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Kalevala

Kalevala is the Finnish national epic, compiled by the 19th-century folklorist Elias Lönnrot from Finnic oral poetry collected in Karelia and eastern Finland. First published in 1835, with a substantially revised second edition in 1849, it comprises about 22,795 lines arranged in 50 runos (cantos) and is written in the Kalevala meter, a trochaic tetrameter with a caesura in each line. The title is generally understood to refer to Kaleva, a mythical homeland and people.

The epic blends myth, legend, and folk poetry to recount the origins of the world, the deeds

Lönnrot conducted extensive fieldwork among Finnish and Karelean communities, collecting variants of the same songs and

Kalevala has had a profound cultural impact, fueling the Finnish national awakening and influencing literature, music,

of
legendary
heroes,
and
the
patterns
of
human
and
divine
life.
Its
best-known
figures
include
Väinämöinen,
a
powerful
singing
sage;
Ilmarinen,
the
master
smith
who
forges
magical
objects;
Lemminkäinen,
a
daring
wanderer;
and
Louhi,
the
Mistress
of
Pohjola.
Central
episodes
involve
the
quest
for
the
Sampo,
a
magical
artifact
of
wealth
and
fortune,
and
the
cycles
of
conflict
and
reconciliation
between
Kaleva
and
Pohjola,
connected
by
songs
that
recur
throughout
the
narrative.
weaving
them
into
a
cohesive
epic.
He
edited
and
integrated
material
from
multiple
singers,
creating
a
continuous
narrative
rather
than
a
loose
cycle
of
legends.
The
1849
edition
added
material
and
refined
language
and
meter,
establishing
Kalevala's
enduring
form
and
scope.
and
visual
arts.
It
has
been
translated
widely,
inspiring
writers
and
composers
in
Finland
and
abroad;
in
Finland
it
helped
shape
national
identity
and
linguistic
standardization,
and
it
remains
a
foundational
work
of
Finnish
literature.