Kalevala Mythology

Kalevala Mythology is a welcome aid to anyone studying the Kalevala, offering important background information and diverse perspectives on the Finnish national epic. The book covers a wide variety of topics, from the biography and folkloristic approach of Elias Lönnrot, the collector of the Kalevala, to the structure of the text, the Finnish tradition of rune-reciting through the centuries, Väinämöinen as a shamanistic character, and the surprising influence of Hindu mythology on Lönnrot's finished work. Useful appendicies providing timelines of Finnish history and lists of the characters of the Kalevala round out the book, which also features black and white illustrations.

ISBN: 9780253213525
Author: Juha Y. Pentikäinen, Ritva Poom (trans. and ed.)
Language: English
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Edition: 1989, softcover, 298 pgs

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