The Kalevala: The Finnish National Epic

THE KALEVALA is the epic national poem of Finland, telling the creation story of the world according to Finnish folk belief. A masterful epic, the poem is considered one of the greatest epics of the western tradition. THE KALEVALA also proved instrumental in shaping the Finnish language and national identity after it was first published in the mid-19th century. The creation myths of THE KALEVALA influenced J.R.R. Tolkien's creation stories presented in his masterpiece THE SILMARILLION, a precusor to THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS.