1. In discussing her work, Synge stated that "if you were to ask me if these stories are true, I could only reply that if they are not, then they should be."

What type of truth do the legends in Land of Heroes hold? How does that truth help to make the stories come to life so long after they were first told?

2. One phrase that turns up several times in the book is "this is how things were done in the old times." How is the idea of new ways meeting traditions important to the stories? Does the ending of the book help to resolve that confrontation?

3. Each culture develops its own unique version of the hero. Based on the three heroes who appear in Land of Heroes—Vainamoinen, Lemminkainen, and Ilmarinen—discuss the characteristics of a Finnish...