Jyrki Korpua’s Tolkien ja Kalevala (‘Tolkien and the Kalevala’, 2022, £28) is a new book relevant to the young Tolkien. It’s in Finnish and about Tolkien and his discovery and engagement with the Finnish national folk-epic the Kalevala. Like many of his time, the young Tolkien found such (then relatively newly-recovered/reconstructed) Northern mythology fresher than the well-worn southern myths of Greece and Rome. Also a window through which to peer into the deep past of a harsh and misty North. But according to reviews the new book’s author also asks if “Tolkien would have started to create a larger world without the Kalevala”, and if it would have lacked certain key character types, ideas, activities (song and music) and heroic tasks.

Tolkien ja Kalevala

Introduction

I. From folklore to fantasy

About role models, ancient heroes.
Lonnrot’s Kalevala.
Tolkien’s known Kalevala.
Tolkien’s production.
What did Tolkien think of the Kalevala?
Fusions of the Finnish language and the Kalevala in Tolkien.

II. The Kalevala story and Tolkien’s fantasy world

World creation and world order.
Singing contests and courtship tasks.
Sampo and the Silmarils.
Intermissions.
The end of the story.

III. The dark parts of Tolkien’s world

The power of song, music and words.
Nature and the elements.
Vainamoinen.
From Louhe.
From Ilmarinen.
From Kullervo.

Conclusion

Afterwords

References
Sources
Directory [Glossary?]