Elias Lonnrot

"The Kalevala" is a collection of Finnish and Karelian poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from oral folklore and mythology. Lönnrot was a physician, botanist, and linguist, who in 1828 began collecting folk songs and poetry of Finland, traveling extensively in order to obtain his sources. "The Kalevala", first published in 1835, is considered to be one of the most important works of Finnish literature, and regarded as the national epic of Finland....