Kalevala Day musings

 

The first verses of the Kalevala in Finnish...

... and their beautiful translation into French by Gabriel Rebourcet.

It's the Kalevala Day today! 

Time to celebrate the Finnish culture and the Kalevala, our national epic. 

 

For those of you who may not know, the Kalevala is a compilation of Karealian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, full of intrigue and strong characters, assembled by Elias Lönnrot in early 19th century. It's one of the most significant works of Finnish literature, having played an essential role in the development of the Finnish national identity, both culturally and language-wise, leading the way to an independent nation.

 

The Kalevala poetry, sang in simple melodies, was composed in an archaic tetrameter. Certainly not an easy task for any translator, but so far the Kalevala has already been translated into over 60 languages - we should probably be celebrating the translators too today!

The sad thing of course is that the rune singers have disappeared one by one (there is only one left now and he's already over 90 years old). However, the Kalevalean tradition still lives on in the Finnish culture, in the names of business companies, people and places and in the arts and literature. 

As for me, I'll continue amusing my French students by singing Kalevala runes in the classroom...

On a lighter note, if you want to find out which Kalevala character you resemble most, have a look here (in English) or here (in Finnish). Hyvää Kalevalan ja suomalaisen kulttuurin päivää!