Before departing in his copper boat, Väinämöinen left behind his kantele and songs as a legacy for Kalevala and its people, promising to return when a new Sampo or new songs were needed.
Kalevala and Pohjola are rival lands whose conflict over the Sampo drives the Finnish epic.
Väinämöinen is the eternal sage of Kalevala, its founding hero and protector. Through his songs he shaped the land, and upon departure he promised to return when his people needed new songs or a new Sampo.
Kalevala is the mythical homeland of the three great heroes of Finnish mythology: Väinämöinen the sage, Ilmarinen the smith, and Lemminkäinen the warrior.
In the Kalevala's final canto, a virgin named Marjatta bore a holy child who was baptized as king of Karelia. Väinämöinen, feeling displaced by the new order, departed in his copper boat, leaving his kantele and songs as a legacy.
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