.gif)
Kalevi (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n, Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
n mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
.
History
The first written mentioning of Kalev appears in 1641 in the Leyen SpiegelLeyen Spiegel
Leyen Spiegel is a two-volume sermon book with parallel texts in Estonian and German, written by Heinrich Stahl and published in Tallinn in 1641 and 1649. It is one of the oldest complete Estonian language books to survive. An original copy is held in the National Library of Estonia....
by Heinrich Stahl.
The name of Estonia's national epic Kalevipoeg
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...
means "son of Kalevi" (or "son of Kalev") and the name of Finnish national epic Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
means "Land of Kaleva". It is possible that the Kalevala might be the Estonian mainland.
According to 18th century Finnish folklore-collector Kristfrid Ganander, Kaleva had 12 sons in total which included such heroes as Väinämöinen
Väinämöinen
Väinämöinen is the central character in the Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic Kalevala. His name comes from the Finnish word väinämö, meaning minstrel. Originally a Finnish god, he was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical...
, Ilmarinen
Ilmarinen
Seppo Ilmarinen, the Eternal Hammerer, blacksmith and inventor in the Kalevala, is an archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. Immortal, he is capable of creating practically anything, but is portrayed as unlucky in love...
and Hiisi
Hiisi
Hiisis are a kind of tutelary spirits in mythologies of the Baltic Sea area, especially in Finland. In Christian tradition, they are most often considered to be malicious or at least very horrifying...
.
Myths
In Estonian stories, sons of Kaleva were originally considered royalty. In Finnish stories though, they are more often referred to as giantsGiant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
who built several castles and lived in various regions of Finland. Regardless, they are often blamed for oddities in nature, such as strangely large or weird stones.
Myths tells that as more and more of the citizens became Christians, they began to hate Kaleva's sons for remaining pagans. Soon, Kaleva's sons were forced to leave their country. As time passed, Christians invaded more and more land, pushing Kaleva's sons further away. Eventually, they found an island where they stayed and refused to leave. Christian priests came and cursed them until they took a big stone and sailed away with it. They have not been seen since then, but legend has it that they often come in the night and destroy crops or cut down forests. Almost the same thing happened to Hiisi
Hiisi
Hiisis are a kind of tutelary spirits in mythologies of the Baltic Sea area, especially in Finland. In Christian tradition, they are most often considered to be malicious or at least very horrifying...
people who resembles troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s. They were also forced to flee by Christians.
Derived
Finnish people called SiriusSirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
Kalevantähti which means "Star of Kaleva". The belt of Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
was called Kaleva's sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
.