GoL: The Kalevala - In Finnish, English and Quenya!

[Lantarion]

It's amazing. I just found a site, by a Finnish Tolkienist, who has translated the First Poem in the Kalevala into English and - Quenya!
It's truly remarkable. And from what little Quenya I know it looks like it's accurate. Check it out, it's truly worth it.

Kalevala translation (http://www.geocities.com/petristikka/elvish/foreword.html)

That is the foreword, and the link to the actual Poem is underneath it.

He seems to be translating the whole Kalevala into Quenya! I'm not sure, but I don't think there is an existing one.. How exiting! :eek:

PS: This is also the very first Guild of Languages thread! All people who are proficient in Quenya (like Cian and Ledreanne) would be doing the rest of the membership a favour by discussing this translation. :)

Which translation, the English or the Quenya, do you think is better, and why? (It's a shame I don't speak Quenya, I could compare it straight to the Finnish one: the English translation is very poor :()

[Zale]

Would I be the only ignorant person asking what the Kalevala is? (Despite practically having started this guild.)

[Lantarion]

Heh. :)
The Kalevala is the national mythos of Finland, and is a wrought collection of ancient poems and beliefs, collected by Elias Lönnrot in the 1800s. It is a very epic collection of legends and tales, which tell of the beginning of the World and great events within that world. Even Tolkien was amazed by it, and adapted the story of Kullervo into the character of Túrin Turambar.
But if anybody knows enough Quenya to properly decipher the translation (from Finnish) in that Elven tongue, I'd like to hear whether the English transliteration is well rendered, and which is better.

[Lantarion]

I'm overjoyed at the throng of people taking interest.. :rolleyes:
;)

[Zale]

Sorry, I was distracted by my exams. Although I'm not exactly a throng by myself. I'll go away and read the Kalevala (in English) now.

[Lantarion]

And how might it be going, Zale? :rolleyes:
Well, I didn't really think a lot of people would be that enthusiastic, but I did assume that some would know what the Kalevala is.. :o

[Ireth Telrúnya]

I don't think I have ever read the whole Kalevala.
Maybe I should since it's part of our heritance in this country.
Have you read it, Lantarion?

[Arvedui]

If you have an interest in more northern mythology, try the Northvegr-site at http://www.northvegr.org/main.php

I think the Kalevala can be found there also, among a lot of other resources. There is a separate section called Language Resources.

[Lantarion]

Wow Arvedui that looks great! :eek: I actually recently bought a version of a collection of Viking-aphorisms, called the Hávamál, and it is very interesting! It would be wonderful to learn to read the Poetic Edda in its original tongue (or at least in English rendition). ;)
But I didn't find anything about the Kalevala on that site. :(

Ireth I have read only the first thirty or so laulua, and some later parts like the tale of Kullervo.. I have been meaning to read it from cover to cover though, and I have promised myself I would. :o

[Barliman Butterbur]

It's amazing. I just found a site, by a Finnish Tolkienist, who has translated the First Poem in the Kalevala into English and - Quenya!


Here's a set of questions for the experts: Just how deep is Elvish vocabulary as Tolkien developed it? Could it actually be used as a living language? How could modern technological terms be translated?

Lotho