E. Lönnrot - compiler of the Karelian-Finnish folk epic âKalevalaâ. Sometimes people wonder who Elias Lennrot was by profession. The answer is a linguist and a journalist. In Finland, Lönroth is considered one of the founders of the Finnish language for his contribution to linguistics. He also practiced medicine.
Elias Lennrot Biography
By nationality, Lönrot Finn was born on April 9, 1802 in the Finnish town of Sammati (then owned by Sweden). His family was poor and large - Elias became the fourth child. His father was engaged in tailoring. Already at six years old, the boy learned to read, although he only got to school at twelve. Because of his need, he had to work to find money for training and food, and from childhood Elias was engaged in tailoring, like his father. And sometimes even had to earn extra money in the villages. In the years 1815-1818, Elias studied in Tammisaari and Turku. In 1820, Lönnrot entered training in the city of Porvoo and at the same time got a job as an assistant in a pharmacy, he studied Latin himself. Despite the difficult financial situation, the stubborn young man managed to fulfill his dream - to go to university.
The only Swedish university then was in the city of Abo. Lönnrot entered the Faculty of Philosophy in 1822. Then there was no faculty or department of philology, because Elias could not study the Finnish language or literature. Lönnrot decided to become a doctor and, having graduated from the medical faculty, was engaged in medicine all his life. He made his folklore expeditions during the holidays.
The main business of Elias Lönnrot's life was the creation of Kalevala. With unflagging interest for more than twenty years, he collected folk song tales of the Karelians and Finns - runes. In search of material, he also visited many places in northwestern Russia - it was not for nothing that he was awarded the title of member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Family life
Lönnrot married late, only in 1849, after completing work on Kalevala. The wife of forty-seven-year-old Elias Lönnrot was the twenty-six-year-old Maria Piponius. The family settled in the city of Kajaani. The first child of Lönnrot was a boy who was named Elias in honor of his father. But he did not live long and died of meningitis in 1852 at the age of two.
In the same year, the head of the University of Helsingfors (after the fire in 1927 the University of Abo moved there) asked Lönnrot to take the post of his deceased friend Michael Kastren, who was the first professor at the Department of Finnish. After defending his doctoral dissertation in 1853, Elias Lönnrot and his wife moved to Helsingfors (Helsinki). In 1856, he gave the first university lecture in Finnish, which was a significant event.
The Lönnrotes had four more children, daughters. In addition, Elias took care of the children of his deceased friends, took care of the unsecured, and financed a shelter in Helsinki. With his will bequeathed to him in Sammati, a school of economics was opened. She is still working.
In 1862, having retired, Lönnrot went to his homeland, in Sammati, where he led a prosperous, happy life, engaged in family and science. But in 1868, the family happiness of Elias Lönnrot ended - his wife Maria died of tuberculosis, and soon, in the 1870s, three of his daughters died of tuberculosis and diphtheria (Thekla, Elina, Maria).
Elias spent the remaining years of his life in solitude, with the only surviving close person - daughter Ida. He worked hard, finding some comfort in this. In 1880, after 40 years of work, the compilation of the Finnish-Swedish Dictionary was completed. This was a great achievement, because there were no Finnish words to denote many concepts before Lönnrot. He literally engaged in the creation of words.
In 1884, eighty-two-year-old Elias Lönnrot died in Sammathy. His death was accompanied by national mourning.
Below is a photo of Elias Lennrot.
The work of Lennrot today
At present, Elias Lönnrot's work is still popular: a film entitled âWarrior of the Northâ, released in 2006, is partially based on the Karelian-Finnish epic âKalevalaâ. This year they plan a new film based on Kalevala - Iron Danger, as well as a game and comics. This and the new reprints of the epic suggests that the Finno-Ugric culture is still of interest.
Kalevala by Elias Lennroth: Summary
The epic begins with cosmogonic myths - stories about the creation of the world, as well as the birth of the main character VÀinÀmöinen. The name of the epic repeats the name of the country in which the main events unfold - Kalevala. Another country is opposed to it, the northern and gloomy Pohjola. The mistress of Pohyol is the evil sorceress of Louhi.
world creation
At first, land and water were empty. The aerial daughter Ilmatar yearned and began to create mountains and bays. And then she gave birth to a son, a large and strong VÀinÀmöinen. He began to live in the country of Kalevala, but nothing grew there. But a boy came to the hero, Sampsa Pellervojnen, and brought the seeds. A variety of plants appeared from the earth, only the oak did not grow. VÀinÀmöinen asked for maternal help. Came out of her command from the water of the damsel, mowed the grass; the hero came out and burned her. A mighty oak tree grew at this place, obscured the whole sky. Again, VÀinÀmöinen called on Ilmatar. Then a tiny man came out of the water, grew enormous and cut down the rebellious oak. When the rays of the sun again fell to the ground, VÀinÀmöinen sowed bread.
Song Contest and Matchmaking
When VÀinÀmöinen grew old, he began to sing to people about the creation of the world. Heard these songs in distant Pohyol. And there lived the boastful daring Joukahainen, and he went to Kalevala to defeat VÀinÀmöinen in a song contest. Joukahainen sang that he was the creator of the world. The elder, to teach a bouncer, sang spells. The sled, horse and sword of Jokahainen disappeared, and he fell into the swamp. The young man was frightened and, having tied his ears in a quagmire, promised VÀinÀmöinen to marry his sister. VÀinÀmöinen rejoiced and saved Jokahainen.
Mother Jokahainen was pleased that everything turned out like this - she wanted a worthy old man to embrace her daughter Aino. But she only cried - she did not want to marry the old. In desperation, Aino threw herself into the sea to hide. Both mother and VÀinÀmöinen cried for her. An old man sat on the shore with a fishing rod, grieving, and pulled out a fish. And she spoke in a human voice, and it turned out that it was Aino herself. VÀinÀmöinen missed the bride fish, and no matter how much he threw gear into the sea, he was no longer able to catch it.
Beauty Pohjela and the creation of Sampo
A rumor reached VÀinÀmöinen that the old woman Louha, mistress of Pohjela, was about to marry her daughter out. He decided to try his luck there. On the way, Jokahainen, who had planned revenge, kept him safe. He wanted to kill VÀinÀmöinen with a poisoned arrow, but hit the horse, and the elder fell into the sea. For eight days he was scampering along the waves until an eagle pulled him out. But finding the way home was not easy, because the hero turned out to be in Pohjel itself. The maid of the old woman Louha heard him wailing and brought her into the house. Mistress Pohjela offered to help VÀinÀmöinen return to her homeland, but in return asked to hold down the Sampo miracle mill. VÀinÀmöinen promised to send instead Ilmarinen, the blacksmith. Promised Louhi to give his daughter as a wife.
Harnessed Louhi's sled for VĂ€inĂ€möinen and ordered not to look at the sky along the way. But the old man forgot about the mandate and, looking up, he saw the beautiful Pohela - the daughter of Louha. VĂ€inĂ€möinen invited her to marry him, and she began to give him various assignments. The hero dealt with all but the last. He was waking the boat from the spindle, he woke up with the sound of the ax of the terrible Hiisi, the owner of the mountains. He got angry and sent the ax directly to VĂ€inĂ€möinenâs knee. The songwriter knew many spells, but could not calm the blood. He barely found a doctor, and as soon as the wound was healed, he went home.
VÀinÀmöinen told the blacksmith Ilmarinen about his promise, but he did not want to leave his homeland. Then VÀinÀmöinen, using song spells, sent Ilmarinen to Pohjela. Forged by the master smith Sampo - everything that is ordered, she grinds: flour, salt, and money. The greedy mistress of Pojela hid the mill in the depths of the mountain, and sent the blacksmith home and her daughter did not give him away, did not keep her promise.
Another hero, Lemminkainen, got married to the beautiful Pohyela, but he also failed, almost died.
But VĂ€inĂ€möinen, meanwhile, did not leave the thought of Louhaâs daughter. He gathered and with adventures sailed to Pohyol. Ilmarinen found out about this and also rushed to the Northern country, on a horse. They decided that the beauty herself would choose the one who is more to her heart. Lauhaâs daughter likes the young smith more, and the old woman VĂ€inĂ€möinen. Lauha came up with all sorts of difficult trials for Ilmarinen, but with the help of the beautiful Pohel, he overcame them. I had to agree to the wedding. VĂ€inĂ€möinen sang there, he had no resentment against the young.
But the frantic Lemminkainen, who was not invited, arrived anyway. They wanted to laugh at him, but in a rage he chopped off the head of the owner of Pojela. We chased after Lemminkainen to take revenge. On the advice of her mother, Lemminkainen hid on a distant island and promised her never to take a sword again.
And Ilmarinen was not married for long. The orphaned Kullervo was offended by the wife of the blacksmith, the beautiful but wicked beauty Pohjela. At the instigation of the raven, the young stepmother took revenge - he replaced a herd of cows with werewolves that tore the young mistress Pohela. For a long time, Ilmarinen suffered from longing for his wife. And Kullervo died, freeing his native land from the invader - the evil uncle Untamo.
The End of Sampo and the Creation of Kantele
In the end, VÀinÀmöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkainen decided to pick up the miracle mill from the old woman Louha. It is wrong to hide Sampo when she can help people.
While the heroes sailed to Pohjela, they caught a giant pike, from the skeleton of which they made a kantele (Karelian musical instrument). Then it was lost, but made VÀinÀmöinen new, from birch. No one knew how to play the kantele so magically as a songwriter.
The heroes were able to save the miraculous mill from under locks, but there wasnât to save - Sampo fell into the water. The fragments were collected and buried in the Kalevala land. Since then, Kalevala has become a happy country.