Kalevalainen perinne ja moderni Suomi

The Kalevala is Finland's national epic, which Elias Lönnrot compiled in the 19th century, travelling to Karelia and gathering poems from the memory of his people. The work was first published in 1835, and it quickly became a cornerstone of Finnish national identity. Although more than a century and a half has passed, the significance of the Kalevala has not faded — on the contrary, its influence appears in ever new forms in present-day Finnish culture.

The Kalevala tells the story of the mythical Pohjola and the inhabitants of Kalevala. The main characters are the shaman-runesinger Väinämöinen, the skilful smith Ilmarinen, the young swordsman Lemminkäinen, and other figures whose lives are woven together around love, battle, magic and work. The rhythm of the narration is unique: the so-called Kalevala trochaic meter, in which each verse has eight syllables divided into four trochaic feet. This meter gives the Kalevala its particular musicality, the like of which is not found in the rhythm of other epics.

Lönnrot's work, however, was not solely the product of his imagination. He compiled it from tens of thousands of individual poems that had been sung in the Karelia and Kainuu regions from one generation to the next. For this reason many different singers' voices can be heard in the Kalevala: there are very old layers that connect to the beliefs of the pagan era, and newer ones in which Christian influence is stronger. This many-layeredness makes the work an exceptionally rich object of study, one that still generates new research.

The Kalevala played a significant role in Finland's process of becoming independent. When Finland was still a Grand Duchy of Russia, the educated class set about building a Finnish identity — a language, a literature, an art — that would be original enough to distinguish itself from both Swedish and Russian influence. The Kalevala offered an ideal foundation for that. It showed that the Finns had their own ancient civilization, their own language and their own worldview. This was decisive when the independence movement grew and finally led to the declaration of independence in 1917.

On artistic life the Kalevala has left an enormous mark. Many works by the composer Jean Sibelius — the Kullervo symphony, Pohjola's Daughter, The Swan of Tuonela — are based on Kalevala stories. The visual artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela painted a series of Kalevala-themed works that have become icons of Finnish visual art. The architect Eliel Saarinen drew inspiration from the Kalevala, and its motifs can still be seen in many buildings. Modern writers, such as Paavo Haavikko and Sofi Oksanen, have engaged in creative dialogue with the epic, each in their own way, giving it expression in a new form.

But the Kalevala's influence is not limited to high culture. Its figures and motifs appear also in popular culture: the rock band Amorphis has made several albums based on the Kalevala, and its songs have brought the epic to the ears of millions of young people around the world. The game studio Supercell, known for the game Clash of Clans, took its name from a character appearing in the Kalevala. The statue "Pohjola's Boy" standing in front of Helsinki's central railway station refers to the Kalevala's mythical Pohjola.

It is, however, worth asking what the significance of the Kalevala is today, when its narration and world feel distant to many young people. One answer is that the Kalevala offers a connection to where Finnishness was born. It is like a family's old photograph: not necessarily in everyday use, but important, because it tells who we are. Another answer is that the Kalevala deals with the fundamental questions of humanity: love, death, work, courage, and the struggle between revenge and forgiveness. These questions never grow old.

A third answer is linguistic. Through the Kalevala the Finnish language gained many words and expressions that are still in active use. In addition, the Kalevala meter has influenced the rhythm of Finnish poetry in a lasting way. Without the Kalevala the Finnish language would sound different.

Around the Kalevala its own holiday has also grown. On the 28th of February the Kalevala Day, that is, the Day of Finnish Culture, is celebrated. At that time excerpts of the epic are read in schools, events are organized, and prizes are awarded to people in the cultural field. The purpose of the day is to remind us that cultural heritage is not only of the past — it is a continuously renewing resource that enriches the present and that is worth cherishing.

It is important that the Kalevala also be read critically. In some of its scenes there are depictions of women and of otherness that do not match the values of the present day. This is not a problem if the reader is able to place the work in its own time and does not read it as a moral model. The Kalevala is material that one can study, question and admire — all at the same time.

I myself have read the Kalevala twice in Finnish as my language skills have grown. On the first reading I understood at most a third. On the second time, when I had studied the language for five years, my understanding was much deeper. Still I feel that the work is greater than me: there are layers in it that open only through long and careful reading.

The Kalevala is not an object to be kept in a museum. It lives and breathes in Finnish culture still. Its task is to remind us that every people has its own story, whose telling never ends. As long as the Kalevala tradition survives, something deeper of the Finnish soul also survives.

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1. Kuka kokosi Kalevalan ja mistä aineistosta?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Elias Lönnrot kokosi sen 1800-luvulla kymmenistä tuhansista yksittäisistä runoista, joita oli laulettu Karjalan ja Kainuun seudulla.
2. Millainen rooli Kalevalalla oli Suomen itsenäistymisessä?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Se tarjosi suomalaiselle identiteetille perustan ja osoitti, että suomalaisilla oli oma kieli, sivistys ja maailmankuva, mikä tuki itsenäisyysliikettä.
3. Miten Kalevalan vaikutus näkyy populaarikulttuurissa?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Esimerkiksi rock-yhtye Amorphis on tehnyt levyjä Kalevalan pohjalta ja pelitalo Supercell on saanut nimensä Kalevalan hahmolta.
4. Miksi kirjoittaja sanoo, että Kalevalaa pitää lukea myös kriittisesti?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Koska joissakin kohtauksissa on nais- ja toiseuskuvauksia, jotka eivät vastaa nykyajan arvomaailmaa; teos on asetettava omaan aikaansa.
5. Mitä Kalevalan päivänä tehdään?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Helmikuun 28. päivänä kouluissa luetaan eepoksen otteita, järjestetään tilaisuuksia ja myönnetään palkintoja kulttuurialan ihmisille.