Kalevala

''One of the great mythic poems of Europe'' The New York TimesSharing its title with the poetic name for Finland - ''the land of heroes'' - Kalevala is the soaring epic poem of its people, a work ...

''One of the great mythic poems of Europe'' The New York TimesSharing its title with the poetic name for Finland - ''the land of heroes'' - Kalevala is the soaring epic poem of its people, a work rich in magic and myth which tells the story of a nation through the ages from the dawn of creation. Sung by rural Finns since prehistoric times, and formally compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the nineteenth century, it is a landmark of Finnish culture and played a vital role in galvanizing its national identity in the decades leading to independence. Its themes, however, reach beyond borders and search th