Less well-known than Scandinavian mythology, it has nonetheless influenced a number of contemporary writers. The first edition contained 12,078 lines, the second, 22,795. He was also the most significant god in Finnish mythology and the Finnish word for thunder, “ukkonen” (little Ukko) or “ukonilma” (Ukko’s weather), is derived from his name. The work also inspired many literary and artistic works by … Tuonela, Tuoni, Manala and Mana are used synonymously. He is a handsome young man, a hero, but also a frivolous, ostentatious character with liking for women and battles. The word Kalevala is derived from Kaleva, a mythical hero. 1849 Kalevala (Translation 1988 by Eino Friberg) 6:213-214: Joko ammuit Väinämöisen, / Kaotit Kalevan poian? The Kalevala helped create a national identity for the Finnish people by presenting a common mythology filled with familiar heroes and gods. The Kalevala is taken by many as ‘The Be-All and End-All’ of Finnish Mythology, but this is not quite the case. Kalevala, The (the land of heroes) Finnish epic poem compiled by Elias Lönnrot from oral traditions in Karelia, now part of Russia. It frequently refers to other aspects of Finnish culture that have become significant symbols of identity, such as the savusauna (smoke sauna) and the ancient stringed instrument the kantele .

The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology. Jun 12, 2016 - Images from the Finnsh national epic and other myths.

It was compiled by Elias Lönnrot based to poems he collected from various areas in eastern Finland.

The first version of Kalevala was published in 1835, but the version most commonly known today was first published in 1849. For a mythology based on word-of-mouth tale-telling, Finland has better Godly documentation than some other places we could mention. In the ‘Kalevala’, on the other hand, Pohjola is the home of women - 'the daughters of Pohjola' - whom the male heroes, from the land of Kalevala, seek as wives. In the Kalevala he is also called “ylijumala” (overgod, Supreme God), as he is the god of things of the sky. According to traditional Finnish religion, the fate of good and bad people is the same and the dead wander the afterlife as shadow-like ghosts.
There was a lot going on before 1835, by which time Christianity was well established.

Like most civilizations, they had a story for how the earth was created, and they believed in many gods, many of whom lived in nature like water gods and tree gods. Because Finnish mythology was shared orally for so long, we don't know what some of the original stories and gods may have been. Kaleva, however, never appears in the epic poem, though his daughter Kalvevatoar and his descendant Kalevalainen are mentioned.