavaara
* Leevi Madetoja
* Uuno Klami
* Tauno Marttinen
* Aulis Sallinen
* Veljo Tormis
Folk metal
============
A number of folk metal bands have drawn on the 'Kalevala' heavily for
inspiration. In 1993, the Finnish bands Amorphis and Sentenced
released two concept albums, 'Tales from the Thousand Lakes' and
'North from Here' respectively, which were the first of many
'Kalevala'-inspired albums that have followed since. Amorphis's 2009
album 'Skyforger' also draws heavily on the 'Kalevala'. The Finnish
folk metal band Ensiferum have released songs such as "Old Man" and
"Little Dreamer", which are influenced by the 'Kalevala'. The third
track of their 'Dragonheads' EP, entitled "Kalevala Melody", is an
instrumental piece following the rhythm of the Kalevala metre. Another
Finnish folk metal band, Turisas, have adapted several verses from
song nine of the 'Kalevala', "The Origin of Iron", for the lyrics of
their song "Cursed Be Iron", which is the third track of the album
'The Varangian Way'. Finnish metal band Amberian Dawn use lyrics
inspired by the 'Kalevala' on their album 'River of Tuoni', as well as
on its successor, 'The Clouds of Northland Thunder'. On 3 August 2012,
Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani released a new album entitled
'Manala'. Jonne Järvelä from the band said, " is the realm of the dead
- the underworld in Finnish mythology. and are used synonymously.
This place is best known for its appearance in the Finnish national
epic 'Kalevala', on which many of our new songs are based."
Other musical genres
======================
In the mid-1960s, the progressive rock band Kalevala was active within
Finland and in 1974, the now prolific singer-songwriter Jukka
Kuoppamäki released the song "Väinämöinen". These were some of the
first pieces of modern popular music inspired by the 'Kalevala'.
In 1998, Ruth MacKenzie recorded the album 'Kalevala: Dream of the
Salmon Maiden', a song cycle covering the story of Aino and her choice
to refuse the hand of the sorcerer Väinämöinen, instead transforming
herself into a salmon. MacKenzie has continued to perform the piece
live.
The Karelian Finnish folk music group Värttinä has based some of its
lyrics on motifs from the 'Kalevala'. The Vantaa Chamber Choir have
songs influenced by the 'Kalevala'. Their 'Kalevala'-themed third
album, 'Marian virsi' (2005), combines contemporary folk with
traditionally performed folk poetry.
In 2003, the Finnish progressive rock quarterly Colossus and French
Musea Records commissioned 30 progressive rock groups from around the
world to compose songs based on parts of the 'Kalevala'. The
publication assigned each band with a particular song from the
'Kalevala', which the band was free to interpret as they saw fit. The
result, titled 'Kalevala', is a three-disc, multilingual, four-hour
epic telling.
In the beginning of 2009, in celebration of the 160th anniversary of
the 'Kalevala's' first published edition, the Finnish Literature
Society and the Kalevala Society premièred ten new and original works
inspired by the 'Kalevala'. The works included poems, classical and
contemporary music and artwork. A book was published by the Finnish
Literature Society in conjunction with the event and a large
exhibition of 'Kalevala'-themed artwork and cultural artefacts was put
on display at the Ateneum museum in Helsinki.
In 2017, a New York-based production 'Kalevala the Musical' premiered
in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Finland.
The production featured original pop, folk and world music score
written by Johanna Telander. The concert version was performed across
the United States and Finland.
Film and television
=====================
In 1959, a joint Finnish-Soviet production entitled 'Sampo', also
known as 'The Day the Earth Froze', was released, inspired by the
story of the 'Sampo' from the 'Kalevala', which is also featured in a
1993 episode of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000'.
In 1982, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) produced a television
mini-series called , with music composed by Aulis Sallinen and book by
Paavo Haavikko. The series was set "during the Kalevala times" and
based upon events which take place in the 'Kalevala'. The series' part
3/4 won Prix Italia in 1983.
The martial arts film 'Jadesoturi', also known as 'Jade Warrior',
released in Finland on 13 October 2006, was based upon the 'Kalevala'
and set in Finland and China. Also, the 2013 film 'Kalevala: The New
Era', directed by Jari Halonen, takes place both in the ancient land
of the Kalevala and also in modern Finland. The film, made with a
budget of €250,000, turned out to be a box-office bomb and received a
mostly negative reception from critics.
In "Chapter 17: The Apostate", the first episode of the third season
of 'The Mandalorian' series, Din Djarin meets with Bo-Katan in an old
Mandalorian castle, which is located in the Mandalore system planet
called Kalevala. The same planet has also previously been mentioned in
'The Clone Wars' series.
In August 2024, it was announced that Antti Jokinen has been attached
to direct the upcoming film ', and has been cast as the title
character in the film. The film will be premiered at the beginning of
2026.
Military
==========
Heinrich Himmler had designated the 41th Waffen SS Division as
Grenadier Division Kalevala.
Interpretations
======================================================================
The 'Kalevala' has attracted many scholars and enthusiasts to
interpret its contents in a historical context. Many interpretations
of the themes have been tabled. Some parts of the epic have been
perceived as ancient conflicts between the early Finns and the Sami.
In this context, the country of "Kalevala" could be understood as
Southern Finland and 'Pohjola' as Lapland.
However, the place names in 'Kalevala' seem to transfer the 'Kalevala'
further south, which has been interpreted as reflecting the Finnic
expansion from the South that came to push the Sami further to the
north. Some scholars locate the lands of 'Kalevala' in East Karelia,
where most of the 'Kalevala' stories were written down. In 1961, the
small town of 'Uhtua' in the then Soviet Republic of Karelia was
renamed Kalevala, perhaps to promote that theory.
Finnish politician and linguist Eemil Nestor Setälä rejected the idea
that the heroes of 'Kalevala' are historical in nature and suggested
they are personifications of natural phenomena. He interprets Pohjola
as the northern heavens and the Sampo as the pillar of the world.
Setälä suggests that the journey to regain the Sampo is a purely
imaginary one with the heroes riding a mythological boat or magical
steed to the heavens.
The practice of bear worship was once very common in Finland and there
are strong echoes of this in the 'Kalevala'.
The old Finnish word (a strait of deep water with a slow current)
appears to be the origin of the name Väinämöinen; one of Väinämöinen's
other names is Suvantolainen, being the modern word for .
Consequently, it is possible that the might be the island of Saaremaa
in Estonia and 'Kalevala' the Estonian mainland.
Finnish folklorists Matti Kuusi and Pertti Anttonen state that terms
such as 'the people of Kalevala' or 'the tribe of Kalevala' were
fabricated by Elias Lönnrot. Moreover, they contend that the word
'Kalevala' is very rare in traditional poetry and that by emphasizing
dualism (Kalevala vs. Pohjola) Elias Lönnrot created the required
tension that made the 'Kalevala' dramatically successful and thus fit
for a national epic of the time.
There are similarities with mythology and folklore from other
cultures, for example, the Kullervo character and his story bearing
some likeness to the Greek Oedipus. The similarity of the virginal
maiden Marjatta to the Christian Virgin Mary is striking. The arrival
of Marjatta's son in the final song spelling the end of Väinämöinen's
reign over Kalevala is similar to the arrival of Christianity bringing
about the end of Paganism in Finland and Europe at large.
See also
======================================================================
* Finnish mythology
* Finnish national symbols
* Kalevi (mythology)
* 'Kalevipoeg', an Estonian epic poetry inspired by the 'Kalevala'
* 'Kanteletar', a sister collection of the 'Kalevala'
* 'Kojiki', a mythological text similarly compiled and edited from
oral transmission
* List of Kalevala translations
* 'Mythologia Fennica', a non-fiction book covering Finnish mythology
and folk poetry
Retellings
============
* , a sequel for Don Rosa's 'The Quest for Kalevala' featuring Scrooge
McDuck and some characters from the 'Kalevala'
*, near complete prose translation based on Crawford
*
*
*
* , a retelling in a style friendly to children
* , a story in tribute to the 'Kalevala' featuring Scrooge McDuck and
some characters from the 'Kalevala'
*
Analysis
==========
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Siikala, Anna-Leena. "The Kalevalaic Tradition as Finnish
Mythology". In: 'Ethnographica et Folkloristica Carpathica', 12-13
(2002). Megjelent: Mental Spaces and Ritual Traditions pp. 107-122
* Tolley, Clive. "The Kalevala as a Model for our Understanding of the
Composition of the Codex Regius of the Poetic Edda." The Retrospective
Methods Network (2014).
*
External links
======================================================================
* (in English)
*
*
License
=========
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala
