Home  Poem  Me shortly  Finland stuff  Links  Kalevala - the Finnish national epic Elias Lönnrot, 19th century Finnish scholar, was born on April 9, 1802. The first edition of the Kalevala appeared in 1835, compiled and edited by Elias Lönnrot. Lönnrot did not write the Kalevala. He was a listener, a collector and a redactor. The Kalevala is a product of oral tradition. Kalevala means the land of heroes. Poems 1 - 2 Ilmatar (the Virgin of the Air) descends to the waters. A pochard lays its eggs on her knee. The eggs break and the world is formed from their pieces. The mother of the water then gives birth to Väinämöinen. Sampsa Pellervoinen sows the forest trees. One of the trees, an oak, grows so large that it blots out both the sun and the moon. A tiny man rises from the sea and fells the giant oak. The sun and moon can shine once again. Poems 3 - 4 Joukahainen challenges Väinämöinen to a contest of wisdom and is defeated. With his singing, Väinämöinen causes Joukahainen to sink into a swamp. In order to save himself, Joukahainen promises his sister' s hand in marriage to Väinämöinen. Upon learning of the bargain, the sister Aino mourns her fate and finally drowns herself. Read my Dreambook guestbook! Sign my Dreambook! Home  Poem  Me shortly  Finland stuff  Links