Kaikki aineistot
Lisää
--- Right from its publishing, our national epic Kalevala has been an inspiration to artists, authors, and composers. Interest in the Kalevala has continued to this day, and it still continues. Here I research how material from the Kalevala is used in new texts. The main material consists of fiction literature published over three decades, and I also look at metal music lyrics. This research consists of five articles and a summary section, where I also present the research material. The research touches the interface between literary studies and folkloristics. The material is literature, but the perspective is that of cultural studies. The works I examine do not hide their connection to the Kalevala; occasionally the Kalevala is even referred to directly. Although the formation of the Kalevala is often associated with the birth of the Finnish nation, these new works do not show any strong patriotic ethos. However, the events generally take place in Finland or in a place similar to Finland. The influence of the Kalevala can be seen especially in fantasy literature, and the mythical elements of the Kalevala readily merge into fantasy. The archetypal characters of the Kalevala are also used in the new texts; The character Louhi seems to appear mainly in the role of a powerful enemy. The new texts’ descriptions of Tuonela and Pohjola, which is described as the land of death, may be related to the rising new spirituality. Despite the fact that a large part of the poems used in the formation of the Kalevala were collected outside the borders of Finland, the Kalevala is part of the Finnish cultural heritage, and the contents of the Kalevala belong to the stock of cultural images shared by those who grew up in Finland. In this way, the Kalevala continues to inspire new storytellers and the ideas, characters and events of the epic are transferred to be used again