Editing Kalevala (section)

==The story==
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===Introduction===
The ''Kalevala'' begins with the traditional Finnish [[creation myth]], leading into stories of the creation of the earth, plants, creatures, and the sky. Creation, healing, combat and internal story telling are often accomplished by the character(s) involved singing of their exploits or desires. Many parts of the stories involve a character hunting or requesting lyrics (prayers) to acquire some skill, such as boatbuilding or the mastery of iron making. As well as prayer casting and singing, there are many stories of lust, romance, kidnapping and seduction. The protagonists of the stories often have to accomplish feats that are unreasonable or impossible which they often fail to achieve, leading to tragedy and humiliation.

The [[Sampo]] is a pivotal element of the whole work. Many actions and their consequences are caused by the Sampo itself or a character's interaction with the Sampo. It is described as a device that brings its possessor great fortune and prosperity, but its precise nature has been the subject of debate to the present day.

=== Cantos ===

{{main|Cantos of the Kalevala}}

====First Väinämöinen Cycle====

[[File:Robert Wilhelm Ekman - Ilmatar - A II 1256 - Finnish National Gallery.jpg|thumb|250px|''Ilmatar'' by [[Robert Wilhelm Ekman]], 1860]]

'''Cantos 1 to 2:''' The poem begins with an introduction by the singers. The Earth is created from the shards of the egg of a sotka bird, from which the first man, Väinämöinen, is born to [[Ilmatar]], the Holy Spirit of the Heaven. Ilmatar forms the seas and the archipelagos and the lands, while Väinämöinen brings trees and life to the barren world.

'''Cantos 3–5:''' Väinämöinen encounters the jealous [[Joukahainen]] and they engage in a battle of song. Joukahainen loses and pledges his sister's hand in return for his life; the sister Aino soon drowns herself in the sea.

'''Cantos 6–10:''' Väinämöinen heads to [[Pohjola]] to propose to a maiden of the north, a daughter of the mistress of the north [[Louhi]]. Joukahainen attacks Väinämöinen again, and Väinämöinen floats for days on the sea until he is carried by an eagle to Pohjola. He makes a deal with Louhi to get [[Ilmarinen]] the smith to create the Sampo. Ilmarinen refuses to go to Pohjola so Väinämöinen forces him against his will. The Sampo is forged. Ilmarinen returns without a bride.

====First Lemminkäinen Cycle====

'''Cantos 11–15:''' [[Lemminkäinen]] sets out in search of a bride. He and the maid Kyllikki make vows but the happiness doesn't last long and Lemminkäinen sets off to woo a maiden of the north. His mother tries to stop him, but he disregards her warnings and instead gives her his hairbrush, telling her that if it starts to bleed he has met his doom. At Pohjola Louhi assigns dangerous tasks to him in exchange for her daughter's hand. While hunting for the swan of [[Tuonela]], Lemminkäinen is killed and falls into the river of death. The brush he gave to his mother begins to bleed. Remembering her son's words, she goes in search of him. With a rake given to her by Ilmarinen, she collects the pieces of Lemminkäinen scattered in the river and pieces him back together.

[[Image:Gallen Kallela Lemminkainens Mother.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Lemminkäinen's Mother]] by [[Akseli Gallen-Kallela]], 1897]]

====Second Väinämöinen Cycle====

'''Cantos 16–18:''' Väinämöinen builds a boat to travel to Pohjola once again in search of a bride. He visits Tuonela and is held prisoner, but he manages to escape and sets out to gain knowledge of the necessary spells from the giant Antero Vipunen. Väinämöinen is swallowed and has to torture Antero Vipunen for the spells and his escape. With his boat completed, Väinämöinen sets sail for Pohjola. Ilmarinen learns of this and resolves to go to Pohjola himself to woo the maiden. The maiden of the north chooses Ilmarinen.

====Ilmarinen's Wedding====

'''Cantos 19–25:''' Ilmarinen is assigned dangerous unreasonable tasks to win the hand of the maiden. He accomplishes these tasks with some help from the maiden herself. In preparation for the wedding, beer is brewed, a giant steer is slaughtered, and invitations are sent out. Lemminkäinen is uninvited. The wedding party begins and all are happy. Väinämöinen sings and lauds the people of Pohjola. The bride and bridegroom are prepared for their roles in matrimony. The couple arrive home and are greeted with drink and viands.

====Second Lemminkäinen Cycle====

'''Cantos 26–30:''' Lemminkäinen is resentful for not having been invited to the wedding and sets out immediately for Pohjola. On his arrival he is challenged to and wins a duel with Sariola, the Master of the North. Louhi is enraged and an army is conjured to enact revenge upon Lemminkäinen. He flees to his mother, who advises him to head to Saari, the Island of Refuge. On his return he finds his house burned to the ground. He goes to Pohjola with his companion Tiera to exact his revenge, but Louhi freezes the seas and Lemminkäinen has to return home. When he arrives home he is reunited with his mother and vows to build larger better houses to replace the ones burned down.

====Kullervo Cycle====

[[File:Kullervo puhuu miekalleen.jpg|thumb|170px|''Kullervo Speaks to His Sword'' by [[Carl Eneas Sjöstrand]], 1868 <small>(cast into bronze in 1932)</small>]]

'''Cantos 31–36:''' Untamo kills his brother Kalervo's people, but spares his wife who later conceives [[Kullervo]]. Untamo sees the boy as a threat, and after trying to have him killed several times without success, sells Kullervo as a slave to Ilmarinen. Ilmarinen's wife torments and bullies Kullervo, so he tricks her into being torn apart by a pack of wolves and bears. Kullervo escapes from Ilmarinen's homestead and learns from an old lady in the forest that his family is still alive, and is soon reunited with them. While returning home from paying taxes, he meets and seduces a young maiden, only to find out that she is his sister. Upon realizing this, she kills herself and Kullervo returns home distressed. He decides to wreak revenge upon Untamo and sets out to find him. Kullervo wages war on Untamo and his people, laying all to waste, and then returns home, where he finds his farm deserted. Filled with remorse and regret, he kills himself in the place where he seduced his sister.

====Second Ilmarinen Cycle====

'''Cantos 37–38:''' Grieving for his lost love, Ilmarinen forges himself a wife out of gold and silver, but finds her to be cold and discards her. He heads for Pohjola and kidnaps the youngest daughter of Louhi. The daughter insults him so badly that he instead sings a spell to turn her into a bird and returns to Kalevala without her. He tells Väinämöinen about the prosperity and wealth that has met Pohjola's people thanks to the Sampo.

====Theft of the Sampo====

'''Cantos 39–44:''' Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen sail to Pohjola to recover the Sampo. While on their journey they kill a monstrous pike and from its jaw bone the first {{lang|fi|kantele}} is made, with which Väinämöinen sings so beautifully even deities gather to listen. The heroes arrive in Pohjola and demand a share of the Sampo's wealth or they will take the whole Sampo by force. Louhi musters her army; however, Väinämöinen lulls everyone in Pohjola to sleep with his music. The Sampo is taken from its vault of stone and the heroes set out for home. Louhi conjures a great army, turns herself into a massive eagle and fights for the Sampo. In the battle the Sampo is lost to the sea and destroyed.

====Louhi's Revenge on Kalevala====

'''Cantos 45–49:''' Enraged at the loss of the Sampo, Louhi sends the people of Kalevala diseases and a great bear to kill their cattle. She hides the sun and the moon and steals fire from Kalevala. Väinämöinen heals all of the ailments and, with Ilmarinen, restores the fire. Väinämöinen forces Louhi to return the Sun and the Moon to the skies.

====Marjatta cycle====

'''Canto 50:''' The shy young virgin Marjatta becomes impregnated from a [[lingonberry]] she ate while tending to her flock. She conceives a son. Väinämöinen orders the killing of the boy, but the boy begins to speak and reproaches Väinämöinen for ill judgement. The child is then baptised King of Karelia. Väinämöinen sails away leaving only his songs and kantele as legacy but vowing to return when there's no moon or sun and happiness isn't free anymore.

The poem ends and the singers sing a farewell and thank their audience.

===Characters===

====Väinämöinen====
[[File:Robert Wilhelm Ekman - Väinämöinen’s Play.jpg|thumb|170px|Väinämöinen is deeply identified with his [[kantele]]. <small>(''Väinämöinen's Play'', Robert Wilhelm Ekman, 1866)</small>]]
Väinämöinen, the central character of ''The Kalevala'', is a [[shaman]]istic hero with a magical power of song and music similar to that of [[Orpheus]]. He is born of Ilmatar and contributes to the creation of Earth as it is today. Many of his travels resemble shamanistic journeys, most notably one where he visits the belly of a ground-giant, [[Antero Vipunen]], to find the songs of boat building. Väinämöinen's search for a wife is a central element in many stories, but he never finds one.

Väinämöinen is associated with playing a {{lang|fi|kantele}}, a Finnish stringed instrument that resembles and is played like a [[zither]].<ref name="Matkoja musiikkiin 1800-luvun Suomessa (Journeys into music in 19th century Finland)">{{cite web|url=http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=8519|title=Matkoja musiikkiin 1800-luvun Suomessa (Journeys into music in 19th century Finland)|access-date=17 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720194536/http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=8519|archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="kantele">{{cite web|url=http://www.finnishheritagemuseum.org/MONTHLY.stories/March09/index.html|title=The Kantele Sings in Finnland – A Cultural Phenomenon|access-date=17 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721083935/http://www.finnishheritagemuseum.org/MONTHLY.stories/March09/index.html|archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>

====Ilmarinen====
Seppo Ilmarinen is a heroic artificer (comparable to the Germanic [[Wayland the Smith|Weyland]] and the Greek [[Daedalus]]). He crafted the [[Finnish mythology#The origins and the structure of the world|dome of the sky]], the Sampo and various other magical devices featured in ''The Kalevala''. Ilmarinen, like Väinämöinen, also has many stories told of his search for a wife, reaching the point where he forges one of gold.

====Lemminkäinen====
[[File:Ekman, Lemminkäinen tulisella järvellä (sketch).jpg|thumb|250px|Lemminkäinen and overlord Ukko]]
Lemminkäinen, a handsome, arrogant and reckless seducer, is the son of {{langnf|fi|Lempi|term1=lust |term2=favourite|links=no}}. He has a close relationship with his mother, who revives him after he has been drowned in the river of Tuonela while pursuing the object of his romantic desires.

====Ukko====
{{langnf|fi|[[Ukko]]|Old man|links=no}} is the god of sky and thunder, and the leading deity mentioned within ''The Kalevala''. He corresponds to [[Thor]] and [[Zeus]].

====Joukahainen====
Joukahainen is a base young man who arrogantly challenges Väinämöinen to a singing contest, which he loses. In exchange for his life Joukahainen promises his young sister [[Aino (mythology)|Aino]] to Väinämöinen. Joukahainen attempts to gain his revenge on Väinämöinen by killing him with a crossbow, but only succeeds in killing Väinämöinen's horse. Joukahainen's actions lead to Väinämöinen promising to build a Sampo in return for Louhi rescuing him.

====Louhi====
[[File:Sammon puolustus.jpg|thumb|Mistress of the North, Louhi attacking Väinämöinen in the form of a giant eagle with her troops on her back. <small>(''[[The Defense of the Sampo]]'', Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1896)</small>]]
Louhi, the Mistress of the North, is the shamanistic matriarch of the people of Pohjola, a people rivalling those of Kalevala. She is the cause of much trouble for Kalevala and its people.

Louhi at one point saves Väinämöinen's life. She has many daughters whom the heroes of Kalevala make many attempts, some successful, to seduce. Louhi plays a major part in the battle to prevent the heroes of Kalevala from stealing back the Sampo, which as a result is ultimately destroyed. She is a powerful witch with a skill almost on a par with that of Väinämöinen.

====Kullervo====
Kullervo is the vengeful, mentally ill, tragic son of Kalervo. He was abused as a child and sold into slavery to Ilmarinen. He is put to work and treated badly by Ilmarinen's wife, whom he later kills. Kullervo is a misguided and troubled youth, at odds with himself and his situation. He often goes into [[Berserker|berserk]] rage, and in the end commits suicide.

====Marjatta====
Marjatta is a young virgin of Kalevala. She becomes pregnant from eating a [[Vaccinium vitis-idaea|lingonberry]]. When her labour begins she is expelled from her parents' home and leaves to find a place where she can sauna and give birth. She is turned away from numerous places but finally finds a place in the forest and gives birth to a son. Marjatta's nature, impregnation and searching for a place to give birth are in allegory to the Virgin Mary and the [[Christianisation]] of Finland.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics'', Part 14, by James Hastings, p. 642.</ref> Marjatta's son is later condemned to death by Väinämöinen for being born out of wedlock. The boy in turn chastises Väinämöinen and is later crowned King of Karelia. This angers Väinämöinen, who leaves Kalevala after bequeathing his songs and kantele to the people as his legacy.