The ‘Kalevala,’ the epic poem of Finland, has its roots in two cultures

A poem based on Finnish folklore and mythology, the Kalevala is regarded as the national epic of Finland. Accordingly, Finland has designated Feb. 28, the date the poem was completed in 1835, as a day to celebrate this symbol of national literature and Finnish culture. 

The Kalevala was compiled by Elias Lönnrot from the Karelian (a language native to the historical region of Karelia, which is today split between Finland and Russia). With approximately 20,000–25,000 speakers, the endangered Karelian language is distinct from but closely related to Finnish. 

The Kalevala contains 50 poems or songs (known also as cantos or runes), which are about legendary heroes, gods and goddesses and mythical events. Like all good epics, the Kalevala depicts objects of power, the most mysterious of which was something known as the Sampo.

Lemminkäinen is one of the heroes of the Kalevala, in which his character is a composite of several warriors depiected in oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and handsome, with wavy red hair. Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen is a symphonic portrait of the life and romantic escapades of this folk hero. Under Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen in concerts Feb. 19-21.

Directly after the CSO concert on Feb. 21, Prof. Thomas Dubois will lead an audience Q&A session about the artistic influences of the fabled folk hero Lemminkäinen on Sibelius’ work. The event is open to all ticket holders that night and will occur in Grainger Ballroom, with seating limited to approximately 300 patrons.

For the Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization, Dubois has written an article that discusses the roots of the Kalevala and the two cultures that spawned it — still closely related, but now on separate sides of the Finnish-Russian border.

"On Feb. 28, the anniversary of the day on which Lönnrot completed the first edition of the Kalevala, public buildings in Finland will fly the country’s flag. Schools and cultural institutions will organize events to celebrate the Kalevala, and the cultural and political independence it helped achieve,“ Dubois writes. ”On the other side of the border, perhaps Karelian speakers and some other inhabitants will celebrate as well.

"In a Russia where cultural and ethnic minorities’ activism can attract suspicion, though, any observance is likely to be far more muted: The situation remains regrettably tense ’on these poor borders, the luckless lands of the North.’ "