Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/230

 Lönnrot wandered from place to place in the most remote districts, living with the peasantry, and taking down from their lips all that they knew of their popular songs. After unwearied diligence he was successful in collecting 12,000 lines. These he arranged as methodically as he could into thirty-two runes or cantos, which he published exactly as he heard them sung or chanted. Continuing his researches, Dr Lönnrot published in 1849 a new edition of 22,793 verses, in 50 runes. The importance of this indigenous epic, as it may be fairly styled, was at once recognized in Europe, and translations were made into Swedish, German, and French. A few specimens have also been translated into English by the late Professor A. Porter, of Yale College, and published at New York (1868). The best foreign editions are those of Castren in Swedish (1844), Leouzon le Duc in French (1845 and 1868), Schiefner in German (1852). The poem has besides given rise to a considerable amount of critical literature, which is worthy of the attention of the comparative mythologist. The poem is written in eight-syllabled trochaic verse, and an idea of its style may be obtained from Longfellow's Hiawatha, which is a pretty true imitation of the Finnish epic. Of the merits and importance of the poem Professor Max Müller, than whom there could be no better judge, speaks thus:—“From the mouths of the aged an epic poem has been collected, equalling the Iliad in length and completeness; nay—if we can forget for a moment all that we in our youth learned to call beautiful—not less beautiful. A Finn is not a Greek, and a Wainamoinen was not a Homer. But if the poet may take his colours from that nature by which he is surrounded, if he may depict the men with whom he lives, Kalewala possesses merits not dissimilar from those of the Iliad, and will claim its place as the fifth national epic of the world, side by side with the Ionian songs, with the Mahábhárata, the Shahnámeh, and the Nibelunge.” The Kalewala is concerned entirely with the mythology or folk-lore of the people. In the story there is a certain unity of plot, though the various parts are not perfectly homogeneous, and are evidently the product of different minds at different times, the various songs having evidently received additions in course of time. Indeed, it is probable that the origin of the songs must be sought for in a time when the various branches of the Finns were not so scattered as they are now, certainly before their conversion to Christianity, though in the conclusion there seem to be one or two allusions to Christian subjects. The poem takes its name from the three heroes of Kaleva, the land of plenty and happiness, Wåinåmöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemmin-Kåinen; it is the struggles of these with Louhi, Hüse, Yorukahainen, and others from Pohjola, a land of the cold north, and from Luonela, the land of death, that are sung. The poem begins with the creation of the world, and after many varied events, ends in the triumph of Wåinåmöinen and his followers. At the time that Dr Lönnrot collected the Kalewala songs he also collected a considerable quantity of lyric poetry, which he published under the name of Kanteletar, from the name of the national instrument to which they are sung—Kantele, a species of harp with five strings. Of recent poets the most popular seems to be Paavo Korrhoinen, a peasant whose productions are characterized by sharp and biting sarcasm. His songs were published at Helsingfors in 1848. Other modern poets are Marteska, Kettunen, Ilahainen, Oksaselta. The Finns are strong in proverbs, Lönnrot having published a collection of upwards of 7000, with about 2000 charades, while considerable collections of legends and tales have been published.

The first book printed in Finnish was in the middle of the 16th century, and was probably the Abecedarium (1543) of Michael Agricola, bishop of Åbo. A translation of the New Testament by the same bishop appeared in 1548, at

Stockholm. The whole Bible was not translated into Finnish till 1642. Even during last, but especially during the present century, there has been considerable literary activity in Finland, so that now books in almost every branch of research are found in the language, mainly translations or adaptations. We meet with, during the present century, a considerable number of names of poets and dramatists, no doubt very minor, as also painters, sculptors, and musical composers. At the Paris International Exhibition of 1878 several native Finnish painters and sculptors exhibited works which would do credit to any country; and both in the fine and applied arts Finland occupied a position thoroughly creditable. An important contribution to a history of Finnish literature is Krohn's Suomenkielinen runollisuns ruotsinvallan aikana (1862). Finland is wonderfully rich in periodicals of all kinds, the publications of the Finnish Societies of Literature and of Sciences and other learned bodies being specially valuable. The Finnish Literary Society has within the last few years published a new edition of the works of the father of Finnish history, Henry Gabriel Porthan (died 1804). A valuable handbook of Finnish history was published at Helsingfors in 1869-73, by Yrjö Koskinen, and has been translated into both Swedish and German. The author, however, is understood to be really a Swede, whose name is Georg Forsman, the above form being a Finnish translation. Other works on Finnish history have also appeared within the last four or five years. Some important works in Finnish geography have also appeared during the same period. In language we have Lönnrot's great Finnish-Swedish dictionary, now being published by the Finnish Literary Society. In this connexion the student may be glad to know of Dr Donner's Comparative Dictionary of the Finno-Ugric Languages (Helsingfors and Leipsic), in German. In other departments works of importance have not been infrequent during the present decade; most of them apparently are in Swedish. A valuable sketch of recent Finnish literature will be found in the Russische Revue (iv. Jahrgang, 4 and 6 Hefte). (Author:John Scott Keltie)  FINLAY, (1799-1875), the historian of Greece “from its conquest by the Romans to the present time,” was born of Scottish parents at Faversham, Kent, on the 21st of December 1799. His father, Major John Finlay, R.E., F.R.S., who had held for some time the post of inspector of the Government powder-mills at Faversham and Waltham Abbey, died when George was still very young (1802); but the boy has left on record how his interest in historical studies was awakened at a very early age by the manner in which his mother used to explain the history of England. On the second marriage of his mother, he was sent to a boarding-school near Liverpool, where he spent three years,—not very profitably, according to his own account. Afterwards his education was continued in more favourable circumstances under a private tutor in the house of his uncle, Mr Kirkman Finlay, who at that time sat as member of parliament for the Glasgow district of burghs. While making good progress in his literary education, he at the same time laid up pleasant and life-long memories of the boating, fishing, and pedestrian excursions for which the picturesque shores of the Firth of Clyde offer so many delightful facilities. At one time he had entertained thoughts of entering the army; but having been dissuaded from this by his friends, he ultimately, at the close of his university curriculum in arts, made choice of the legal profession. He received his preliminary technical training in a writer's office in Glasgow, and, when little over twenty years of age, went to Göttingen to complete his studies in Roman law. But before this time he had begun to feel a deep interest in the contemporary affairs of Greece, and at the Hanoverian university he was wholly unable to 