Epic song traditions have existed among nearly all peoples of the world. In many cases a literate poet or editor has compiled oral-traditional elements into a unified epic. Compared to other world epics, the Kalevala has been heavily influenced by the 'folk'. In many cases broad epic compilations or published collections have been accorded the same significance as epics.
Epics still exist in the oral traditions of the world.
Nonetheless, the Kalevala could hardly have come into being without the influence of older, pre-existing epics. A necessary prerequisite for the birth of the Kalevala was the then prevailing notion that the Homeric epics were assembled from separate epic poems. There are many ways to produce epics. Epics are an important demonstration of a culture's literary vitality. Some national epics have received their written form due to the work of just one person.