[Cainehill]

Yeh - the Kalevala, with Vainemoyen (sp?) and the other Finnish heroes is certainly on a par with the Silmarrilion, GRRM's pre-tellings, and other mythic histories and top shelf fantastic fiction. (I'm also tempted to add, mmm, all of Zimmer's work (Marion Zimmer Bradley's brother, who died far too young), and most of Simon Green and Glen Cook's; also early Gemmell and Zelazny (who did some of the _most_ amazing stuff - best in short stories, but amazing in Lord of Light), and George R R Martin - very popular now for his Game of Thrones, Storm of Swords, etc, but very good in the old days too (Dying of the Light, etc).