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Kalevala: the Epic Poem of Finland

By Elias Lönnrot (translated by John Martin Crawford)

Cover of Kalevala: the Epic Poem of Finland

Cover: The Forging of the Sampo (1893), oil on canvas by Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (artist died 1931)

Collected from Finnish singers by Elias Lönnrot, the Kalevala tells of the old magician Wainamoinen, the smith Ilmarinen, the wooing of the Maid of Pohja, and the forging, theft and loss of the Sampo, a mill of plenty. John Martin Crawford's English version of 1888 keeps the trochaic line of the Finnish.

Summary written with Claude Sonnet 5.5.

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Table of contents

  1. 1: Proem
  2. 2: Rune I. Birth of Wainamoinen
  3. 3: Rune II. Wainamoinen’s Sowing
  4. 4: Rune III. Wainamoinen and Youkahainen
  5. 5: Rune IV. the Fate of Aino
  6. 6: Rune V. Wainavoinen’s Lamentation
  7. 7: Rune VI. Wainamoinen’s Hapless Journey
  8. 8: Rune VII. Wainamoinen’s Rescue
  9. 9: Rune VIII. Maiden of the Rainbow
  10. 10: Rune IX. Origin of Iron
  11. 11: Rune X. Ilmarinen Forges the Sampo
  12. 12: Rune XI. Lemminkainen’s Lament
  13. 13: Rune XII. Kyllikki’s Broken Vow
  14. 14: Rune XIII. Lemminikainen’s Second Wooing
  15. 15: Rune XIV. Death of Lemminkainen
  16. 16: Rune XV. Lemminkainen’s Restoration
  17. 17: Rune XVI. Wainamoinen’s Boat-Building
  18. 18: Rune XVII. Wainamoinen Finds the Lost-Word
  19. 19: Rune XVIII. the Rival Suitors
  20. 20: Rune XIX. Ilmarinen’s Wooing
  21. 21: Rune XX. the Brewing of Beer
  22. 22: Rune XXI. Ilmarinen’s Wedding-Feast
  23. 23: Rune XXII. the Bride’s Farewell
  24. 24: Rune XXIII. Osmotar the Bride-Adviser
  25. 25: Rune XXIV. the Bride’s Farewell
  26. 26: Rune XXV. Wainamoinen’s Wedding-Songs
  27. 27: Rune XXVI. Origin of the Serpent
  28. 28: Rune XXVII. the Unwelcome Guest
  29. 29: Rune XXVIII. the Mother’s Counsel
  30. 30: Rune XXIX. the Isle of Refuge
  31. 31: Rune XXX. the Frost-Fiend
  32. 32: Rune XXXI. Kullerwoinen Son of Evil
  33. 33: Rune XXXII. Kullervo As a Shepherd
  34. 34: Rune XXXIII. Kullervo and the Cheat-Cake
  35. 35: Rune XXXIV. Kullervo Finds His Tribe-Folk
  36. 36: Rune XXXV. Kullervo’s Evil Deeds
  37. 37: Rune XXXVI. Kullerwoinen’s Victory and Death
  38. 38: Rune XXXVII. Ilmarinen’s Bride of Gold
  39. 39: Rune XXXVIII. Ilmarinen’s Fruitless Wooing
  40. 40: Rune XXXIX. Wainamoinen’s Sailing
  41. 41: Rune XL. Birth of the Harp
  42. 42: Rune XLI. Wainamoinen’s Harp-Songs
  43. 43: Rune XLII. Capture of the Sampo
  44. 44: Rune XLIII. the Sampo Lost in the Sea
  45. 45: Rune XLIV. Birth of the Second Harp
  46. 46: Rune XLV. Birth of the Nine Diseases
  47. 47: Rune XLVI. Otso the Honey-Eater
  48. 48: Rune XLVII. Louhi Steals Sun, Moon, and Fire
  49. 49: Rune XLVIII. Capture of the Fire-Fish
  50. 50: Rune XLIX. Restoration of the Sun and Moon
  51. 51: Rune L. Mariatta—Wainamoinen’s Departure
  52. 52: Epilogue