Editing Kalevala (section)

====Väinämöinen====
[[File:Robert Wilhelm Ekman - Väinämöinen’s Play.jpg|thumb|170px|Väinämöinen is deeply identified with his [[kantele]]. <small>(''Väinämöinen's Play'', Robert Wilhelm Ekman, 1866)</small>]]
Väinämöinen, the central character of ''The Kalevala'', is a [[shaman]]istic hero with a magical power of song and music similar to that of [[Orpheus]]. He is born of Ilmatar and contributes to the creation of Earth as it is today. Many of his travels resemble shamanistic journeys, most notably one where he visits the belly of a ground-giant, [[Antero Vipunen]], to find the songs of boat building. Väinämöinen's search for a wife is a central element in many stories, but he never finds one.

Väinämöinen is associated with playing a {{lang|fi|kantele}}, a Finnish stringed instrument that resembles and is played like a [[zither]].<ref name="Matkoja musiikkiin 1800-luvun Suomessa (Journeys into music in 19th century Finland)">{{cite web|url=http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=8519|title=Matkoja musiikkiin 1800-luvun Suomessa (Journeys into music in 19th century Finland)|access-date=17 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720194536/http://acta.uta.fi/english/teos.php?id=8519|archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="kantele">{{cite web|url=http://www.finnishheritagemuseum.org/MONTHLY.stories/March09/index.html|title=The Kantele Sings in Finnland – A Cultural Phenomenon|access-date=17 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721083935/http://www.finnishheritagemuseum.org/MONTHLY.stories/March09/index.html|archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>