Scan barcode
rui_leite's review against another edition
3.0
I will write a longer opinion later on, but for now let me just say... leave it to Christianity to screw up a perfectly decent Epic Poem... :/
kirstikka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i listened to this every night, so a lot of falling asleep was involved in this.
lakserk's review
5.0
A monumental epic set in an animistic world, a place where everything is steeped in life, agency, and interactivity. As grand in scale as the western mythological epics yet so different in hue - Kalevala is more feral, more fragmentary, more alien to the contemporary mind. The only thing that I found redundant was the last chapter which tries to bring Christianity into this pagan tapestry; it could well be missing.
lsparrow's review
4.0
This scandinavian epic story - from prior to christian influence contained folk tales that I have never heard in this version. LIke so many epic and traditional tales from around the world there are many similar elements.
starfallz's review
4.0
Finally glad to be done with this. Bosley's seems like a good edition of it, but I'll have to try reading another translation some time.
uhambe_nami's review against another edition
5.0
The Kalevala is a delight; a wonderful rendering of ancient Finnish mythology. The English translation by John Crawford (1888) reads beautifully and follows closely the Finnish cadence with eight syllables in every line. While the male heroes Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen provide most of the action, I thought it was interesting to see how the Finnish world was created entirely by females; the Daughter of the Ether and a seabird that lays golden eggs on her knee. When the eggs fall into the ocean and break, the whole world comes about beautifully:
All the fragments come together
Forming pieces two in number,
One the upper, one the lower,
Equal to the one, the other.
From one half the egg, the lower,
Grows the nether vault of Terra:
From the upper half remaining,
Grows the upper vault of Heaven;
From the white part come the moonbeams,
From the yellow part the sunshine,
From the motley part the starlight,
From the dark part grows the cloudage;
And the days speed onward swiftly,
Quickly do the years fly over,
From the shining of the new sun
From the lighting of the full moon.
Seen how difficult it must have been to collect the fragments and different versions of the epic poem that until the 19th century existed only in oral form, it is admirable how Elias Lönnrot pieced it together and made a wonderful story out of it. I loved how he blended the characters of Lemminkäinen and Kaukomieli smoothly into one while keeping both their names:
How the merry Lemminkäinen,
Handsome hero, Kaukomieli,
Wandered through Pohyola's chambers,
Through the halls of Sariola.
While the story can be brutal at times (Lemminkäinen being chopped to pieces, for instance), it is fascinating to find in the Kalevala the roots of common Finnish names (Tapio, Aino, Sampo) and habits (the "healing baths of vapor" that Väinämöinen prepares to get rid of the diseases sent by Louhi) and the thing that the Fins have with nature. I loved reading this and came away with a better appreciation of the Finnish language and culture.
All the fragments come together
Forming pieces two in number,
One the upper, one the lower,
Equal to the one, the other.
From one half the egg, the lower,
Grows the nether vault of Terra:
From the upper half remaining,
Grows the upper vault of Heaven;
From the white part come the moonbeams,
From the yellow part the sunshine,
From the motley part the starlight,
From the dark part grows the cloudage;
And the days speed onward swiftly,
Quickly do the years fly over,
From the shining of the new sun
From the lighting of the full moon.
Seen how difficult it must have been to collect the fragments and different versions of the epic poem that until the 19th century existed only in oral form, it is admirable how Elias Lönnrot pieced it together and made a wonderful story out of it. I loved how he blended the characters of Lemminkäinen and Kaukomieli smoothly into one while keeping both their names:
How the merry Lemminkäinen,
Handsome hero, Kaukomieli,
Wandered through Pohyola's chambers,
Through the halls of Sariola.
While the story can be brutal at times (Lemminkäinen being chopped to pieces, for instance), it is fascinating to find in the Kalevala the roots of common Finnish names (Tapio, Aino, Sampo) and habits (the "healing baths of vapor" that Väinämöinen prepares to get rid of the diseases sent by Louhi) and the thing that the Fins have with nature. I loved reading this and came away with a better appreciation of the Finnish language and culture.
uhambe_nami's review
5.0
Väinämöinen with his harp
The Kalevala is a delight; a wonderful rendering of ancient Finnish mythology. The English translation by John Crawford (1888) reads beautifully and follows closely the Finnish cadence with eight syllables in every line. While the male heroes Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen provide most of the action, I thought it was interesting to see how the Finnish world was created entirely by females; the Daughter of the Ether and a seabird that lays golden eggs on her knee. When the eggs fall into the ocean and break, the whole world comes about beautifully:
All the fragments come together
Forming pieces two in number,
One the upper, one the lower,
Equal to the one, the other.
From one half the egg, the lower,
Grows the nether vault of Terra:
From the upper half remaining,
Grows the upper vault of Heaven;
From the white part come the moonbeams,
From the yellow part the sunshine,
From the motley part the starlight,
From the dark part grows the cloudage;
And the days speed onward swiftly,
Quickly do the years fly over,
From the shining of the new sun
From the lighting of the full moon.
Seen how difficult it must have been to collect the fragments and different versions of the epic poem that until the 19th century existed only in oral form, it is admirable how Elias Lönnrot pieced it together and made a wonderful story out of it. I loved how he blended the characters of Lemminkäinen and Kaukomieli smoothly into one while keeping both their names:
How the merry Lemminkäinen,
Handsome hero, Kaukomieli,
Wandered through Pohyola's chambers,
Through the halls of Sariola.
While the story can be brutal at times (Lemminkäinen being chopped to pieces, for instance), it is fascinating to find in the Kalevala the roots of common Finnish names (Tapio, Aino, Sampo) and habits (the "healing baths of vapor" that Väinämöinen prepares to get rid of the diseases sent by Louhi) and the thing that the Fins have with nature. I loved reading this and came away with a better appreciation of the Finnish language and culture.
kuvaelma's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
problematiikka huomioonottaen annan kaks tähteä vaan tän informatiivisuuden vuoksi. pidän suomalaisesta muinaisuskon kuvauksesta, mutta toisaalta tässä juurikin vahvasti on karjalan kulttuuriin liittyviä muinaisuskon piirteitä suomalaisen sijaan. mielenkiintoista uskonnon ja muinaisuskojen puolesta siis, muuten en pitänyt kovinkaan.
väinämöinen on inhokkihahmo. aino on mun all time favourite kalevalahahmo, ja sen kuolema on jostain syystä aina jäänyt mieleen pienestä pitäen.
väinämöinen on inhokkihahmo. aino on mun all time favourite kalevalahahmo, ja sen kuolema on jostain syystä aina jäänyt mieleen pienestä pitäen.
twhitehead's review against another edition
4.0
Really unique folklore. Overall it was really good but there were some parts that were boring especially some of the tangents to the main story.