The Kalevala is a nineteenth century compilation of epic poetry assembled by the Finnish physician and folklorist Elias Lönnrot from oral poems he collected on fieldwork trips across Finland and Karelia. He published a first version, the Old Kalevala, in 1835, running to 12,078 verses in 32 poems, and a revised and expanded New Kalevala in 1849, running to 22,795 verses in 50 poems, composed in the trochaic tetrameter now known as Kalevala meter. Drawing on Finnish, Karelian and Ingrian folklore, it narrates the creation of the earth, the rivalry between the lands of Kalevala and Pohjola, and the quest for a magical device known as the Sampo. It functions as the national epic of Finland and Karelia and played a significant part in building Finnish national identity in the run-up to independence, and it later influenced writers including J.R.R. Tolkien.
Facts
Classification
Original Language Composed, From (Year) FAQs
How much of the Kalevala did Elias Lönnrot actually write himself?
Only around 3 percent of the final text was Lönnrot's own writing; the rest comes from oral folk poetry that he selected and edited.
Very little. Lönnrot is credited as the compiler and editor of the Kalevala rather than its author. He collected Finnish and Karelian oral folk songs on journeys through eastern Finland and Karelia, then modified and rearranged them and, in places, composed linking passages so the material read as one narrative. He also introduced new plotlines and characters and standardised the metre. According to finland.fi, only around 3 percent of the final text was written by Lönnrot himself, which is why the work is described as both a work of folklore and a constructed literary epic.
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Epic, Genres Source Kalevala (Wikipedia)
Source Kalevala (Wikipedia)
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Also in Divinity Atlas: the same subject.
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Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Kalevala (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, fourth paragraph
The first version of the Kalevala, called the Old Kalevala, was published in 1835, consisting of 12,078 verses. The version most commonly known today was first published in 1849 and consists of 22,795 verses, divided into fifty folk stories (Finnish: runot).
Lead
is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish, Karelian and Ingrian folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the
Lead paragraph
The Kalevala (IPA: [ˈkɑleʋɑlɑ]) is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish, Karelian and Ingrian folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land of Pohjola and their various protagonists and antagonists, as well as the construct
In Genre: National Epic, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Epic poetry, National epic
In Genre: Epic, Infobox, genre field
Genre: Epic poetry, National epic
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