Finnish mythology, like that of many other cultures, tells the stories of gods and legendary heroes. Most of the myths date from pre-Christian times and were passed from generation to generation by storytellers. A work called the Kalevala, which the Finnish people consider their national epic,long poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand style contains many of the legends. Compiled by Finnish scholar Elias Lönnrot in the early 1800s, the Kalevala is based on traditional poems, songs, and incantationschant, often part of a magical formula or spell that Lönnrot collected over a long period of time.

Major Themes and Characters. The word Kalevala, which means "land of the descendants of Kaleva," is an imaginary region associated with Finland. The epic's...