The Finnish epic Kalevala strongly influenced J.R.R. Tolkien’s invention of Quenya. Elias Lönnrot compiled the Kalevala from Finnish and Karelian oral poetry, and its first edition appeared in 1835.
Tolkien studied Finnish as a young scholar and was fascinated by its sound and grammar. Quenya, one of his principal Elvish languages, reflects that interest, although it is not Finnish and is not a direct translation of the epic. Tolkien constructed Quenya as part of a much larger linguistic and mythological project.
Kalevala also influenced Tolkien’s imagination through figures and themes such as the tragic hero Kullervo. Tolkien’s unfinished story “The Story of Kullervo” shows how deeply that material affected him. Another common mix-up is to associate every Elvish language with Finnish: Sindarin, Tolkien’s other major Elvish language, was influenced more strongly by Welsh.