Kalevala, national epic poem of Finland, written in eight-syllable trochaic verse. The anonymous poem tells of the adventures of three legendary Finnish heroes, Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen. The most important series of episodes deals with Väinämöinen's attempts to marry the daughter of Louhi, a hero of the northern land Pohjola. Another prominent story tells of the adventures of the heroes in their attempts to win possession of the Sampo, a magic mill that endlessly grinds out salt, meal, and gold for its possessor. The poem also gives an allegorical account of the creation of the world and of the defeat of paganism by Christianity in Finland.

The songs on which the Kalevala is based were transmitted orally from one generation to another and were not written down or published until the 19th century. A number of fragments were compiled and edited in 1822 by the Swedish-Finnish writer Zakarias Topelius, the elder. About 12,000 lines, collected and edited by the Finnish scholar Elias Lönnrot, were published in 1835; and an edition containing nearly 23,000 lines was published in 1849. The Kalevala has been translated into English, German, French, Swedish, and other languages. Musical works based on the Kalevala include the symphonic poems Lemminkäinen's Return (1895) and Pohjola's Daughter (1906) by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.