The Kalevala is considered the national epic of Finland. It was compiled and edited by Elias Lönnrot while he was a district health officer in (then under the governance of Russia) eastern Finland. The poem consists of 50 runos or cantos and 22,795 lines of poetry. The poem tells the story of a people, from the very beginning of the world to the introduction of Christianity.
The Kalevala has been translated into about 48 languages and has been an important cultural inspiration for the Finnish people for many years.
For more information on the Kalevala see the main article: Kalevala