15 h 53 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 15 h 53 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a song could sink your rival into a swamp—or shape the world itself?
In the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, words carry the force of tools and weapons. The ancient singer Väinämöinen works wonders with his voice, while the proud Joukahainen dares to challenge him. From the making of the world to the rivalry with the cold North, this poem brings wisdom, longing and dangerous pride into conflict.
Ilmarinen, the patient smith, forges the wondrous Sampo and hopes to win a bride. Louhi, the shrewd mistress of Pohjola, wants it for her people and drives hard bargains. Meanwhile, reckless Lemminkäinen rushes toward danger. These tales unfold in a repeating rhythm that invites you to linger.
What you’ll discover
- The birth of everything Enter the opening scenes where Ilmatar floats on the sea and helps shape the world.
- A contest of voices Meet a boastful challenger whose pride brings him face to face with Väinämöinen’s powerful songs.
- The smith and the Sampo Follow Ilmarinen’s craft into a struggle where marriage hopes meet Louhi’s hard bargains.
- Heroes drawn toward danger Encounter Lemminkäinen, whose love of feasts and fights runs against his mother’s warnings.
- Words that work wonders Discover a world where songs can heal wounds or raise a boat from timber.
Who will love it
This is for readers who love myths, fairy tales and heroes with magic in their voices. It suits anyone curious about Finnish culture, the roots of fantasy, or old songs made to be heard aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sea mother and a duck make the world
- Wainamoinen sows a bare island with life
- Boasting Youkahainen loses a singing contest
- Aino chooses the sea over an unwanted marriage
- The Sampo is forged for the witch of the North
- Reckless Lemminkainen woos and breaks his vows
- Wainamoinen travels to the dead for lost words
- A smith wins the bride, and the beer is brewed
- Singing is power, and the poem knows it
- The poem is built from repeated lines and tales
Who’s who
- WainamoinenThe ancient singer born from the sea, whose songs shape the world. He wants wisdom, a wife and a safe home for his people.
- IlmarinenThe master smith who forged the sky and the Sampo. He wants to win the beautiful maiden of the North.
- LemminkainenA reckless, handsome islander and fighter. He wants love and glory, and he rarely listens to his mother's warnings.
- LouhiThe witch queen of the cold North who keeps the Sampo. She sets hard tests for any suitor of her daughter.
- YoukahainenA proud young singer from Lapland who challenges Wainamoinen. He wants fame, and his envy grows into a bitter grudge.
- AinoYoukahainen's young sister, who is promised in marriage against her wishes. She wants to stay free in her own home.
- KullervoA fatherless boy raised in hardship after his family is destroyed. He wants revenge and a place where he belongs.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Kalevala: Das finnische Epos – vollständig
by Elias Lönnrot (Herausgeber); John Martin Crawford (Übersetzer) · 1835
A maiden of the air drifts on the sea for seven hundred years before her son Wainamoinen is born.
Challenging10–20 hours to readDeutsch
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if you had to sing a world into being? The Kalevala begins with a lonely air maiden who falls into the sea, a duck that nests on her knee, and seven eggs.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A sea mother and a duck make the world
The Kalevala starts before the world exists. A maiden called the Daughter of Ether grows tired of her loneliness in the sky. She comes down to the ocean, and a storm wind tosses her on the waves until she is with child.
For seven hundred years she swims, unable to give birth. She cries out to Ukko, the god of the heavens. A duck flies down, looking for a place to nest, and mistakes her raised knee for a green hillock.
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You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1835
- Language
- Deutsch
- Reading time
- 10 h 20 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland — Complete. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/kalevala-the-epic-poem-of-finland-complete.
Kalevala: The epic poem of Finland — Complete. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/kalevala-the-epic-poem-of-finland-complete (Original work published 1835)
Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland — Complete. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/kalevala-the-epic-poem-of-finland-complete.
@book{anonymous2026kalevala,
title = {Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland — Complete},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/kalevala-the-epic-poem-of-finland-complete},
note = {First published 1835}
}
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What is the Kalevala about?
It is a long poem of Finnish myth. It follows the singer Wainamoinen, the smith Ilmarinen and the adventurer Lemminkainen from the making of the world through courtships, magic quests and the struggle for a wonder-working mill called the Sampo.
What is the Sampo in the Kalevala?
The Sampo is a magic mill forged by Ilmarinen for Louhi, the witch queen of the North. One side grinds flour, one makes salt and one makes money. It brings good fortune to its holder and stirs envy in others.
Is the Kalevala a true story?
No, it is mythology. Elias Lönnrot collected old folk songs in the nineteenth century and arranged them into one epic of fifty runes. The songs themselves are much older, and they were sung by village singers.
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