Kaarle Krohn
Encyclopedia
Kaarle Krohn was a Finnish
folklorist, professor and developer of the geographic-historic method of folklore research. He was born in Helsinki
. He was the son of journalist and poet Julius Krohn
, and his sister was Aino Kallas
, a Finnish author. Krohn is best known outside of Finland for his contributions to international folktale research. He devoted most of his life to the study of the epic poetry that forms the basis for the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala
.
. From January 1884 to June 1885, he traveled through Finland collecting samples of Finnish folklore. During his collecting, he focused mainly on folktales because he thought they had been overlooked in the search for epic songs. His doctoral thesis, "Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs, eine nordische Tiermärchenkette [Bear (wolf) and fox: A Nordic animal-tale chain (1888)", based on his folktale collection and using his father's historical-geographical method, won him an immediate international reputation and brought him fast academic advancement.
. In 1889, he was named acting professor of Finnish and Finnish literature and in 1898, extraordinary personal professor of Finnish and comparative folklore. In 1898, Krohn became a full professor at the University of Helsinki
for Finnish
and comparative folklore. Later, in 1908, when a permanent chair in Finnish and comparative folklore was established, he became its first occupant. In 1907, he created the Federation of Folklore Fellows' Communications with his friends Johannes Bolte and Axel Olrik
. In 1917, he became a chairman of the Finnish Literature Society
(Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura). Krohn was a co-founder of the magazines Virittäjä (1896) and Finno-ugrische Forschungen (Finno-Ugric
research) together with Emil Nestor Setälä (1901). He was also famous for his 'historical-geographical' approach to comparing folklore texts. In 1918, Krohn published Kalevalankysymyksia (Kalevala Questions), a two-volume hand book designed for students of Finnish Folk poetry. Eight years later, he reworked the book for a forgien audience, added folktale examples and published it as Die folkloristiche Arbeitsmethode (Folklore Methodology), which since that time has served as the standard reference work for the Finnish Method.
In 1932, a year before he died, Krohn returned once more to folklore research. He published a review of international folktale scholarship that was based largely on the methodological approach he had developed, called Übersicht über einige Resultate der Märchenforschung (A review of some results of folktale research).
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
folklorist, professor and developer of the geographic-historic method of folklore research. He was born in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. He was the son of journalist and poet Julius Krohn
Julius Krohn
Julius Leopold Fredrik Krohn was a Finnish folk poetry researcher, a professor of Finnish literature, a poet, a hymn writer, a translator and a journalist. He was born in Viipuri. Krohn worked as a lecturer on Finnish language in Helsinki University from the year 1875 and as a supernumerary ...
, and his sister was Aino Kallas
Aino Kallas
Aino Krohn Kallas was a prominent Finnish - Estonian author. Her novellas are considered to be among the finest pieces of Finnish literature. Kallas is also known for her love affair with the legendary poet Eino Leino....
, a Finnish author. Krohn is best known outside of Finland for his contributions to international folktale research. He devoted most of his life to the study of the epic poetry that forms the basis for the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
.
Early life
Krohn passed his matriculation exams in 1880, earned his candidacy degree in 1883 at University of Helsinki, and completed his doctorate in 1888. At the age of 18, he conducted field research in northern KareliaKarelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
. From January 1884 to June 1885, he traveled through Finland collecting samples of Finnish folklore. During his collecting, he focused mainly on folktales because he thought they had been overlooked in the search for epic songs. His doctoral thesis, "Bär (Wolf) und Fuchs, eine nordische Tiermärchenkette [Bear (wolf) and fox: A Nordic animal-tale chain (1888)", based on his folktale collection and using his father's historical-geographical method, won him an immediate international reputation and brought him fast academic advancement.
Career
In 1888, he was named docent of Finnish and comparative literature at University of HelsinkiUniversity of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
. In 1889, he was named acting professor of Finnish and Finnish literature and in 1898, extraordinary personal professor of Finnish and comparative folklore. In 1898, Krohn became a full professor at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
for Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and comparative folklore. Later, in 1908, when a permanent chair in Finnish and comparative folklore was established, he became its first occupant. In 1907, he created the Federation of Folklore Fellows' Communications with his friends Johannes Bolte and Axel Olrik
Axel Olrik
Axel Olrik was a Danish folklorist, and a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative.His Principles for Oral Narrative Research, recently translated by K. Wolf and J. Jensen, Bloomington, Ind., 1992, was first published in 1921, after Olrik's early death...
. In 1917, he became a chairman of the Finnish Literature Society
Finnish Literature Society
The Finnish Literature Society was founded in 1831 to promote literature written in Finnish. Among its first publications was the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic.-External links:* ...
(Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura). Krohn was a co-founder of the magazines Virittäjä (1896) and Finno-ugrische Forschungen (Finno-Ugric
Finno-Ugric languages
Finno-Ugric , Finno-Ugrian or Fenno-Ugric is a traditional group of languages in the Uralic language family that comprises the Finno-Permic and Ugric language families....
research) together with Emil Nestor Setälä (1901). He was also famous for his 'historical-geographical' approach to comparing folklore texts. In 1918, Krohn published Kalevalankysymyksia (Kalevala Questions), a two-volume hand book designed for students of Finnish Folk poetry. Eight years later, he reworked the book for a forgien audience, added folktale examples and published it as Die folkloristiche Arbeitsmethode (Folklore Methodology), which since that time has served as the standard reference work for the Finnish Method.
In 1932, a year before he died, Krohn returned once more to folklore research. He published a review of international folktale scholarship that was based largely on the methodological approach he had developed, called Übersicht über einige Resultate der Märchenforschung (A review of some results of folktale research).
Publications
- Eliel Aspelin-Haapkylä als Urheber der neueren volkskundlichen Sammelarbeit der Finnischen Litteraturgesellschaft. Helsinki 1920 (Folklore Fellows' Communications 35).
- K. F. Karjalainen. Helsinki 1921 (Folklore Fellows' Communications 40)
- Magische Ursprungsrunen der Finnen (Magic Runes of the Finns). Painettu Keravalla 1924 (Folklore Fellows' Communications 52).
- Die folkloristische Arbeitsmethode (The Folklorist Work Method). Erläutert von Kaarle Krohn. Oslo 1926.
- Übersicht über einige Resultate der Märchenforschung (Overview of the Results of Fairy-Tale Research). Helsinki 1931 (Folklore Fellows' Communications 96).
- Antti Aarne. Helsinki 1926 (Folklore Fellows' Communications 64).