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Kalevala Mythology
Created in the 1830's and 1840's and based on authentic folklore, the Kalevala initiated the process leading to the foundation of Finnish identity.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
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July 20, 2009
This review appeared in Idunna 77 (Autumn, 2008): http://stores.lulu.com/thetroth
Despite having a long interest in Finnish mythology and ancient history, I am sorry to say I have never read the Kalevala all the way through – in spite of owning two translations, one of which is W.V. Kirby’s (the same that Tolkien first read). On the other hand, I didn’t read the Eddas all the way through, either, until after I’d read quite a bit about them in secondary sources. For Finnish myth, I’ve found one such secondary source in Pentikäinen’s Kalevala Mythology, first written in 1987, then expanded in 1999.
For English-speaking readers, this is probably the most comprehensive, yet accessible, book about the Kalevala. Pentikäinen relates its history, structure, composition, and cultural significance, including the echoes of shamanism to be found in the work. The history of the Kalevala – the songs upon which Elias Lönnrot drew, and how he combined those into a single work – offers some insight into how parts of the Poetic Edda might have been compiled when it was first written down. Like many of his contemporaries (and very much inspired by the Grimm brothers), Lönnrot spent several years traveling rural Finland to collect runes (traditional Finnish songs, not futhark runes). He also compared notes with other folklore collectors doing the same thing. From these original recordings, he fashioned the Kalevala, at times re-working variants of the same rune into a single version, at others using two variants to create two much more distinct episodes in the unfolding drama. By the end of the process, he had molded the traditional songs of his people into a single epic whose roots cannot always be traced with certainty.
On the one hand, his motivation was to preserve the runes. On the other, he wanted Finland to have a national epic comparable to the Illiad or to the Sigurd cycle of the Germanic countries: a body of literature that was distinctly Finnish, that would inspire the Finnish people to seek independent statehood (free of both Sweden and Russia) and that would prove to the Western world that Finnland deserved independence. There are few in Finnland who would say that Lönnrot failed.
Pentikäinen covers this history of the Kalevala quite well. After an introductory first chapter, he relates the history and context that fostered the desire for a national epic in Chapter 2: The Genesis of the Kalevala. Chapter 3: The Structure of the Kalevala discusses the runes that Lönnrot used and the different versions of the Kalevala. Lönnrot’s life is covered in Chapter 4, and then Chapters 5 and 6 return to the runes and their singers. With the cultural and historical background covered, the book then turns to the analysis of the Kalevala as myth and folklore in Chapters 7 through 10. I was quite surprised to learn in Chapter 7: Cosmic Drama, that several themes and stories preserved in the Kalevala have roots not just in other arctic cultures but much further east and south, along the Silk Road.
Chapter 8: World View of the Kalevala discusses the cosmology and heroes portrayed in the epic, including whether the cast of characters should be viewed as divine, human, otherworldly, or some combination thereof. This chapter also delves into the significance of the bear in Finnish culture, and the place held by “the bear song drama” in the Kalevala.
Chapter 9: A Shamanistic Epic was of greatest interest to me (and I suspect it will be for you reading this review). Shamanism in Northern Eurasia, from the Saami to Siberia, is described, with an emphasis on Saami traditions and their relationship to Finnish culture. As one familiar with Saami shamanism would expect, the use of drum and song in the shaman’s art, whether for journeys or for shamans’ duels, is prominent in this discussion. Similarly, the three-tiered cosmos of upper, middle, and lower worlds appears in the Kalevala, and Pentikäinen illuminates this with reference to the scenes depicted on Saami shaman drums. The chapter closes with a look at the role that the elk plays in both shamanic practice and the rune, “Skiing down the Hiisi elk”, preserved in the Kalevala.
Chapter 10: The Realm of the Living and the Dead carries on from this basis to discuss the theme of death in the Kalevala. Though mostly concerned with how various individual deaths are pivotal to the epic’s development, this Chapter provides insight into Finnish traditions about death, grieving, and the otherworld, including the integral part that the dead play in the living family. Finally, Chapters 11 and 12 comprise the “Expanded” part of this edition of Kalevala Mythology, with a return to the history and mythography of the epic.
If you’ve been curious about Finnish mythology or the pre-Christian beliefs of the Finns and the Saami, this book is well worth the read. If you’ve read the Kalevala, or want to, I doubt you’ll find a better book in English that contextualizes the epic so well. Having read Pentikäinen’s book, I now find the Kalevala much easier to get into – simply because I have a better understanding of the culture from which it arose.
Despite having a long interest in Finnish mythology and ancient history, I am sorry to say I have never read the Kalevala all the way through – in spite of owning two translations, one of which is W.V. Kirby’s (the same that Tolkien first read). On the other hand, I didn’t read the Eddas all the way through, either, until after I’d read quite a bit about them in secondary sources. For Finnish myth, I’ve found one such secondary source in Pentikäinen’s Kalevala Mythology, first written in 1987, then expanded in 1999.
For English-speaking readers, this is probably the most comprehensive, yet accessible, book about the Kalevala. Pentikäinen relates its history, structure, composition, and cultural significance, including the echoes of shamanism to be found in the work. The history of the Kalevala – the songs upon which Elias Lönnrot drew, and how he combined those into a single work – offers some insight into how parts of the Poetic Edda might have been compiled when it was first written down. Like many of his contemporaries (and very much inspired by the Grimm brothers), Lönnrot spent several years traveling rural Finland to collect runes (traditional Finnish songs, not futhark runes). He also compared notes with other folklore collectors doing the same thing. From these original recordings, he fashioned the Kalevala, at times re-working variants of the same rune into a single version, at others using two variants to create two much more distinct episodes in the unfolding drama. By the end of the process, he had molded the traditional songs of his people into a single epic whose roots cannot always be traced with certainty.
On the one hand, his motivation was to preserve the runes. On the other, he wanted Finland to have a national epic comparable to the Illiad or to the Sigurd cycle of the Germanic countries: a body of literature that was distinctly Finnish, that would inspire the Finnish people to seek independent statehood (free of both Sweden and Russia) and that would prove to the Western world that Finnland deserved independence. There are few in Finnland who would say that Lönnrot failed.
Pentikäinen covers this history of the Kalevala quite well. After an introductory first chapter, he relates the history and context that fostered the desire for a national epic in Chapter 2: The Genesis of the Kalevala. Chapter 3: The Structure of the Kalevala discusses the runes that Lönnrot used and the different versions of the Kalevala. Lönnrot’s life is covered in Chapter 4, and then Chapters 5 and 6 return to the runes and their singers. With the cultural and historical background covered, the book then turns to the analysis of the Kalevala as myth and folklore in Chapters 7 through 10. I was quite surprised to learn in Chapter 7: Cosmic Drama, that several themes and stories preserved in the Kalevala have roots not just in other arctic cultures but much further east and south, along the Silk Road.
Chapter 8: World View of the Kalevala discusses the cosmology and heroes portrayed in the epic, including whether the cast of characters should be viewed as divine, human, otherworldly, or some combination thereof. This chapter also delves into the significance of the bear in Finnish culture, and the place held by “the bear song drama” in the Kalevala.
Chapter 9: A Shamanistic Epic was of greatest interest to me (and I suspect it will be for you reading this review). Shamanism in Northern Eurasia, from the Saami to Siberia, is described, with an emphasis on Saami traditions and their relationship to Finnish culture. As one familiar with Saami shamanism would expect, the use of drum and song in the shaman’s art, whether for journeys or for shamans’ duels, is prominent in this discussion. Similarly, the three-tiered cosmos of upper, middle, and lower worlds appears in the Kalevala, and Pentikäinen illuminates this with reference to the scenes depicted on Saami shaman drums. The chapter closes with a look at the role that the elk plays in both shamanic practice and the rune, “Skiing down the Hiisi elk”, preserved in the Kalevala.
Chapter 10: The Realm of the Living and the Dead carries on from this basis to discuss the theme of death in the Kalevala. Though mostly concerned with how various individual deaths are pivotal to the epic’s development, this Chapter provides insight into Finnish traditions about death, grieving, and the otherworld, including the integral part that the dead play in the living family. Finally, Chapters 11 and 12 comprise the “Expanded” part of this edition of Kalevala Mythology, with a return to the history and mythography of the epic.
If you’ve been curious about Finnish mythology or the pre-Christian beliefs of the Finns and the Saami, this book is well worth the read. If you’ve read the Kalevala, or want to, I doubt you’ll find a better book in English that contextualizes the epic so well. Having read Pentikäinen’s book, I now find the Kalevala much easier to get into – simply because I have a better understanding of the culture from which it arose.
July 19, 2009
This review appeared in Idunna 77 (Autumn, 2008): http://stores.lulu.com/thetroth
Despite having a long interest in Finnish mythology and ancient history, I am sorry to say I have never read the Kalevala all the way through – in spite of owning two translations, one of which is W.V. Kirby’s (the same that Tolkien first read). On the other hand, I didn’t read the Eddas all the way through, either, until after I’d read quite a bit about them in secondary sources. For Finnish myth, I’ve found one such secondary source in Pentikäinen’s Kalevala Mythology, first written in 1987, then expanded in 1999.
For English-speaking readers, this is probably the most comprehensive, yet accessible, book about the Kalevala. Pentikäinen relates its history, structure, composition, and cultural significance, including the echoes of shamanism to be found in the work. The history of the Kalevala – the songs upon which Elias Lönnrot drew, and how he combined those into a single work – offers some insight into how parts of the Poetic Edda might have been compiled when it was first written down. Like many of his contemporaries (and very much inspired by the Grimm brothers), Lönnrot spent several years traveling rural Finland to collect runes (traditional Finnish songs, not futhark runes). He also compared notes with other folklore collectors doing the same thing. From these original recordings, he fashioned the Kalevala, at times re-working variants of the same rune into a single version, at others using two variants to create two much more distinct episodes in the unfolding drama. By the end of the process, he had molded the traditional songs of his people into a single epic whose roots cannot always be traced with certainty.
On the one hand, his motivation was to preserve the runes. On the other, he wanted Finland to have a national epic comparable to the Illiad or to the Sigurd cycle of the Germanic countries: a body of literature that was distinctly Finnish, that would inspire the Finnish people to seek independent statehood (free of both Sweden and Russia) and that would prove to the Western world that Finnland deserved independence. There are few in Finnland who would say that Lönnrot failed.
Pentikäinen covers this history of the Kalevala quite well. After an introductory first chapter, he relates the history and context that fostered the desire for a national epic in Chapter 2: The Genesis of the Kalevala. Chapter 3: The Structure of the Kalevala discusses the runes that Lönnrot used and the different versions of the Kalevala. Lönnrot’s life is covered in Chapter 4, and then Chapters 5 and 6 return to the runes and their singers. With the cultural and historical background covered, the book then turns to the analysis of the Kalevala as myth and folklore in Chapters 7 through 10. I was quite surprised to learn in Chapter 7: Cosmic Drama, that several themes and stories preserved in the Kalevala have roots not just in other arctic cultures but much further east and south, along the Silk Road.
Chapter 8: World View of the Kalevala discusses the cosmology and heroes portrayed in the epic, including whether the cast of characters should be viewed as divine, human, otherworldly, or some combination thereof. This chapter also delves into the significance of the bear in Finnish culture, and the place held by “the bear song drama” in the Kalevala.
Chapter 9: A Shamanistic Epic was of greatest interest to me (and I suspect it will be for you reading this review). Shamanism in Northern Eurasia, from the Saami to Siberia, is described, with an emphasis on Saami traditions and their relationship to Finnish culture. As one familiar with Saami shamanism would expect, the use of drum and song in the shaman’s art, whether for journeys or for shamans’ duels, is prominent in this discussion. Similarly, the three-tiered cosmos of upper, middle, and lower worlds appears in the Kalevala, and Pentikäinen illuminates this with reference to the scenes depicted on Saami shaman drums. The chapter closes with a look at the role that the elk plays in both shamanic practice and the rune, “Skiing down the Hiisi elk”, preserved in the Kalevala.
Chapter 10: The Realm of the Living and the Dead carries on from this basis to discuss the theme of death in the Kalevala. Though mostly concerned with how various individual deaths are pivotal to the epic’s development, this Chapter provides insight into Finnish traditions about death, grieving, and the otherworld, including the integral part that the dead play in the living family. Finally, Chapters 11 and 12 comprise the “Expanded” part of this edition of Kalevala Mythology, with a return to the history and mythography of the epic.
If you’ve been curious about Finnish mythology or the pre-Christian beliefs of the Finns and the Saami, this book is well worth the read. If you’ve read the Kalevala, or want to, I doubt you’ll find a better book in English that contextualizes the epic so well. Having read Pentikäinen’s book, I now find the Kalevala much easier to get into – simply because I have a better understanding of the culture from which it arose.
Despite having a long interest in Finnish mythology and ancient history, I am sorry to say I have never read the Kalevala all the way through – in spite of owning two translations, one of which is W.V. Kirby’s (the same that Tolkien first read). On the other hand, I didn’t read the Eddas all the way through, either, until after I’d read quite a bit about them in secondary sources. For Finnish myth, I’ve found one such secondary source in Pentikäinen’s Kalevala Mythology, first written in 1987, then expanded in 1999.
For English-speaking readers, this is probably the most comprehensive, yet accessible, book about the Kalevala. Pentikäinen relates its history, structure, composition, and cultural significance, including the echoes of shamanism to be found in the work. The history of the Kalevala – the songs upon which Elias Lönnrot drew, and how he combined those into a single work – offers some insight into how parts of the Poetic Edda might have been compiled when it was first written down. Like many of his contemporaries (and very much inspired by the Grimm brothers), Lönnrot spent several years traveling rural Finland to collect runes (traditional Finnish songs, not futhark runes). He also compared notes with other folklore collectors doing the same thing. From these original recordings, he fashioned the Kalevala, at times re-working variants of the same rune into a single version, at others using two variants to create two much more distinct episodes in the unfolding drama. By the end of the process, he had molded the traditional songs of his people into a single epic whose roots cannot always be traced with certainty.
On the one hand, his motivation was to preserve the runes. On the other, he wanted Finland to have a national epic comparable to the Illiad or to the Sigurd cycle of the Germanic countries: a body of literature that was distinctly Finnish, that would inspire the Finnish people to seek independent statehood (free of both Sweden and Russia) and that would prove to the Western world that Finnland deserved independence. There are few in Finnland who would say that Lönnrot failed.
Pentikäinen covers this history of the Kalevala quite well. After an introductory first chapter, he relates the history and context that fostered the desire for a national epic in Chapter 2: The Genesis of the Kalevala. Chapter 3: The Structure of the Kalevala discusses the runes that Lönnrot used and the different versions of the Kalevala. Lönnrot’s life is covered in Chapter 4, and then Chapters 5 and 6 return to the runes and their singers. With the cultural and historical background covered, the book then turns to the analysis of the Kalevala as myth and folklore in Chapters 7 through 10. I was quite surprised to learn in Chapter 7: Cosmic Drama, that several themes and stories preserved in the Kalevala have roots not just in other arctic cultures but much further east and south, along the Silk Road.
Chapter 8: World View of the Kalevala discusses the cosmology and heroes portrayed in the epic, including whether the cast of characters should be viewed as divine, human, otherworldly, or some combination thereof. This chapter also delves into the significance of the bear in Finnish culture, and the place held by “the bear song drama” in the Kalevala.
Chapter 9: A Shamanistic Epic was of greatest interest to me (and I suspect it will be for you reading this review). Shamanism in Northern Eurasia, from the Saami to Siberia, is described, with an emphasis on Saami traditions and their relationship to Finnish culture. As one familiar with Saami shamanism would expect, the use of drum and song in the shaman’s art, whether for journeys or for shamans’ duels, is prominent in this discussion. Similarly, the three-tiered cosmos of upper, middle, and lower worlds appears in the Kalevala, and Pentikäinen illuminates this with reference to the scenes depicted on Saami shaman drums. The chapter closes with a look at the role that the elk plays in both shamanic practice and the rune, “Skiing down the Hiisi elk”, preserved in the Kalevala.
Chapter 10: The Realm of the Living and the Dead carries on from this basis to discuss the theme of death in the Kalevala. Though mostly concerned with how various individual deaths are pivotal to the epic’s development, this Chapter provides insight into Finnish traditions about death, grieving, and the otherworld, including the integral part that the dead play in the living family. Finally, Chapters 11 and 12 comprise the “Expanded” part of this edition of Kalevala Mythology, with a return to the history and mythography of the epic.
If you’ve been curious about Finnish mythology or the pre-Christian beliefs of the Finns and the Saami, this book is well worth the read. If you’ve read the Kalevala, or want to, I doubt you’ll find a better book in English that contextualizes the epic so well. Having read Pentikäinen’s book, I now find the Kalevala much easier to get into – simply because I have a better understanding of the culture from which it arose.
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March 9, 2018Loved it. Good, easily explained, detailed. Learned lots.
September 22, 2018
The Cliff's Notes versions of the Old Kalevala and New Kalevala alone are worth the price of admission.
September 7, 2022
RAKASTAN TÄTÄ KIRJAA!!!! For those who don't speak Finnish, it means I love this book. There is a plethora of information contained in this book. That's why it took me months to finish it. Sisu or inner strength is seen by me as one of the best gifts a human can ever obtain. Being resilient and never giving up is a character trait that Latinos also share with Finns. I love Finnish culture because I see a lot of similarities with my own culture. I first read the Kalevala when I was 19. It was a children's version. Thus, many of the gory or brutal details were removed. A couple months ago I read the adult version of the Kalevala. I thought it would be smart to read this book next. Afterall, a Finnish professor of comparative religion at the University of Helsinki would know more than me.
For instance, I did not know that the original Kalevala only focused on Väinämöinen. Lönnrot collected all the folk stories and embellished the Old Kalevala. That is why his version is called the New Kalevala. But, also this is the version that all Finns own. It's almost like a bible to them. Apparently everyone who moved or left Finland always took a copy of the "new" Kalevala with them. And when their kids asked their parents where they are from, they would present the Kalevala to their children as their heritage. I find it very cool that the Kalevala is seen as both mythology, an epic, and Finnish history.
I also always thought that Lönnrot was a professor. I was wrong. He was the only doctor in his region of Finland. Most of his patients were poor and barely knew Finnish, let alone Swedish.
From this book the reader learns about Lönnrot's past, the structure of both Kalevalas, the sources of the Finnish runes, how rune singer have helped shaped the Kalevala, Kalevala cosmos, shaman influence, how the Swedish and Russian war influenced the creation of the Kalevala and lastly how Christianity influenced the Kalevala.
This book has a lot of material to cover. Unless you interested in the Kalevala, history or Finland this book will not be enjoyable.
For instance, I did not know that the original Kalevala only focused on Väinämöinen. Lönnrot collected all the folk stories and embellished the Old Kalevala. That is why his version is called the New Kalevala. But, also this is the version that all Finns own. It's almost like a bible to them. Apparently everyone who moved or left Finland always took a copy of the "new" Kalevala with them. And when their kids asked their parents where they are from, they would present the Kalevala to their children as their heritage. I find it very cool that the Kalevala is seen as both mythology, an epic, and Finnish history.
I also always thought that Lönnrot was a professor. I was wrong. He was the only doctor in his region of Finland. Most of his patients were poor and barely knew Finnish, let alone Swedish.
From this book the reader learns about Lönnrot's past, the structure of both Kalevalas, the sources of the Finnish runes, how rune singer have helped shaped the Kalevala, Kalevala cosmos, shaman influence, how the Swedish and Russian war influenced the creation of the Kalevala and lastly how Christianity influenced the Kalevala.
This book has a lot of material to cover. Unless you interested in the Kalevala, history or Finland this book will not be enjoyable.
October 9, 2014
I was given this to review by the owner of the Ares Press for publication in their journal, The Ancient World. I believe I actually wrote the review, but the company was in the process of moving from Chicago to Golden, Colorado and so it got lost in the shuffle.
While impressively scholarly, I frankly found this book very boring and only finished it in order to write about it. A Finn, however, or a folklorist might find it wonderful.
While impressively scholarly, I frankly found this book very boring and only finished it in order to write about it. A Finn, however, or a folklorist might find it wonderful.
December 16, 2024
So I’ve got a lot to say about this book, both good and bad, both about the actual contents of the book and the translation choices. Firstly, I’d only recommend this to hardcore Kalevala/Finland enjoyers. I think the average person that isn’t passionate about this subject would find this the most boring thing ever. But if you are as insane about the Kalevala as I am, you’ll have a great time. Overall I enjoyed this, but I do have some things to say about it.
I was confused about some of the translation choices when referring to the Sámi people. The spelling of the word Sámi changed throughout the book, oscillating between Sami and Saami. This wouldn’t really be an issue if it didn’t also use the word L*pp at random intervals with seemingly no rhyme or reason to why the spelling or word changed, if that makes sense. Considering this book was published in the late 90’s, it doesn’t surprise me that the word L*pp appears in this… Not a good thing by any means, but not shocking. I am also unsure if this was a specific translation choices made by the translator or if the original author is the one who used Sami, Saami, and L*pp interchangeably. (I don’t have an original copy in Finnish, just English, so I wouldn’t be able to check.) This might seem nitpicky, but I decided to include this part in here considering the… Let’s just call it the “usage” of the word L*pp when referring to the Sámi people. Worth noting.
To talk more about the positives, Pentikäinen does go into immense detail regarding practically everything related to the Kalevala you could think of—possible inspiration from real history, the people (mostly Karelian rune singers) besides Elias Lönnrot behind the making of the epic, its impact on Finland in the modern day, even potential influences from halfway across the globe in India. That’s not all, just some snippets of the intense depth that he elaborates on. You’ve got to be a real nerd about this in order to enjoy it. I will say that the writing style was a bit boring and dull, and while it didn’t take away much from the experience of reading this, I understand that it might with other people that might pick this up.
Overall? Solid read if you’re into the Kalevala or if you’re Finnish and wanting to learn more about the epic that shaped your country. 8/10
I was confused about some of the translation choices when referring to the Sámi people. The spelling of the word Sámi changed throughout the book, oscillating between Sami and Saami. This wouldn’t really be an issue if it didn’t also use the word L*pp at random intervals with seemingly no rhyme or reason to why the spelling or word changed, if that makes sense. Considering this book was published in the late 90’s, it doesn’t surprise me that the word L*pp appears in this… Not a good thing by any means, but not shocking. I am also unsure if this was a specific translation choices made by the translator or if the original author is the one who used Sami, Saami, and L*pp interchangeably. (I don’t have an original copy in Finnish, just English, so I wouldn’t be able to check.) This might seem nitpicky, but I decided to include this part in here considering the… Let’s just call it the “usage” of the word L*pp when referring to the Sámi people. Worth noting.
To talk more about the positives, Pentikäinen does go into immense detail regarding practically everything related to the Kalevala you could think of—possible inspiration from real history, the people (mostly Karelian rune singers) besides Elias Lönnrot behind the making of the epic, its impact on Finland in the modern day, even potential influences from halfway across the globe in India. That’s not all, just some snippets of the intense depth that he elaborates on. You’ve got to be a real nerd about this in order to enjoy it. I will say that the writing style was a bit boring and dull, and while it didn’t take away much from the experience of reading this, I understand that it might with other people that might pick this up.
Overall? Solid read if you’re into the Kalevala or if you’re Finnish and wanting to learn more about the epic that shaped your country. 8/10
June 19, 2013
For me as a writer seeking inspiration from and a deeper understanding of the Kalevala, Professor Juha Pentikainen's book, Kalevala Mythology, translated and edited by Ritva Poom was worth the read. It is not a light read. Having a special interest in the subject matter helps in following many of the detailed explanations of sources and history. The author leads the reader through the layers of the Kalevala, as seen from different scholarly perspectives and nationalistic lenses. I found it to be a good source of ideas on the shamanistic epic aspects of the Kalevala, which will find their way into the fantasy world view of my next book.
September 30, 2013
Scholarly but readable analysis of Kalevala history, cultural context, and spiritual/folkloric themes. Not quite enough detail on the Kullervo story for my interests, but a lot on the shamanistic aspects of Kalevala.
January 10, 2008
My thoughts (I'd forgotten all about this book, in all honesty):
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/bo...
http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/bo...
October 5, 2015
This book opens up the world of the Kalevala and connects it to the contemporaneous mythology and folk-lore explorations of the time.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews