The Finno-Ugric peoples and the Sami, who settled from Finland to the Trans-Urals, preserved common legends. They had a single world, created by a bird, illuminated by the North Star, a world in which the forest acted as the source of life and as the abode of the gods. The epic “Kalevala” glorified the myths of the northern peoples throughout the world and even served as a source for “The Silmarillion” by J.R. R. Tolkien. Other stories of Finnish mythology, which you will become familiar with on the pages of this book, are distinguished by the same epicness, brightness of images and understanding of nature.