Abstract This article presents an empirical analysis of Elias Lönnrot's textualization of the “Polvenhaava” (Knee Wound) poem, poem 9 of the 1849 Kalevala. The case study aims to show how Lönnrot strove to achieve an ethnographic aim, portraying the perceived bygone times of the Finnish people as faithfully as possible. The case study compares poem 9 with a poem Lönnrot collected in Viena Karelia in 1828. The analysis demonstrates Lönnrot's use of dialogic structure, his embedding of incantations into new contexts, and his use of epic allusions and intertextuality.
Tuukka Karlsson (Thu,) studied this question.