| |
| | KALEVALA |
 | | he Kalevala, the national epic of Karelia and Finland, was compiled by the physician, folklorist, and philologist Elias Lonnrot (1802-1884) in the course of twelve research trips in to Karelia (1828- 1844). |
 | | ifted with a remarkable memory, Lonnrot collected the songs of unlettered folk singers and wove them into a long narrative poem, centered around the three 'cultural heroes' of Karelian mythology, the sage-and-singer Vainamoinen, the smith Ilmarinen, and the brash eroticist and adventurer Lemminkainen. |
 | | he first fruit of Lonnrot's labors, the Old Kalevala, in 32 runos, was issued in 1835; a second, reordered, and expanded version of 50 runos, including the tale of the tragic outsider Kullervo, was brought out in 1849. |
| kalevala.onego.ru /1e.htm (382 words) |
|