The Kalevala. By Elias Lönnrot FULL Audiobook
The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology. The work tells an epic 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 construction and robbery of the epic mythical wealth-making machine Sampo. The Kalevala is regarded as the national epic of Karelia and Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature with J. L. Runeberg's The Tales of Ensign Stål and Aleksis Kivi's The Seven Brothers .
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). The work is also well known internationally and has partly influenced, for example, J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium (i.e. Middle-earth mythology) .
The Kalevala was instrumental in the development of the Finnish national identity and the intensification of Finland's language strife that ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia in 1917 . While reflecting the nineteenth-century folk culture of the regions of Finland and Karelia in which its source songs were collected, the published Kalevala is set in an ancient pre-Christian past, where primordial events like the creation of the world and advent of fire occurred, and where mythic heroes made their lives amid the lakes and forests of a world imbued with magic.
The Kalevala is a rich and complex work that has been the subject of much scholarly analysis and interpretation. It is a treasure trove of Finnish mythology and folklore, and its influence can be seen in many aspects of Finnish culture, from music and literature to art and design. The Kalevala is a must-read for anyone interested in Finnish culture, mythology, and folklore.
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More: Karelian and Finnish oral folklore, mythology, Finnish national identity
creation myth, romance, kidnapping
seduction, magical spell casting, singing
Greek Oedipus, Virgin Mary, epic poetry
Andrea Giordani, literature, poetry
00:00:00 The Kalevala. Proem
00:05:54 Rune I: Birth of Wainamoinen
00:18:07 Rune II: Wainamoinen’s Sowing
00:37:10 Rune III: Wainamoinen and Youkahainen
01:07:50 Rune IV: The Fate of Aino
01:35:28 Rune V: Wainamoinen’s Lamentation
01:47:32 Rune VI: Wainamoinen’s Hapless Journey
01:59:08 Rune VII: Wainamoinen’s Rescue
02:17:09 Rune VIII: Maiden of the Rainbow
02:29:58 Rune IX: Origin of Iron
02:56:47 Rune X: Ilmarinen Forges the Sampo
03:22:06 Rune XI: Lemminkainen’s Lament
03:42:30 Rune XII: Kyllikki’s Broken Vow
04:06:52 Rune XIII: Lemminkainen’s Second Wooing
04:20:43 Rune XIV: Death of Lemminkainen
04:43:44 Rune XV: Lemminkainen’s Restoration
05:16:36 Rune XVI: Wainamoinen’s Boat-Building
05:37:39 Rune XVII: Wainamoinen Finds the Lost-Word
06:04:35 Rune XVIII: The Rival Suitors
06:37:51 Rune XIX: Ilmarinen’s Wooing
07:02:33 Rune XX: The Brewing of Beer
07:31:52 Rune XXI: Ilmarinen’s Wedding-Feast
07:51:20 Rune XXII: The Bride’s Farewell
08:14:40 Rune XXIII: Osmotar the Bride-Adviser
08:53:23 Rune XXIV: The Bride’s Farewell
09:16:47 Rune XXV: Wainamoinen’s Wedding-Songs
09:46:35 Rune XXVI: Origin of the Serpent
10:21:03 Rune XXVII: The Unwelcome Guest
10:39:42 Rune XXVIII: The Mother’s Counsel
10:53:09 Rune XXIX: The Isle of Refuge
11:20:45 Rune XXX: The Frost-Fiend
