In this section we want to present the use of the Kalevala in different ways, including in a modern and creative way. The Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, was compiled by the physician, folklorist, and philologist Elias Lönnrot in his twelve research trips (1828 - 1844) around Finland, Karelia, and Estonia. He collected folk songs and wove them into a long narrative poem, centred around the three ´cultural heroes´ of Finnish mythology, the sage-and-singer Väinämöinen, the smith Ilmarinen, and the brash eroticist and adventurer Lemminkäinen (Friberg 1988). See also: http://www.finlit.fi/kalevala/index.html Soon after the Kalevala was brought out (1835 - 1849) it had enormous influence on the creation of a national identity and a Finnish consciousness (Friberg 1988). The Kalevala has inspired many Finnish national artists like composer Jean Sibelius and painter and illustrator Akseli Gallen-Kallela, but everyday people as well. Even still today we use some proverbs originated from the Kalevala and we play the Finnish zither mentioned in the Kalevala. See more on web: http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/kaleva.html

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