Kalevala

The Kalevala is a book of Epic poetry which the finn Elias Lönnrot compiled from Finnish and Karelian folklore in the 19th century. It is held to be the national epic of Finland and is traditionally thought of as one of the most significant works of the Finnish language. The Kalevala is credited for some of the inspiration for the national awakening that ultimately led to Finland’s declaration of independence from Russia in 1917.

The most famous example of the Kalevala’s influence upon another author is most likely with J.R.R. Tolkien. He claimed the Kalevala as one of his sources for the writings which became the Silmarillion.

Staff Symposium program takes lots of influence from Finnish nature, folk lore and Kalevala. In Staff Symposium we will show how we use Finnish nature in our programs as a lecture room

”Young and aged talked and wondered,
Well reflected, long debated,
How to live without the moonlight,
Live without the silver sunshine,
In the cold and cheerless Northland,
In the homes of Kalevala.”

- Elias Lönnrot -