Finnish history has been the subject of numerous
studies, but none of these have really considered the
nationalist essence of the integral, underlying
'historical culture' of the nation. Even quite
obvious political interpretations and visions of an
ancient Golden Age have all too easily been dismissed
as the consequences of mere patriotism or 'Kalevala
enthusiasm'. This study presents the case for how the
conceptions of a distant, glorious past have been
advanced and actively developed within the national
project of constructing a modern ethnicity of
Finnishness. Accordingly, a conception of an original
ancient greatness was paramount for the nationalist
movements in both the Grand Duchy and the early
Republic of Finland, especially so when the perceived
nation was considered in need of intellectually
unifying defences against the many conceived threats
of Russianness after ca 1890. The book traces the
construction of a Great Myth of National Origins from
the 16th century until the end of the Second World
War and provides richly illustrated examples of how
the process of nation-building influenced and
amplified the deep historical core of the emerging
national consciousness.
