Review of Sampo. Runes of Pohjola (Karelian Epic); ed. by D. Bakulin, transl. by A. Bakulin

Abstract

The article reviews the publication of the poem Sampo. The Runes of Pohjola by D.A. and A.A. Bakulins presented by the authors as the first Karelian national epic. It examines the national background and the history of the poem’s creation, its plots and motifs as well as its language. The review particularly focuses on the Introduction and its main considerations. Reviewers argue that the poem is not a national epic but a new literary work created on the basis of selective Karelian runes.

Keywords

• epic
• mythology
• Kalevala
• Karelian language
• Lönnrot
• poem
• sampo
• Pohjola