The kantele has been known in Finland since at least the eighteenth century. It was closely associated with ceremonial rune singing, both as an instrument which accompanied the singing and as an important motif of folk poetry. Elias Lönnrot was fully aware of its symbolic significance as well as its existence as a musical instrument, so he included both types of kanteles in his epic Kalevala. Lönnrot played and built more advanced versions of the instrument. The kantele featured prominently in the art, music, and literature of the Finnish National Romantic movement and became a primary symbol of the Finnish nation. It continues to be a living tradition that endures to the present day.