The kantele is a traditional Finnish and Karelian plucked string instrument regarded as a national symbol of Finland. It belongs to the family of Baltic psaltery-zithers, related to the Lithuanian kanklės and the Estonian kannel. Its oldest forms had only five strings stretched over a hollowed-out wooden body.
The kantele is wrapped in a mythological aura: in the Karelo-Finnish epic “Kalevala,” the sage Väinämöinen creates the first kantele from the jawbone of a giant pike, and his playing enchants all living things. The instrument's sound is gentle, transparent, “crystalline.” Today there are also large concert kanteles with dozens of strings and key-change switches. The instrument is used actively in both folklore and contemporary Finnish art and popular music.
