Csenge Virág Zalka's Blog, page 82

L is for the Lianja epic (Epics from A to Z)

I have read a large number of epics for this challenge. This one was not only new for me too, but I also have to admit that it is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful pieces of oral literature I have ever read. Because I loved it so much, today's post is going to be a little longer than usual, so I can fit all my favorite parts into it. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Origins

K is for the Kalevipoeg (Epics from A to Z)

Origins
The Kalevipoeg is the national epic of Estonia. Much like its close cousin, the Finnish Kalevala, it has been pieced together from folk songs, tales and ballads by an ambitious 19th century poet. Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald had a lot less material to work from than Elias Lönnrot, and the first version of his epic couldn't even be published due to censorship (there are some pretty risky

Visiting day: Favorite themes in A to Z!

The second week of the A to Z Challenge has come to an end, therefore we are about halfway through the alphabet! As I do my visiting rounds today, I wanted to gather a list of some of my favorite themes this year (in no particular order). I have also been tweeting about them, but I thought it would be nice to have a more static  collection.

First off, a shout out to my fabulous Legendary Ladies,

J is for the Jómsvikings (Epics from A to Z)

Short version: The Jómsvikings are the Avengers of the 10th century.
More accurately: The Avengers are the Jómsvikings of the 21st century.




The Jómsvíkinga Saga is an Icelandic saga written sometime in the 13th century. It takes place in Denmark, Norway, Wales, and Jómsborg, and ends with the Battle of Hjörungavárg in 986 AD. It details the (long and complex) family background, deeds, and

I is for the Ibong Adarna (Epics from A to Z)

(I bet you thought it was gonna be the Iliad, huh)

Origins
Ibong Adarna (The Adarna Bird) is a metrical romance from the Philippines. It was originally written in Tagalog sometime in the 17th century while the Philippines were under Spanish rule; the author is unknown. It consists of 1034 short verses that rhyme in the original language; sadly, they don't rhyme in the English translation, but

H is for King Harald's Saga (Epics from A to Z)

Aand we are back to the Vikings.

Origins
King Harald's Saga is part of the Heimskringla, a collection of sagas telling the history of Norway, written by the Icelander Snorri Sturluson at the end of the 12th century. It is also hands down one of my favorite sagas. If you want to read it, you can get it in its own edition, complete with family trees, great footnotes, and a detailed introduction.

G is for Gulaim and her Warrior Maidens (Epics from A to Z)

Up front: The only English translation of this epic that I could find was a Kindle ebook, and it seems to be the tail end of the story. It is a pretty read, but very short (especially since the original recorded version is more than 20.000 lines long). I filled in the rest from Adrienne Mayor's new book The Amazons (although she doesn't disclose where she got the story from) and a more detailed

F is for the Frontier Warriors (Epics from A to Z)

Songs of the Frontier Warriors is a cycle of Albanian oral epic poetry. It is a collection of sung tales
that existed in the oral tradition before they were gathered and written down in the 20th century - and in many places the oral tradition still carries on today. The English translation I read was a surprisingly quick and really eloquent read, with beautifully flowing verses and enchanting

E is for Escanor (Epics from A to Z)

Okay, so here is an Arthurian romance. I mostly decided to do Escanor instead of... other things because every once in a while I need to put my desperate cry out to the universe:

SOMEONE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE TRANSLATE THIS INTO ENGLISH!

I have known about the existence of the Romance of Escanor for a couple of long, painful years now. It was written by Girart D'Amiens in graceful

D is for the Daredevils of Sassoun (Epics from A to Z)

Daredevils of Sassoun is the English title of the national epic of Armenia. As far as titles go, it is pretty badass, and also a genius translation: The heroes of this story are not simply strong and bold, but also slightly cracked in the head - and everybody likes them that way.

Origins
The epic takes place sometime between the 8th and 10th centuries AD. It lived in the oral tradition before it