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BOOK REVIEWS 

of skeins of the softest silk and finest thread beautifully tied together 
with lovely pale pink ribbons" (127). Often, according to Max Luthi2, 
descriptive prose is kept to a minimum in fairy tales. He stated: "This 
absence of all desire to describe unessential details gives the European 
fairy tale its clarity and precision." (50). But in these Italian gems, the 
author's descriptive imagination was in full force. The tales are beautiful, 
and they are written to be read silently or aloud and enjoyed. 

JACQUELINE THURSBY 

Livo, Norma J. and George Livo. The Enchanted Wood and Other 
Tales from Finland. Englewood, Co.: Libraries Unlimited, 1999. 
188pp. $27.50 

Some Finlanders will tell you that hidden deep in the waters and 
forests of their rugged country are trolls or peikkos, human-like creatures 
who live in clans or families. The peikkos also inhabit the craggy 
mountains and rolling hills. Some are noisy and have tails (Hiisi), some 
are giants (jattilainen), some are dwarfs (kaapio), and still others (keiju 
fairies) are beautiful females who can entice beautiful but unsuspecting 
men. Woven into a collection of nineteen folktales, these characters 
assume tasks and mischiefs that make it difficult (and maybe 
unnecessary) for some believers to separate myth from reality. 

To help charm and engage the rest of us with this ancient and 
complex culture, the Livos have put together a carefully researched and 
accessible text that documents and preserves the folk literature and 
culture of Finland. From the Finnish National Anthem in the beginning 
of the book, to Part IV which includes a helpful reference section, a 
bibliography, and an index, the book is informative, lucid, and engaging. 
Part I describes the folklife of the Finns, and is contextualized by the 
creation myth from the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. The land and 
climate are described, and the complex early history is carefully 
explained. The text systematically explains the adverse climatic 
conditions and how the Finns have occasionally used those conditions to 
their advantage The Introduction in Part I invites the reader into a 
mysterious world. "Come with us to the north woods," it says, "and meet 
the people with Sisu" (5) (Sisu represents guts, tenacity, and/or 
perseverance.) 

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The second section of Part I, Culture and Traditions, begins with a 
description of Independence Day (December 6, 1917) and continues with 
leading folk practices of today's Christmas celebrations in Finland. "The 
word Joulupukki is the Finnish word for Father Christmas and literally 
translates to Christmas goat" (33). The old custom is unique and it is 
remembered today by straw goat figurines that hang above the Christmas 
table or tree. 

Part II takes the reader through a spectrum of vernacular traditions 
including proverbs, folk beliefs, and folktales. From weather proverbs, 
"If a cat sits looking out the window, it means rain is coming." (59) to 
"The Tree of Life," a great oak often pictured at the center of shamanistic 
drums. To make a prediction using the drum, the Shaman placed a small 
piece of reindeer bone on the top of the drum and then shook it. The path 
that the piece of bone took and where it stopped was then read to reveal 
information thought to be from the spirit world. This section of the book 
also includes an explanation of the sampo, the magical millstone and 
producer of plenty. 

The nineteen folktales following include two stories about the 
sampo: The Taiga Sampo (The Magic Mill) and "The Magic Millstone." 
Other stories resonate with vaguely familiar folk practices from other 
parts of the northern world. The story of "The Amazing Towel" as an 
episode where an underwater bride distributes gifts of remembrance to 
her guests: "beautiful shirts, stockings, gloves, and other fine handiwork" 
(113) were given away similar to Potlatch traditions in the American 
Northwest. 

In the story "Sacks of Cold and Heat," I was reminded of the 
character Sampson's comment in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The 
Finnish tale has the protagonist say, "They promised to be grateful, but 
they were merely biting their thumbs at me" (156). The last tale, a 
fictionalized account of a 1600s witch trial, ends with the Shaman's 
"death by fires and stake along with his magical drum" (170).  There is 
historical accuracy to the tale; many of Finland's Shaman were put to 
death for practicing magic during the days of the European witch hunts. 

Part III is made up of intriguing recipes, most of which have com-
mon ingredients and uncomplicated methods. Finnish pancakes 
(pannukakku), salmon stew (lohikeitto) or the famous lutefish (keitetty 
lipekala) are all here for the adventuresome novice or master chef to try. 
At the end of the recipe section are color plates of well-chosen 

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paintings and photographs. Three of artist Akseli Galien-Kallela's well-
known paintings are reproduced.. they are illustrations from the 
Kalevala. "Lemminkainen's Mother," (1897) was so popular that copies 
of it were displayed for many decades in Finnish schools. The lore is that 
the face of the mother in the painting was that of Gallen-Kallela's own 
mother who modeled for him. Supposedly he told her horrible stories 
until her face took on the fear and tragic expression he sought. 

This text provides a wide range of valuable information about 
Finland, a little known country and yet the fifth largest (in land size) in 
Europe. The book is an historical and cultural overview with an appeal 
for any age. From notes on architecture to literary contributions, from 
saunas to folktales, it can be used as an accurate research resource or for 
pleasurable reading aloud. The national epic of the Finns, The Kalevala, 
is an expression of Finnish nationalism. "Through this work came a 
national movement to establish proof of an ancient culture that solidified 
an identity distinct from their Nordic neighbors and Russian rulers" (39). 
The Enchanted Wood might have developed more specific information 
about the establishment of Finnish identity through that work. 

More information should have been included about the region of 
Karelia. Many Karelian songs had "analogues in Finland's national epic, 
the Kalevala."3 Elias Lonnrot "Trekked countless miles through the 
sparsely populated country north and east of Kajaani and across the 
nearby Russian border in Karelia, collecting these backwoods areas a 
large store of epic songs no longer to be found in Southwestern 
Finland."4 Karelia was mentioned in the text but not given the discussion 
it deserved considering its importance in influencing Finnish na-
tionalism. In spite of that, the book would be a valuable addition to 
school and public libraries. "The stories can be used as read-alouds with 
younger students; older students will find valuable material for reports. 
Storytellers, folklorists, and general readers, especially those with an 
interest in Finland, will also appreciate the book."5 

JACQUELINE THURSBY 

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