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Page name: Finnish mythology classroom [Logged in view] [RSS]

2007-06-30 23:09:41

Last author: Firenze
Owner: iippo

# of watchers: 9

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Finnish mythology

Welcome to Finnish mythology!

Kalevala is the finnish national epic. It was collected by Elias Lönnrot, who walked around the finnish Karelia, and listened to folk poetry and wrote it down to one big book. The star of Kalevala is Väinämöinen, a druid. There are also subplots, but that's the start. I will put up pictures by a very famous finnish painters, Akseli Gallen-Kallela and explain hidden meanings.

As a guide I will use the finnish Kalevala, and an english translation of it, my finnish handbook (schoolbook) and somekind of a explanatory book (similar to the ones you can find about the Bible).

There is also an online edition (in English):
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/

Teacher: [iippo]

<img:stuff/ETA_divider.jpg>

Students:

1. [Kalma]
2. [Alorin of Ensavias]
3. [Erdrawg]
4. [Aerin Weirynsra]
5. [Everin]
6. [Shas'o Tyler]
7. [Scooz]
8. [Keii]
9. [Macek]
10. [Maurer's conclusions]

<img:stuff/ETA_divider.jpg>

Brief Outline:

1. The Obvious Beginning
2. Background outside the Epic.

<img:stuff/ETA_divider.jpg>

The Obvious Beginning

According to Kalevala, the world came from eggs of a scaup. For the maiden of the Air Ilmatar fell down into the ocean and got pregnant from it (the ocean). She floated around for a long time. Then that bird landed on her knee and made a nest there. The bird layed eggs in its nest and brooded them. It was very uncomfortable for her - the heat mostly - and she moved her knee so the eggs fell into the water. They broke, and formed sky, land, sun, moon and stars. Then with her swimming she formed the coast of the land making bays, peninsulas and the sort. Then short time after this, she gave birth to her child, but that is another story.

Continued on in Class 1: The Obvious Beginning

<img:stuff/ETA_divider.jpg>

Background outside the Epic.

Besides the Kalevala, which is a collection of old mythical stories, finns had a more concrete religion far older than the legends gathered by Lönnrot. This ancient religion had a lot in common with many similar religions of its time. The religion and ways had changed in those thousands of years finns had inhabited their land before the arrival of christianity, so the more specific knowledge is from the few centuries before the crusades.

Continued on in Class 2: Background outside the epic

<img:stuff/ETA_divider.jpg>

Go or return to:
- Mythology
- Elftown Academy

2004-04-17 [iippo]: six students but only 2 of em watching... *sigh*

2004-04-25 [iippo]: http://elftown.lysator.liu.se/img/drawing/558_1082906861.jpg

2004-04-29 [Alorin of Ensavias]: im also watching

2004-05-02 [iippo]: good. honestly, that makes me feel better... (class full of people who aren't watching the page, i.e. aren't paying attention... i'll never distract a lesson in my life by talking or anything)

2004-06-04 [Keii]: Hi... hope you don't mind but I've joined your class. :)

2004-06-06 [iippo]: great!

2004-06-30 [willy]: I'm sure many others, more ...occasional visitors are intrested.

2004-07-07 [Macek]: fixed withthe=with the and ths=thus typos in the page =P Think I´m gonna watch the page as well ^_^

2004-07-17 [Maurer's conclusions]: I love kalevala, started reading it in swedish

2004-07-26 [iippo]: hello all newcomers and all. sorry this has been quite quet lately, my internet is down, but i'm expecting the fixer-dude any day now...

2005-04-25 [Celebfin]: Great job, it is good make Finland and finnish mythology known in the world. Sorry I'm not student but I believe that I know enough already about Kalevala. Do you happen to know who has translated those lines from Kalevala?

2005-04-26 [iippo]: I can check, if you give me a moment *curses uni-studies*

2006-04-17 [Aireiathiel]: hi... I've been wanting to learn suomi (figures my favorite band is Finnish and don't give translations to the few songs they don't write in English) so I was wondering if anyone knew a way to learn it online or if at least somewhere to find a translation to the lyrics of "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"

2006-04-17 [iippo]: Somehow I knew you were talking about Nightwish before you even mentioned the song. I don't know about online-learning, but I can translate "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" for you if you want. It's no problem at all.

2006-04-17 [iippo]: Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan. :)

2006-08-09 [Elmiira]: This is really interesting. :) I want to hear it too. :D Even though I know quite much too. :)

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