Magic Songs of the Finns

by John Abercromby

A collection of magic songs, spells, and charms in one of the largest published volumes of traditional Finnish folk music. First collected and published by Elias Lӧnnrot in 1880 and later translated into English by John Abercromby and republished in 1896, Magic Songs of the Finns is a beautiful volume of forgotten wonder. Over 600 spells and charms from rural Finland are collected in this book to assist its reader in capturing the sound and passion of a very special culture. These songs were traditionally sung to ask for help from the spirits that the Finnish believed possessed all objects.

Genres: Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Folklore, Mythology, History

111 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1880

Reviews

[Xan Rooyen]

Impossible to give this a star rating. Not knowing the original Finnish songs (never mind not knowing Finnish well enough to understand those old folk songs), I'm not sure how good the translation is or the veracity of the interpretations here.

I absolutely appreciate the attempt made to preserve an ancient pagan tradition, however, this tome is not untouched by Christianity. I struggle to believe original pagan magic songs mentioned Jesus and the Virgin Mary, so these are definitely the result of later influences or perhaps a result of fallible human interpretation.

This book does, however, provide greater insight into the various deities and creatures of Finnish mythology, adding snippets of detail and providing some contrasting interpretations of the various characters.

What I appreciated the most, perhaps, was the presentation and analysis of the similes and metaphors used in the original text (I say text, but these songs were largely shared in the oral tradition until outsiders tried to collect and collate them) - better to say in the original language. There are some truly astounding turns of phrase here that provide insight into Finnish thinking and world-views. Again, some of this is tainted by Christianity with the literal demonization of certain creatures :(

Despite knowing quite a bit about Finnish mythology and folklore (or so I thought) I definitely learned a lot here, not least of all about the culture of magic songs and how indelibly music was/is tied to Finnish traditions.

[Saga]

Yleisestä mielenkiinnosta varmaan lukaisen englanninnoksen... Jos ei muuta, niin ainakin voi ihailla Gallen-Kallelan upeita kuvia!