Elias Lönnrot
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Mirtilli
N 60° 19.206 E 023° 49.310
34V E 655840 N 6690395
Elias Lönnrot (9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry.
Waymark Code: WMHNNV
Location: Finland
Date Posted: 07/28/2013
Views: 53
Lönnrot is best known for compiling Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, from national folk tales that he gathered during several expeditions in Finland, Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and Baltic countries.
His true passion lay in his native Finnish language. He began writing about the early Finnish language in 1827 and began collecting folk tales from rural people about that time. In 1831, the Finnish Literature Society was founded, and Lönnrot, being one of the founder members, received financial support from the society for his collecting efforts.
Lönnrot went on extended leaves of absence from his doctor's office; he toured the countryside of Finland, Sapmi (Lapland), and nearby portions of Russian Karelia. This led to a series of books: Kantele, 1829–1831 (the kantele is a Finnish traditional instrument); Kalevala, 1835–1836 (the "old" Kalevala); Kanteletar, 1840; Sananlaskuja, 1842 (Proverbs); an expanded second edition of Kalevala, 1849 (the "new" Kalevala). Lönnrot was recognised for his part in preserving Finland's oral traditions by appointment to the Chair of Finnish Literature at the University of Helsinki.
He also undertook the task of compiling the first Finnish-Swedish dictionary (Finsk-Svenskt lexikon, 1866–1880). The result comprised over 200,000 entries, and many of the Finnish translations were coined by Lönnrot himself. His vast knowledge of traditional Finnish poetry made him a definite authority in Finland and many of his inventions have stuck. Finnish scientific terminology was in particular influenced by Lönnrot's work and therefore many abstract terms that have a Latin or Greek etymology in mainstream European languages appear as native neologisms in Finnish. Examples from linguistics and medicine include kielioppi (grammar), kirjallisuus (literature), laskimo (vein) and valtimo (artery). This may be well contrasted with the so-called inkhorn debate of English, in which proponents of Saxon-based words were largely defeated.
copied from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_L%C3%B6nnrot)
Description:
Lönnrot was born in Sammatti, in the province of Uusimaa in Grand Duchy of Finland. He studied medicine at the Academy of Turku. The Great Fire of Turku coincided with his first academic year. As the university was destroyed in the fire, it was moved to Helsinki, the newly established administrative center of the Grand Duchy and the present capital city of Finland. Lönnrot followed and graduated in 1832.
Date of birth: 04/09/1802
Date of death: 03/19/1884
Area of notoriety: Literature
Marker Type: Crypt (below ground)
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: No access limitations
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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