Many centuries ago, in the land where tall pines and spruce trees rustle, and sea waves talk to the surface of the lake, wonderful folk legends arose. They were called runes and were passed down from mouth to mouth for generations, only to be compiled into a single poem by the Finnish linguist Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century. Kalevala is the name of a sunny and fertile country in which glorious heroes live: here the old, wise Väinämöinen sings his prophetic songs and everything happens according to his word; here is the fearless hunter, the cheerful Lemminkäinen, who is going to make a match in the dark country of Pohjola; but the skilled blacksmith Ilmarinen forges the wonderful Sampo mill, which can provide its owner with flour, salt, and gold. Heroes go on journeys and accomplish feats, defeat evil and restore justice - so that there is wealth and happiness in their native land, so that the good people do not know evil and misfortune. The legendary Karelian-Finnish epic was retold for children by Alexandra Lyubarskaya, and embodied in illustrations by Nikolai Kochergin.
Illustrations: Nikolai Kochergin
Translation: Leonid Belsky
Pages: 208 (offset). Hardcover
Dimensions: 225x180x15 mm
