Nordic Hero Tales from the Kalevala

by James Baldwin, N. C. Wyeth (Illustrator)

A homesick hero, a pair of friendly rivals, a triumphant bridegroom, and a golden maiden populate the pages of this treasury, a collection of awe-inspiring stories from Finnish mythology. Assembled by educator James Baldwin, a specialist in adapting ancient narratives into captivating prose, these 38 entrancing tales are drawn from the oral traditions of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.
The Kalevala spans many ages, from the beginning of the earth to the remote past, long before its legends were sung and chanted in humble homes and grand palaces alike. Its tales of heroes and gods center on the fate of a sampo, a highly prized and jealously guarded magical artifact. J. R. R. Tolkien was much influenced by this fantasy cycle of the Far North, and readers of all ages continue to fall under its spell. This edition of the beloved classic features four magnificent illustrations by N. C. Wyeth.

Genres: Mythology

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Baldwin (1841-1925) was an American editor and author. Largely self-educated, he began teaching at the age of 24. In addition to editing school books, he started writing books of his own. After the publication in 1882 of The Story of Siegfried, he went on to write more than 50 others. At one time it was estimated that of all the school books in use in the United States, over half had been written or edited by him. He is best remembered for the books of introductory historical sketches he wrote for younger students and his retellings of the legends of heroes for older students. Other works include: The Story of Roland (1883), A Story of the Golden Age (1887), Old Greek Stories (1895), Fifty Famous Stories Retold (1896), Four Great Americans (1897), Hero Tales (1904), Fifty Famous People (1912) and In My Youth (1914).

Reviews

[Yumeng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed with beautiful imagery, the book is great to gain a basic insight into the Kalevala stories. It is also interesting to see how the world and nature were perceived in these mythical tales.

However, the tales included only follow Väinämöinen (the author spells as 'Wainamoinen') and Ilmarinen. Starting with Väinämöinen's encounter with Louhi, the book skips the beginning of the universe and Jokahainen's battles altogether. The plot circles around the two heroes, Louhi and the Sampo.
Whilst Kullervo is mentioned, he was depicted as savage and evil (and ungrateful, since the tale reduced his torments greatly). Lemminkäinen is not mentioned at all.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I know why my hometown (mostly of Finnish heritage) had a grocery store with the mysterious name “Mxxxxxx Co-op Sampo,” signifying it’s historical background as a “leftish” co-operative as well as drawing upon the myth of the sampo ( source of all that is good and of value). 4.5⭐️ A tale of the North Land and its oral traditions including gods and heroes. Epic.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice, short version of the Kalevala, which is a soon-to-read for me. The story moves along rapidly. The section with Kullervo is curiously abrupt, which makes the ending also very compressed, but this could be a feature of the Kalevala as well?

[T60n3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great bath reading :)

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are wonderful stories. This book made it possible for me to become more familiar with the Kalevala