Kalevala – their Characters, Stories and Importance in Finland
Where does the breath come from?
Who knows the songs that bind us, connect us, join us together?
Who sang the first song, who spoke the first word?
The evocative, musically rich performance of Fire in the North Sky draws from Kalevala,
Finland’s national epic, based on folk poems that were sung across Finland, Estonia and Karelia
(Russia) for centuries. While publication of the text was instrumental to Finnish national identity,
this performance returns the story and music to their oral, varied roots.
“It’s so exciting to move between music, poetry, songs, spells and stories, combining this hugely
rich history with invention and inspiration.” Nick Hennessey
This original show is created and performed by the UK’s leading Kalevala storyteller, Nick
Hennessey and three of Finland’s leading folk musicians, all of whom are academics at the
Sibelius Academy in Helsinki - Kristiina Ilmonen (percussion, flutes, vocals), Anna-Kaisa Liedes
(singer) and Timo Väänänen (kantele, pyngyr, vocals).
About The Show & Its Characters
Fire in the North Sky is a collection of stories and episodes which, combined with beautiful and
evocative music, take us on a journey through the Finnish landscape alongside magnificent
adventures, uncovering great human emotion and dramas, amidst a sea of rich characters. It
gives audiences the authentic flavour of the ancient epic as well as modern, lively interpretations
of the characters, stories and songs. It presents a rare opportunity to experience authentic
Kalevala stories in English and a style of folk music, which is quirky, beautiful and uniquely
atmospheric.
The Characters
Many of the characters in Fire in the North Sky are gods and heroes, deeply rooted in Finnish
mythology. Their names are frequently found in Finland, as company, brand and street names,
linking into their characteristics and Finnish cultural identity. In Fire in the North Sky, we see
them embarking on epic journeys, performing magical feats, and engaging in very human stories
of love, loss and longing.
This colourful cast of characters are evoked through the songs and stories. The epic’s central
hero is Väinämöinen (pronounced Vai-na-moi-nen), who is the kantele player (traditional Finnish
instrument) with the precious gift of music. He is a very old, wise man, even at the point when
the world is formed. Some say that Väinämöinen inspired Tolkien’s Gandalf and that the elfish
language is based on ancient Finnish.
Ilmarinen (pronounced Il-mar-in-en) is the mighty blacksmith, he has the ability to forge anything
he chooses, and he forges the Sampo - a mysterious object that brings infinite wealth and
prosperity to its owner.
And Lemminkäinen is the handsome and foolish youth, the Don Juan of Finland, forever setting
out northwards on his skis to woo women. Lemminkäinen is a great hero of Kalevala and is the
subject of the well-loved "Lemminkäinen Suite" by Jean Sibelius.
Aino is a beautiful young woman. She is described as fragile as a flower; and yet Aino has great
inner strength and refuses to be tied down by any man, even when wooed by the great hero,
Väinämöinen. In the story of Aino and Väinämöinen, it is most definitely Aino who has the upper
hand!
Antero Vipunen (pronounced Ant-er-o Veep-oon-en) - an ancient and ill-tempered giant buried
deep underground, he possibly even forms part of the earth. Väinämöinen goes to Antero
Vipunen to ask him to provide the spell that he needs to build a ship. Antero Vipunen swallows
Väinämöinen whole, providing one of the most gruesome yet entertaining episodes of Fire in the
North Sky.
Stories from Fire in the North Sky
About Kalevala
Kalevala (pronounced Kal-ev-al-a) is an epic work of literature compiled by Elias Lönnrot
(pronounced Lin-rort) in the 19th Century. Kalevala covers all aspects of human life - love, desire,
hatred and envy. It contains the People’s stories.
Swedish was the official language of Finland for centuries right up until the late 19th Century, and
the country declared their independence in 1917. Kalevala, published in the Finnish language, is
widely regarded as the national epic of Finland; it is a cultural treasure and considered to be
instrumental in the development of Finnish national identity.
Elias Lönnrot travelled extensively around Finland and Karelia (a region now divided between
Finland and Russia) visiting the runosong (folklore) singers, listening to and “collecting” their
ancient songs. Traditionally, runo singers would choose to sing any number of traditional songs
or stories in any order, creating a different experience every time - Finland’s oral tradition is the
envy of many nations. The artists in Fire in the North Sky bring Kalevala back to its oral roots and
like the runo singers, have selected a number of stories to include in this production and over the
various years that this show will tour, will choose to feature different stories.
Kalevala is 23,000 lines long and has been translated into over 50 different languages. As a piece
of world literature, Kalevala’s mythical themes and poetic style have been a fundamental
influence to many writers including Longfellow and Tolkien.
Kalevala is studied by school children in Finland and can be regarded as a British school child
might regard Shakespeare.
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