Elias Lönnrot (Finnish:[ˈeliɑsˈlønruːt]ⓘ; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist,philologist and collector of traditionalFinnishoral poetry. He is best known for synthesizing the Finnish national epic,Kalevala (1835, enlarged 1849) from shortballads andlyric poems[1] he gathered fromFinnish oral tradition during several field expeditions in Finland,Russian Karelia, theKola Peninsula and Baltic countries. In botany, he is remembered as the author of the 1860Flora Fennica, the first scientific text written in Finnish rather than in Latin.
The cabin, Paikkarin torppa, where Lönnrot was born inSammatti
Lönnrot was born inSammatti,[a] in the province ofUusimaa, Finland, which was thenpart of Sweden.[2] From 1814 to 1815, he attended the school of Tammisaari Pedagogio. He studied atTurku Cathedral School from 5April1816 until he dropped out in the spring of 1818. After dropping out, he worked as a tailor and singer in Sammatti and nearby villages. He joined thePorvoo Gymnasium on 20March1820 but left on 9April. For the next two years, he studied as anapothecary student atHämeenlinna. In the summer of 1822, he lived in Sammatti as he prepared for the high school examination. On 11October1822, he enrolled in theAcademy of Turku[3] to study medicine.[2] TheGreat Fire of Turku coincided with his first academic year. As the university was destroyed in the fire, it was moved toHelsinki, the newly established administrative center of theGrand Duchy of Finland. Lönnrot followed and graduated in 1832.[4]
Lönnrot lived in the village ofPaltaniemi, when he got a job as district doctor ofKajaani in Eastern Finland during a time offamine andpestilence in the district.[5][6][7]
He began writing about the early Finnish language in 1827 and began collectingfolk tales from rural people around the same time. In 1831, theFinnish Literature Society was founded, and Lönnrot, being one of the founders, received financial support from the society for his efforts to collect folk tales.[2]
Lönnrot went on extended leaves of absence from his doctor's office; he toured the countryside of Finland,Sapmi (Lapland), and nearby portions ofRussian Karelia. This led to a series of books:Kantele, 1829–1831 (thekantele is a Finnish traditional instrument);Kalevala, 1835–1836 (the "old" Kalevala), an edited collection of epic poems collected orally and representing amythology for Finland;Kanteletar, 1840;Sananlaskuja, 1842 (Proverbs); an expanded second edition ofKalevala, 1849 (the "new" Kalevala). Lönnrot was recognised for his part in preserving Finland's oral traditions by appointment to the Chair ofFinnish Literature at theUniversity of Helsinki in 1853.[8][9]
Lönnrot undertook the task of compiling the first Finnish-Swedish dictionary (Finsk-Svenskt lexikon, 1866–1880).[2] The result comprised over 200,000 entries, and many of the Finnish translations were coined by Lönnrot himself.[10] 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 most other European languages appear as nativeneologisms in Finnish. Examples from linguistics and medicine includekielioppi (grammar),kirjallisuus (literature),laskimo (vein) andvaltimo (artery).[11]
Botanists remember Lönnrot for writing the first Finnish-languageFlora Fennica – Suomen Kasvisto ("Flora of Finland") in 1860; in its day it was famed throughoutScandinavia, as it was among the first common-language scientific texts. The second, expanded version was co-authored by Thomas Saelan and published in 1866.[12][13] TheFlora Fennica was the first scientific work published in Finnish (instead of Latin). In addition, it includes many notes on plant uses in between descriptions of flowers and leaves.
Lönnrot was the main motif for the FinnishElias Lönnrot and folklore commemorative coin, minted in 2002. On the reverse, a feather (as a symbol of an author) and Elias Lönnrot's signature can be seen.[16] The Finnish graphic artistErik Bruun used Lönnrot as a motif for the 500markkabanknote in his banknote series.[17]
The Argentine authorJorge Luis Borges used the name Lönnrot, possibly alluding to the Finnish author, for the diligent detective in his storyDeath and the Compass (La muerte y la brújula).[18]
^"Finland". European Central Bank. 15 January 2021.Archived from the original on 21 July 2024. Retrieved3 August 2024.Denomination: 500 FIM Elias Lönnrot
^"Lönnrot, Erik".Borges Center. Retrieved3 August 2024.detective in Borges story; a possible allusion to Elias Lönnrot
![Portrait of Lönnrot by Bernhard Reinhold [fi], 1872](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aElias_L%25C3%25B6nnrot_by_Reinhold.jpeg)
