Kalevala

Kalevalais an epic poem that wis pittin thegither frae Finnish fowklair bi Elias Lönnrot in the 19t century. For ordinar it is cried the naitional epic oFinlandan is tradeetionaly thocht o as ane o the maist important warks in the hail oFinnishleeteratur. It is jaloused bi some that the settin furth oKalevalafendit some o the inspirin for the naitional waukenin that in the end won Finland's unthirldom fraeRoushiein 1917, as weel as bein a gey important wark in the heezin o the Finnish leid.

Syne the Finnish leid haesna ony airticles, definite or indefinate, sae it is a tait inaccurate for fowk tae cry the epicThe Kalevala,as juistKalevalais mair near the Finnish. The name means something liklaunds o Kalevasyne the Finnish suffix -la/lä means steid.

The epic conseests o 22,795 verses, sindert intae fifty cantos or chaipters. Twa Finnic tribes/fowks, theKvensan theKareliansis discussed braidly inKalevala.

*Kalevala. The national epic of Finland*John Martin Crawford,1888

Compilin

Elias Lönnrot (1802–84) wis a beukman an a destrict dug raiser in Kainuu, an eastren pairt oFinlandthat in his time wis an autonomous Graund Duchy. The son o a teylor in the clachan o Sammantti, he cam intil the varsity in Turku (that is replaced bi the Varsity o Helsinki the nou) in 1822 an stairtit his vaiges for tae ingaither poems in 1827. He gaed oot on a tot o elieven field trips durin a period o fifteen year.

The Poetry

Balto-Finnic fowk poetry an sangs haes been aboot for mair nor twa thoosand year but wisna written doun till the 1670s, follaed bi a few ingaitherers athin the neist centuries. In the 19t century, ingaitherin became mair extensive an seestematic. Awthegithir, awmaist twa million verses wis ingaithert athin that time. O thir, aboot 1,250,000 haes been pitten furth an some 500,000 haesna been setten furth in the archives o theFinnish Literature Societyan the collections inEstoniean theRepublic o Kareliean ither pairts oRoushie. Lönnrot an his contemporars (e.g. A.J. Sjögren an D.E.D. Europaeus) ingaithert maist o the poem variants (ae poem micht hae up tae twa hunder variants) skailt ower aw the airts o Kaerlia an Ingria amang the landart fowk. Thay notit carefu the name o the sangster, his or her eild, the steid o the shawin an the date in thair records. Athin his fowert field trip in September 1833 Lönnrot got the thochtie that the poems micht weel represent a braider conteenous tradeetion whan poem entities wis performed tae him alang wi comments in ordinar speak connectin them. The poetry wis for ordinar sung tae tuins biggit on a pentachord, whiles assistit bi thekantele.The rhythm coud chynge, but the tuins wis sortit in aither twa or fower lines, o whit ilkane haed five beats. Whiles the poems wis performed antiphonally, whiles thay war pairt o a "sangshaw" atween the bairds o the tradeetion. Mauger the muckle geographic distances an cultural spheres sinderin the indiveedual singers, the poetry wis aye sung in the same metre, sae criedarchaic trochaic tetrameter.Its ither formal featurs is alleeteration, parallelism an inversion intil chiasmus. The chronology o the oral tradeetion isna siccar kent. The seeminly auldest themes (the shapin o the yird) haes been interpret tae hae thair oreegin in distant pre-history while the seeminly latest events (e.g. the comin oChristianity) seems tae be frae theAirn Eild.

O the dizzens o poem singers that contributit taeKalevala,signeeficant anes includes:

Arhippa Perttunen(1769 - 1840)
Matro
Ontrei Malinen(1780 - 1855)
Vaassila Kieleväinen
Soava Trohkimainen

Lönnrot’s contribution tae Kalevala

Lönnrot arranged the collectit poems intae a mair or less coherent hail. In daen sae he merged thegither poem variants an chairacters an left oot verses that dindna fit or wrate a puckle lines o his ain for tae connect certaint pairts intae a logical plot. He e'en inventit a few names that coud be uised for a chairacter in the hail story. It haes been estimate thatKalevalais made up o: ae third o wird for wird recordins bi the ingaitherers, 50% o material that Lönnrot adjustit a bittie, 14% o verses he wrate himsel based on poem variants an 3% o verses juist o his ain makkin. Whit can be thocht o as Lönnrot's maist important contreibution is the arreengment o the poems. In the preface taeOld Kalevala(Februar 1835), Lönnrot hielichts the possibility that awbody ither nor himsel coud wale different poems an varients an thatKalevalawad aye be as genuine as it wis on the day that it wis completit. As a maiter o fact, Lönnrot eikit some 3,000 verses o poem variants tae the end oOld Kalevalafor ithers tae compear, but thir haes syne quat bein includit in the new edeetions o the epic.

Settin Furth

The first version o Lönnrot's compilation wis criedKalewala, taikka Wanhoja Karjalan Runoja Suomen Kansan muinoisista ajoista(that gaes ower intae Scots asKalevala, or auld Karelian poems anent the bygane o the Finnish fowk), kent forby asOld Kalevala.It wis pitten oot in twa volums in 1835-6.Old Kalevalahaed 12,078 verses or thirty-twa poems. Lönnrot didna stap ingaitherin new material that he intigrate intae a seicont edeetion,Kalevala,pitten oot in 1849. ThisNew Kalevalais the staundart text uised for ordinar the day.

Owersettins

Kalevalahaes been translate intil fowerty-nine leids, but as yet no intae Scots. The maist common an braidly kent Ingles translation the day is bi the poet Keith Bosley (1998)

Owerview

Cantos 1–10: The first Väinämöinen cycle

Makkin o the yird; the first man; the encoonter atweenVäinämöinenan Joukahainen; Joukahainen haundfasts his sister tae Väinämöinen in exchynge for no bein killed; Aino (Joukahainen's sister) gaes intil the sea; Joukahainen's revengin; the woundit Väinämöinen fleets taePohjola(Northland); Väinämöinen meets the Maid o the North an hechts the Mistress o the North tae gie her theSampoin exchynge for the haund o her dauchter; Väinämöinen swicks the smithIlmarinenintae Pohjola whaur he maks the Sampo.

Cantos 11–15: The first Lemminkäinen cycle

Lemminkäinen chores the maid Kyllikki o the Isle; thay mak a vou; she forleits her vou; Lemminkäinen gaes tae Pohjola for tae speir tae be haundfastit tae the Maid o the North; things Lemminkäinen maun dae for tae be haundfastit tae her; ski for the Ill Ane's elk, bridle the Ill Ane's horse an shuit the Swan oTuonela(the laund o the deid); a herd kills Lemminkäinen an horse his corp intae theRiver o Tuonela;Lemminkäinen's mithir wauks him tae life.

Cantos 16–18: The seicont Väinämöinen cycle

Väinämöinengaes tae Tuonela for tae meet Antero Vipunen for tae get spells for boat-biggin an sails tae Pohjola;Ilmarinenan Väinämöinen competes wi ilk ither for the haund o the Maid o the North.

Cantos 19–25: Ilmarinen's waddin

Ilmarinen duis the things he needit for tae help o the Maid; pleuchin the veeper-field, lowin the wowfs o Tuonela an catchin the ged oot the River o Tuonela; the waddin o Ilmarinen an the Maid o the North; the story o the brewin o the ale.

Cantos 26–30: The seicont Lemminkäinen cycle

Lemminkäinen is resentfou for no been invitit tae the waddin; he gaes tae Pohjola an wins the fecht wi the Maister o the Northland; an airmy is conjurt for tae get back at Lemminkäinen; at his mither's rede he flees tae the Isle o Refuge; returnin hame he sees that his hoose haes been burnt doun; he gaes tae Pohjola wi his fere Tiera for tae get revenge but the Mistress o the North freezes the seas an Lemminkäinen haes tae gae back hame.

Cantos 31–36: The Kullervo cycle

Untamo kills aw his brither Kalevo's fowk except fer his guidwife wha begets Kullervo; Untamo gies Kullervo several tasks bot sabotages thame aw; Kullervo is sauld as a sclave taeIlmarinen;efter bein tormentit bi Ilmarinen's guidwife, he taks revenge an the guidwife is killed; Kullervo runs awa an finnds his faimily unharmed near tae Lapland; Kullervo seduces a maiden an later finnds oot that she is his sister; Kullervo destroysUntamola(the kintra o Untamo) an upon returnin hame finnds ilka bodie killed; Kullervo kills himsel.

Cantos 37–38: The seicond Ilmarinen cycle

Ilmarinen maks fer himsel a guidwife oot o gowd an siller, bot finnds her tae be cauld an discards her; Ilmarinen then chores the sister o the Maid o the North frae Pohjola; she snashes him sae he discards her; Ilmarinen tells Väinämöinen o the carefree, guid life o the fowk o Pohjola acause o theSampo.

Cantos 39–44: The plunder o the Sampo (third Väinämöinen cycle)

Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen an Lemminkäinen sail fer tae get the Sampo; thay kill a muckle pike o whas jaw bane the firstkanteleis craftit; Väinämöinen lulls ilkane in the hall o Pohjola tae sleep wi his liltin an theSampois chored; the Mistress o the Norland conjures a muckle airmy, chynges hersel intae an eagle an fechts fer the Sampo; the Sampo faws intil the sea.

Cantos 45–49: Louhi's revenge on Kalevala

The Mistress o the North sends the fowk o Kaleva diseases an a bear fer tae kill thair kye; she hides theSunan theMuinan chores fire frae Kaleva; Väinämöinen an Ilmarinen restore fire an Väinämöinen forces the Mistress tae gie bak the Sun an the Muin tae the lift.

Canto 50: The Marjatta cycle

Marjatta gets impregnatit frae a berry she ett an gies birth tae a son, whilk is an allusion taeMaryanJesus(In theFinnish leidMariameansMaryanmarjameansberry); Väinämöinen orders the killin o the lad; the lad stairts tae speak an reproaches Väinämöinen fer ill walin; he is then baptised keeng o Karelia; Väinämöinen sails awa.

Chairacters

Väinämöinen

The main chairacter oKalevalaisVäinämöinen,a shamanlike hero wi the maigical pouer o sangs an muisic. He wis born o the gey auld Maiden o the Air an contributes tae the makkin o the yird. Monie o his travels resemble shamanlike journeys, maist notably the ane in whilk he veesits the belly o a grund-gyan, Antero Vipunen, tae finnd the wurds o boat generation. He plyes at thekantele,a stringed instrument frae Finland that lueks lik an is plyed lik azither.Ane o his kanteles is made frae the jawbane o a muckle pike. His sairch fer a guidwife is a central pairt in monie stories; he finndsna ane, bot. Fer ane exemplar o the guidwifes, Joukahainen's sister Aino, droons hersel instead o marryin him. He an aa pairt o the group wha chore the Sampo frae the fowk o Pohjola.

Seppo Ilmarinen

Seppo Ilmarinenis a heroic artificer-smith (wha cuid be comparit tae theGermanicWeyland an mibie theGreek Daedalusan aw) wha craftit theDome o the Lift,theSampoan a wheen o ithir things forbye. Ilmarinen is an aa ane o the group wha chore the Sampo.

Louhi

Louhi the Hag o the North, is a shamanlike mithir o a fowk rivillin thay o Kalevala wha at ane pynt in the epic pulls the Sun an the Muin frae the lift an chores the fire awa frae the fowk o Kalevala. She rules ower Pohjola alain efter Lemminkäinen haes killed her guidman, Maister o Pohjola. She haundfasts her dauchter tae Ilmarinen in exchynge fer him biggin the Sampo.

Joukahainen

Joukahainen is Väinämöinen's yung rival, wha promises his sister Aino tae Väinämöinen efter he is defeatit in a liltin contest. Joukahainen tries tae gain his revenge on Väinämöinen bi killin him wi a crossbow. He succeedsna, bot whit he haes duin leads tae Väinämöinen promisin tae big the Sampo in exchynge fer Louhi rescuin him.

Kullervo

Sel-dingin, vengefou Kullervo wis borns as a sclave, sauld tae Ilmarinen an gien wark bi Ilmarinen's guidwife, wham he later kills. Kullervo is the ainlie truly tragic chairacter in Kalevala, wha cannae be redemit bi onything he daes. He aften gaes intae a berserk raige an in the end kills himsel. In monie wies he servit as the template ferJRR Tolkien's chairacter Túrin Turambar.

Lemminkäinen

Bonnie bot arrogant, Lemminkäinen is the third member o the group whilk chores the Sampo frae the fowk o Pohjola. Efter he is murderit, his mithir haes tae rescue his corp frae the River o Deid whilk runs throu Tuonela an bring him bak tae life (whilk brings tae mynd the Egytian meeth o Osiris).

Influence o Kalevala

As a muckle pairt o Finnish cultur an historie the influence oKalevalais gey skailed; fraeleeteraturetae metal muisic, frae fine airts tae film. Tae a lesser degree, the influence oKalevalainfluence haes been notit in ithir culturs aroond the wurld..

Celebratin

Kalevala Dayis celebratit in Finland on the 28t o Februar, whilk is hou Elias Lönnrot datit his first edeetion oKalevalain 1835. A tait o the names inKalevalaare celebrates as Finnish name days forbye, altho this haesna onie direck relation taeKalevalaitsel.

Airtwark

Mair nor a tait o airtists hae been influencit biKalevala,maist notablie Akseli Gallen-Kallela wha haes pentit monie warks relatin taeKalevala. Ane o the eirliest airtists tae depick a scene fraeKalevalais Robert Wilhelm Ekman. Ane drawin frae 1886 depicks Väinämöinen plyin at the kantele. Aarno Karimo wis a Finnish airtist wha illustratit the bonnieKuva Kalevala(1953). Wanachancelike he deid afore finishin it, bot Hugo Otava wis able tae complete it uisin oreeginal sketches as a guide.

Leeteratur

Kalevalahaesnae ainlie been translatit intae ower fowerty-nine leids bot haes been retauld in a wheen o leids an adaptit tae deefferent situations. The maist weil kent exemplar o the influence oKalevalaon anithir scriever is maist likely wiJRR Tolkien.He aye thrieped thatKalevalawis ane o his soorces fer the scrievins whilk becamThe Silmarillion.Fer exemplar, the story o Kullervo haes been uised extensively inThe Silmarillion(includin the swaird that spak what the anti-hero uises it fer suicide) as the basis fer Túrin Turambar inNarn i Chîn Húrin(as a side note, the Finnish fereeissilmä). Ithir echoes oKalevalachaircarters, Väinämöinen in parteecular, ar an aa tae be funnd in the weezards oThe Lord Of The Rings.

TheGerman leidtranslation o the epic wis the gell fer Longfellow's 1855 poem,The Song of Hiawathawhilk is scrieved in the same metre an an aa inspirit the Inglissci-fiscriever tae scrieveThe Books of Mana,Lucky's HarvestanThe Fallen Moon.

It is aften thrieped that the naitonal epic oEstonia,cryedKalevipoeg(pit thegithir an scrieven bi Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, first pittin oot in 1853) wis sumwhit tiftit biKalevala,mainly acause baith Väinämöinen an Ilmarinen are mentionit in the poem an the oweraw story o Kalevipoeg (Kalev's son) haes sum muckle seemilaties wi the Kullervo story.

Muisic

Muisic is lik as no the airt whilk haes taen the maist influence fraeKalavala,whilk is wycelike syne the poems wer performit muisically bi fowk lilters. Because o fowk muisic historie oKalevalathare hae been a tait fowk muisic albums an collections baised on or threipin tift fraeKalevala.

Lik as no the maist famousKalevalainspired muisc is that o the classical composerJean Sibelius.Twal o his best kent warks ar baised on an influenced biKalevala,maist notably hisKullervo Symphony.Thare is an aa thrie operas baised onKalevala(Sammon ryöstö, MarjattaanThomas) composit bi Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Classic muisic, howeever isnae the ainlie aurie o influence. The wis a Finnishogressive rockbaund cryed "Kalevala" in the 1970s, wha pit ott thrie albums.

The Finnish metal baund Amorphis hae baised several concept albums onKalevalauisin the first translation fer the leerics, an ar weil kent fer uisinKalevalaas a soorce o tift fer thair ain leerics forbye. Thair albums maist obvious o thair albums whilk ar influecit biKalevalaarTales From The Thousand Lakes,ElegyanEclipse.Fowk metalbaundEnsiferumar amang a wheen o fowk metal baunds wha hae baised sum o thair wark onKalevala,sic as thair sangsOld MananLittle Dreamerwhilk ar anent Väinämöinen.

In 2003, the Finnishprogresive rockmagazineColossusanMusea RecordsfraeFraunceincencit 30 prog-rock baunds frae aw ower the warld tae scrieve muisical pieces baised on gien pairts oKalevala.The risult wis a thrie-disc, multileid, fower oor epic o the same name, an is aften thocht o as ane o the maist ambeetious muisical projecks o aw tyme.

Film

In 1959 a jynt Finnish/Soviet production cryedSampo(kent forbye asThe Day the Eart Froze) wis pit oot, whilk tuek its gell frae the story o theSampofraeKalevala.

Themartial airtsfilmJadesoturi(kent forbye asJade Warrior) is baised onKalevalaan set inFinlandanChina.

Historic interpretations oKalevala

A wheen o interpritations fer the themes inKalevalahae been pittin forart. Sum parit o the epic hae been seen as antient fechts atween the Finnics an the Samis. In this context, the kintraKalevalacuid be unnerstuid as Southron Finland anPohjolaasLapland.Houever, the names o steids inKalevalaseem tae pit the kintra o Kalevala furder South, whilk haes been interpritit as refelctin the Finnic reddin o the South whilk puished the Samis furder tae the North. Sum beukmen pit the kintra o Kalevala in Eist Karelia, whaur maist o theKalevalastories war scrieven doun.

Those wha support the theory o a Southron Kalevala thriep that the nameKalevalawis first recordit in an atlas oal Idrisiin the year 1154, whaur a clachan cryedqlwny(or mibietlwny) is recordit. This is maist likely tae be presint dayTallinn,caipital oEstonie,kent in auld Eist Slavic soorces asKolyvan.The Finnish wurdKalevan( "o Kaleva" ) haes almaist the same meanin asKalevala.TheSaari(lit. "The Isle" ) micht be the isle o Saaremaa in Estonia, while the fowk oVäinölämicht hae sum resemblin wi the Livonian clan oVeinalensisin presint dayLatvie,menshinit in the 13t century chronicle connectit tae Henry o Livonia. Antient Finns, Estonies an Latvies speaks seemilar Finnic byleids an ar jaloused tae share a common ancestry.

Houever, Matti Kuusi an Pertti Anttonen thriep in thair bueukKalevala Lipas(1985) that sic terms as "the fowk o Kalevala" or "the clan o Kalevala" ar purely the makkin o Elias Lönnrot. Forbye, thay pynt oot that the wurd "Kalevala" is gey rare in tradeetional poetry an that bi pittin emphasis on dualism (i.e. Kalevala agin Pohjola) Elias Lönnrot creatit the tension needit fer makkinKalevaladramatically successfu an sae fit fer a naitional epic.

See Forbye