“PentikŠinen’s exceptional interdisciplinary study will richly reward those interested in the dynamics of artistic creation and cultural construction, ethnic emergence and political nationalism, and shamanistic belief systems.” – Robert Jarvenpa, American Anthropologist

“A splendid contribution to the literature on folk epics and is highly relevant in the study of comparative literature and folkloristics.” – The Scandinavian-American Bulletin

“Kalevala Mythology is fluently translated by Ritva Poom and is expertly and imaginatively illustrated. Folklorists and mythologists are in-debted to PentikŠinen for an informative and stimulating book.” – Martin Puhvel, Ethnohistory

The Kalevala, created during the 1830s and 1840s, is based on folklore collected and compiled by Elias Lonnrot (1802-1884). It was the Kalevala that initiated the process leading to the foundation of Finnish identity during the nineteenth century and was one of the factors in the formation of Finland as a nation. The Kalevala also sheds light on the general process involved in the formation of other epics, such as the Niebelungenlied, the Edda, the Vedic books, and Homer’s works.
Pentik Šinen’s contribution to the study of international epics relevant to the fields of classics, comparative literature, social history, and, of course, anthropology, and folkloristics.