This is a summary of the cantos of the Kalevala. The Kalevala is considered the national epic of Finland. It was compiled and edited from the songs of numerous folk singers by Elias Lönnrot while he was a district health officer in eastern Finland, at that time under the governance of Russia as Grand Duchy of Finland. The Kalevala has been translated into about 48 languages and has been an important cultural inspiration for the Finnish people for many years. The poem consists of 50 cantos (runos) and 22,795 lines of poetry. The poem tells the story of a people, from the very beginning of the world to the introduction of Christianity.