Kalevipoeg


Kalevipoeg is an epic poem by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald held to be the Estonian national epic.

Origins

There existed an oral tradition within Ancient Estonia of legends explaining the origin of the world. Within old Estonian folklore, a malevolent giant by the name of Kalev, Kalevine, Kalevipoiss, Kalevine posikine and Kalevin Poika appears, battling with other giants or enemies of the nation. Early written references are found in Leyen Spiegel in 1641 as "Kalliweh", and in a list of deities published by Mikael Agricola in 1551 as "Caleuanpoiat".
The earliest remaining written reference to Kalevipoeg – a.k.a. Kaleva in Finland and Kalevi, Kalev, Kalevine, Kalevipoiss, Kalevine posikine, Kalevin Poika in Estonia – is by many experts considered to be one found in Widsith, also known as The Traveller's Song, which also provides the earliest known written usage of the name Viking, with the spelling wicing. Widsith is a 6th or 7th century Anglo-Saxon poem – or song – of 143 lines, which became copied into the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th century. Widsith is for the most part a survey of the people, kings and heroes of Europe in the Germanic Heroic Age.
The Germanic Heroic Age corresponds to the Germanic Wars in terms of historiography, and to the Germanic Iron Age in terms of archaeology, spanning over the early centuries of the 1st millennium, in particular the 4th and 5th centuries, the period of the final collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the establishment of stable "barbarian kingdoms" larger than at the tribal level. The Germanic peoples at the time lived mostly in tribal societies.
The following is stated in Widsith:
"Caesar ruled the Greeks, Caelic the Finns... I was with the Greeks and Finns and also with Caesar...".

Many historians and folklorists believe Widsith's "Caelic" to be a reference to the ancient Finnic ruler Kaleva/Kalevi, discussed in both the Finnish epic Kalevala and the Estonian epic Kalevipoeg.

History

The main material is taken from Estonian folklore of a giant hero named Kalevipoeg. These tales mainly interpret various natural objects and features as traces of Kalevipoeg's deeds and have similarities with national epics from neighbouring regions, especially the Finnish Kalevala.
In 1839, Friedrich Robert Faehlmann read a paper at the Learned Estonian Society about the legends of Kalevipoeg. He sketched the plot of a national romantic epic poem. In 1850, after Faehlmann's death, Kreutzwald started writing the poem, interpreting it as the reconstruction of an obsolete oral epic. He collected oral stories and wove them together into a unified whole.
The first version of Kalevipoeg could not be printed due to censorship. The second, thoroughly revised version was published in sequels as an academic publication by the Learned Estonian Society in 1857–1861. The publication included a translation into German. In 1862, the third, somewhat abridged version came out. This was a book for common readers. It was printed in Kuopio, Finland.

Characters

In Estonian legends, Kalevipoeg carries stones or throws them at enemies, and also uses planks edgewise as weapons, following the advice of a hedgehog. He also forms surface structures on landscape and bodies of water and builds towns. He walks through deep water. Kalevipoeg eventually dies after his feet are cut off by his own sword owing to his own priorand fatally ambiguousinstructions.
Kalevipoeg was the youngest son of Kalev and Linda, born after his father's death and surpassed his brothers in intelligence and strength. It is often thought that Kalevipoeg's real name was Sohni/Soini, but it actually means simply 'son' and he never had other name than Kalevipoeg. Alevipoeg, and Sulevipoeg were his friends and more distant relatives.
The character only rarely appears in folk songs. In literature, he was first mentioned by Heinrich Stahl in the 17th century.

Synopsis

Kalevipoeg travels to Finland in search of his kidnapped mother. During his travel he purchases a sword but kills the blacksmith's eldest son in an argument. The blacksmith places a curse on the sword and is thrown in the river. On returning to Estonia Kalevipoeg becomes king after defeating his brothers in a stone hurling competition. He constructs towns and forts and tills the land in Estonia. Kalevipoeg then journeys to the ends of the earth to expand his knowledge. He defeats Satan in a trial of strength and rescues three maidens from hell. War breaks out and destruction visits Estonia and Kalevipoeg's faithful comrades are killed, he hands rule over to his brother Olev and withdraws to the forest depressed. Crossing a river, the sword cursed by the Blacksmith and previously thrown in the river, cuts off his legs. He dies and goes to heaven. Taara, in consultation with the other gods, reanimates Kalevipoeg, places his legless body on a white steed, and sends him down to the gates of hell where he is ordered to strike the rock with his fist, thus entrapping it in the rock. So Kalevipoeg remains to guard the gates of hell.

Structure

Poetic structure

The epic is written in old Estonian alliterative verse. Approximately one eighth of the verses are authentic; the rest are imitation.

Contents and synopses

The Kalevipoeg consists of twenty cantos.
Canto I - The marriages of Salme and Linda
Canto II - The death of Kalev
Canto III - The fate of Linda
Canto IV - The island maiden
Canto V - The Kalevide and the Finnish sorcerer
Canto VI - The Kalevide and the swordsmiths
Canto VII - The return of the Kalevide
Canto VIII - The contest and parting of the brothers
Canto IX - Rumours of war
Canto X - The heroes and the Water-Demon
Canto XI - The loss of the sword
Canto XII - The fight with the sorcerer's sons
Canto XIII - The Kalevide's first journey to Hades
Canto XIV - The palace of Sarvik
Canto XV - The marriage of the sisters
Canto XVI - The voyage of the Kalevide
Canto XVII - The heroes and the dwarf
Canto XVIII - The Kalevide's journey to Põrgu
Canto XIX - The last feast of the heroes
.
Canto XX - Armageddon

Comparative mythology

Kalevipoeg has been referenced in both official contexts and in popular culture. The Estonian Declaration of Independence begins with a passage that quotes a god in Canto XX, right after the death of the protagonist Kalevipoeg: "In the course of centuries never have the Estonian people lost their desire for independence. From generation to generation have they kept alive the hidden hope that in spite of enslavement and oppression by hostile invaders the time will come to Estonia 'when all splints, at both end, will burst forth into flames' and when 'Kalev will come home to bring his children happiness'. Now that time has arrived."

Editions