The Kalevala is the national epic of Karelia and Finland and one of the most significant works of Finnish literature. Today's modern version was compiled in the 19th century by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology. The epic tells the story about the Creation of Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land of Pohjola and their various protagonists and antagonists, as well as the construction and robbery of the mythical wealth-making machine Sampo.