The "Lemminkäinen Suite" was composed in the early 1890s. Originally conceived as a mythological opera, "Veneen luominen" ("The Building of the Boat"), on a scale matching those by Richard Wagner, Sibelius later changed his musical goals and the work became an orchestral piece in four movements. The suite is based on the character Lemminkäinen from the Finnish national epic, the "Kalevala". It can also be considered a collection of symphonic poems. The second/third section, "The Swan of Tuonela", is often heard separately.