A grave in Perho

Hautaperhontie Perho

In the northern part of Lake Jängänjärvi lies Kalmasaari, a headland where human bones were found in 1920 and thereafter. Local lore suggests that this headland once hosted a gravesite. Finland’s national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg’s (1804–1877) poem “Grafven i Perho” (The Grave at Perho) from 1831 recounts the story of the Haane brothers, probably dating back to the days of the Greater or Lesser Wrath in the first half of the 18th century. According to the legend, the Haane brothers rest in the graves. In 1925, a granite statue was erected on approximately the location where the bones were found. The words on the bronze plate of the statue translate as follows: “The Haane spirit obliges you to sacrifice for your native country.”