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Kalevala Mythology
 
 

Kalevala Mythology (Hardcover)

by Juha Y. Pentikainen (Author) "Here, if anywhere, there is now a pure epic in simple and thus most moving form, an unprecedented treasure. . . . ("Hier sprudelt nun,..." (more)
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"Pentikinen's exceptional interdisciplinary study will richly reward those interested in the dynamics of artistic creation and cultural construction, ethnic emergence and political nationalism, and shamanistic belief systems." --American Anthropologist

" . . . a splendid contribution to the literature on folk epics . . . " --The Scandinavian-American Bulletin

The Kalevala, created during the 1830s and 1840s, is based on authentic folklore collected and compiled by Elias Lonnrot. It was the Kalevala that initiated the process leading to the foundation of Finnish identity during the nineteenth century and was, therefore, one of the crucial factors in the formation of Finland as a new nation in the twentieth century. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



About the Author

Juha Y. Pentikainen, Professor of Comparative Religion at Helsinki University and Docent in Folkloristics and Comparative Religion at the University of Turku, has published numerous articles and more than ten books, including Cultural Minorities in Finland, and the Chicago Folklore Prize-winner Oral Repertoire and World View.

Ritva Poom writes about Finnish and Estonian culture. Her translations of Finnish and Estonian literature and ethnography have appeared in Literary Review, Scandinavian Review, Drama Review, and Ethnologia Fennica. Her translation Fog Horses received an award from the Columbia University Translation Center. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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Here, if anywhere, there is now a pure epic in simple and thus most moving form, an unprecedented treasure. . . . ("Hier sprudelt nun, wenn irgendwo, lauteres epos in einfacher und desto machtigerer darstellung, ein reichtum unerhorter. . . .") This was Jacob Grimm's evaluation of the Kalevala in 1845, and it largely reflected the opinion of his time. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting behind-the-scenes look at Kalevala, Mar 1 2003
By Matthew Anderson "A well-read and -traveled o... (Lame Deer, MT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
It's been 11 years since I read this book, so forgive me if I'm vague; someone's gotta write these reviews, though.

Kalevala Mythology is a multifaceted work that looks both at Elias Lonnrot's compilation of mainly Karelian folk songs and stories, both in its final form and in the Old Kalevala, and at the shamanic tradition from which the stories first sprang forth.

The chapters on the compilation and revision of the published Kalevala serve as a brief overview of Lonnrot's biography and reveal the political motives that helped drive the 19th Century interest in Finnish ethnography. Consideration is given to the singers who were Lonnrot's sources and of how the work evolved from Lonnrot's notes to the Old Kalevala to the final form of the epic. This leads to an analysis of the songs, looking at the three main characters and what they can be thought to represent along with inclusions such as the Kullervo story and Runo 50 concerning Marjatta and her son. This analysis then leads to an examination of the tribal Finnish culture that still existed after the introduction of Christianity to Finland, using parallels between Finnish and Sami and other Finnic cultures' shamanic traditions to add depth to the picture.

All told this would be a boring book to most people. Chances are that if you've actually read Kalevala, though, you already have a vested interest in the origins of Finnish culture. I found that the book did much to help me understand Kalevala as a mirror of my ancestors' tradition, as a catalyst to the formation of the modern state of Finland, and as a source of the identity to Finns throughout the world today.

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