The Folklore Archives of the Finnish Literature Society

Abstract

The scholarly interest in Finnish folk poetry was initiated in the latter part of the 18th century by the historian, Henrik Gabriel Porthan, and his students, under the impulse given by the early romantic currents. Information concerning Finnish folklore and extracts from folklore collections made by them or under their direction, preserved in Porthan's own works, in the academic theses written under his guidance, and in the manuscript of the great Finnish dictionary left by his friend, Christfrid Ganander, justify referring to these materials as the 'folklore archives of Turku Academy'.