Kalevala Deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 May 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

RedWood	13 May 2002
I just got this deck..It is very beautiful..I haven't done a reading yet..I am really looking forward to it..I liked that the ten of swords was not in the guys back..It is in a bullseye on the ground with the guy looking down at it...Another card I liked was the tower..It is a tree being shot down with lightning, the lightning is coming from a bird..I think it is a hawk or falcon.. Does anyone else have this deck? What do you think of it?

Kiama	13 May 2002
Isn't this one OOP? I think I remember thinking about getting it, but finding it was OOP... Did you get it used or first hand? Should I really be asking this, cuz I know that if you say it isn't OOP, I'll just rush out and spend more money I need to save... Kiama

RedWood	13 May 2002
I was looking at amazon.com..And it is oop...I got mine from my borders outlet store...(only a few left) for 7.99..Check out my want books cheap thread in trading worldwide..Let me know..Might be cheaper even with shipping..cuz you get the deck and book with it for 7.99.

catlin	14 May 2002
Hi Kiama, I'd suggest you to grab the Kalevala, you'd never regret it!

Jewel	14 May 2002
Kiama, I followed the link on the new Diamond Tarot that Solandia posted (not the Amazon, the other leading to AGMuller) and they still have it on their site. Not sure if available but I did just see it this morning.

Zhritza	15 May 2002
I know the deck and book set is out of print (I think US Games put a few of those out of print at the same time, the Rock Art and Santa Fe among them), but last I know the deck alone could still be ordered... although I wouldn't advise getting this deck without its real book, unless you're familiar with the Kalevala (the Finnish epic) itself. I'm really fond of the deck myself; if you like all that Norse stuff like I do (I am one of the, oh, maybe 2 or 3 Scandinavian Jews in the United States) it's a must have... although whether or not the Finns are Scandinavian is definitely up for argument. It actually has more of a raw, guttural feel than, say, the Norse Tarot by Clive Barrett, and other Nordic-themed decks I've seen online. It feels older and more universal somehow.

RedWood	15 May 2002
I agree quolus about what you said about the deck feeling more universal...I definately would agree...get the book with the deck..I don't like the LWB from the deck..

divinerguy	06 Aug 2002
I got my Kalevala set used for around $15.00 USD. I'm very impressed with the set. The stories are great.

Riversea	04 Sep 2002
Because I just picked up a Kalevala set too! It is a lovely deck, and I think it will be a fun deck to have over the winter months, even if there aren't many of the cards that take place in winter. And the town I live in has many people of Finnish heritage (along with Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, etc...), so it is fitting to have the Kalevala here. I'm glad to have the book with this one though. More than a couple of the cards make me say, "Huh? And what's with all the heads on pikes?" ;) I haven't tried reading with it yet. But it is so pretty! Severed heads and all. LOL

midnightmerry	04 Sep 2002
Starfish just helped me get this deck/book set (thanks, Starfish!) and I really love it. The art is primitive but beautiful. I'm really looking forward to going through the book.

Starfish	04 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by midnightmerry Starfish just helped me get this deck/book set (thanks, Starfish!) and I really love it. The art is primitive but beautiful. I'm really looking forward to going through the book. You are very welcome. Always happy to ;) :TSUN Starfish

Erik_V	04 Sep 2002
Just to say its great t'know somebody shares my enjoyment of this deck. I was lucky & got the book in a swop from Helsinki ! Have an old translation of the Kalevala but if anyone can help me find a modern version, publisher ; I'd apreciate any clues Thx

Melvis	04 Sep 2002
I did a Google search for it, looked through several pages, then found an English translation on a site that's already in my Bookmarks! I should have known that the Sacred Texts website would have it...they have EVERYTHING! (And if the meter of the poem sounds familiar, it's because Longfellow based his "Song of Hiawatha" on it.) I hope this is what you were looking for, Erik_V! Enjoy! Peace, Melvis :TSTRE

pentunen	05 Sep 2002
Hewwo all :) I'm new to this forum and to the tarot, but I thought I'd be brave this time and put in my 0.02... I bought the Kalevala tarot deck and book on a recent trip to Finland, and as a lover of all things Finnish, I'm quite pleased with the set :D I'm not sure the set is good for a beginner (like me!) - I found the interpretations in the book kind of confusing. The descriptions of the character personalities (in the major arcana) didn't seem to match the given meanings of the cards at all. [i'd be most grateful if someone has any advice on what to do about this?] Overall, though, I like the deck - the artwork isn't as good as it could be, but it does seem to bring the characters to life for me, and I'm hoping to get good enough to learn to read with it one day :) - LittleCub P.S. I didn't know the set was OOP; I picked it up reasonably easily at a new age store in Tampere. Now that I know, though, I'll be sure to treasure the deck even more ;)

Lee	05 Sep 2002
Welcome to the Forums, LittleCub! :) I don't have the Kalevala and thus can't comment specifically about it, but it happens with some deck/book sets, unfortunately, that they are not as carefully or as well written as they could be. The assigning of divinatory meanings sometimes seems very haphazard and arbitrary, and I agree, many times the divinatory meaning will not match either the card's picture or the description. Since, I believe, the Kalevala pictures are mostly based on the Rider-Waite-Smith model, you could try buying a Tarot book which discusses these meanings and see if they make more sense than what the deck author wrote. Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot is a book that's very well liked, and there are many others. You can look in the Tarot Books and Media Forum for more suggestions. You can also try Thirteen's Tarot Basics right here on Aeclectic, which are very well-written. Another way to go might be to analyze the Kalevala book's meanings critically, and use them when they make sense to you, and ignore the ones that don't make sense. For those cards where you've decided to ignore the book's meanings, you can make up your own meanings based upon the book's description of the applicable myth, as well as your own impressions that you get from the artwork on that card. I think very few readers actually stay strictly with one book's meanings. Most of us, I believe, end up with a mixture of meanings in our heads that we draw from, collected from different books, different decks, new meanings that pop up in specific readings, and personal meditation on the cards. Many people suggest making a notebook and recording these collected meanings and impressions as you collect them over time. It's great that you've found a deck you like so much -- some of us are still looking for that perfect deck! :) Please let us know about your progress as you work with your deck. -- Lee co-moderator, Tarot Decks

The Kalevala Deck thread was originally posted on 13 May 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.