Kalevala | The Balto-Finnish Epics
The following discussion of the genesis, form, content, and national importance of the Kalevala is taken from a chapter on Balto-Finnish epic literature. The editors have included only those footnotes that apply to the excerpted material reprinted below.
The Technique of Compilation
Lonnrot's contemporaries ... were of the opinion that Lonnrot had "found the epic in the forest,'' i.e., had restored the original form of the epic. That is, of course, only an illusion. In reality, in its structure the Kalevala was entirely Lonnrot's compilation. This compilation was based on the best and most complete variants of the songs that he had at his disposal, with the addition of verses from other variants and even from other songs. Research has revealed that Lonnrot did not take more than three or four consecutive lines from...
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