Summary
Elena Primicerio: Kalevala: Finland, the land of heroes
Kalevala is a Finnish folk epic.
The entire Finnish folk art lived as an oral tradition until 1835, when Elias Lönnrot, a doctor by profession, collected and systematized this entire art and published it in a special book called Kalevala. The whole song is related to several events in which several characters are depicted, which are not historical but mythical, among which the old man, singer and miracle worker Väinämöinen stands out, who changes the world with the power of words, experiencing various accidents and mishaps in relationships with other characters. The second most significant figure is the smith Ilmarinen, who personifies a genius elevated to magic. The third in meaning is the sorcerer and traveler Lemminkäinen, who represents the hero, the wanderer and the sorcerer. He has the function of a typical hero of the heroes of other European nations.
Biblos Newsletter
New titles, special copies and quiet recommendations from the antiquarian bookshop.