Being the die hard Tolkien nerd I am I’ve never actually read the Finnish mythology that inspired his world buildings - the Kalevala. But looking for something like this is like grabbing the first book on Norse mythology you come across in a bookstore. It might be too dense, to simplified, ugly, overly decorated etc,
So SDMB Tolkien fans (@Qadgop_the_Mercotan, @What_Exit, @Elendil_s_Heir and company) have you any recommendations for a good version of the Kalevala?
November 2019 I donated my entire Mythology and Legends collection of books. I use to have 2 good ones for Finnish Legends. Both were written before 1990 is all I’m sure about.
I’ll doing a little looking online to see if I can jog my memory. One was a translation of the Kalevala.
Not just Finnish, but this was one I had: Scandinavian Folk & Fairy Tales: Tales From Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland & Iceland
I hate to admit it, but I don’t remember much about this one, I read it once, kept it 20 years or so and then donated it.
Do you know that Tolkien used only a minuscule part of Kalevala? At least according to wiki.
It’s almost as much fiction as LotR. Almost. By that I mean, of course it’s fiction. But it was basically a compilation done in the 19th century, stringing together different poems and songs, from different eras and regions, and editing to make a sort of coherent narrative. It’s in no way an old epic like Beowulf or Gilgamesh.
It’s based on runes and came about during the national romantic era, when many writers in many European countries was trying to justify the Nation by digging through various historical and mythical sources. Purportedly strengthening the idea that the land, country was a Nation, with a glorious and heroic past.
I haven’t read Kalevala, but I’ve studied Nordic mythology and lit. Spare yourself. Most runes, as enigmatic as they seem, tend to be a thousand year old graffiti, with just about the same literary worth.
Neil Gaiman has written a pretty good introduction o Nordic mythology. I’d start there.
Nordic & Finnish aren’t really related that much.
The 2008 Oxford Classics version seems reasonable and readable:
This new and exciting translation by poet Keith Bosley, prize-winning translator of the anthology Finnish Folk Poetry: Epic, is the first truly to combine liveliness with accuracy in a way which reflects the richness of the original.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford’s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Good point but I’m desperately casting around for gift ideas and this one popped up. I’m deperate; I’ll take it 
I have the Gaiman Norse book and it’s…nice. And it’s that reaction which makes me look for recommendations from people. @What_Exit’s link looks promising but it would be great to be able to thumb through it and see what it’s like.
It’s not based on runes, but on oral tradition.
Nordic and Finnish mythology are entirely different – just as the Nordic and Finnish languages are entirely different, and belong to completely different language groups.
The Nordic languages are Germanic. Finnish is not even Indo-European, but Uralic.
Tolkien was familiar with both Finnish and Nordic myths and languages.
Thanks, Grey, for letting me know about this thread.
This may also be of interest: Tolkien, Sibelius and the Kalevala
These are all great ideas. I’m looking at the one @GreenWyvern recommended and I found the this one that, from appearances, fits the Tolkien books I have.
Thanks to everyone for piping up - I actually added a few others to my list thanks to this. 