Kalevipoega
Kalevipoega, also known as Kalevipoeg in Estonian, is the Estonian national epic. It was compiled by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald in the 19th century from Estonian folklore and oral ballads, as part of the broader Estonian national awakening. The work presents the life and deeds of Kalevipoeg, the son of the legendary king Kalev, a heroic figure who defends his homeland and embodies ancestral Estonian virtues. The narrative blends myth, landscape, and social values, drawing on Finnic mythology and folklore about giants, spirits, and magical realms.
The epic tracks Kalevipoeg from childhood through adulthood, with episodes that explain the naming of rivers
Kalevipoega was published in its early editions in the 1860s and has since become a foundational text