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.”

Stories

Runeberg’s poem The Grave at Perho tells about father Haane’s six sons, whom the father raised with strict discipline. The story highlights the strong solidarity and loyalty among the brothers. For the last time, this strong bond culminates when five of the brothers set out to fight the Russian soldiers attacking and ravaging the region with a superior number of soldiers and fast horses. More than ten cavalrymen die in the battle, but the Haane brothers are also killed one after the other. The boys’ father hurries to the battlefield along a forest path and sees his sons lifeless. He manages to see the bloody head of his son Aatu, speared on the lance of a soldier riding away from the battlefield. Upon this sight, the father breaks down. But where is the eldest son Tuomas? Is he alive? Has he betrayed his brothers? Tuomas has been visiting his girlfriend, but when he hears about his brothers’ fate, he goes after the cavalrymen. When he finds them in a croft, he attacks and kills them in his rage. Tuomas returns home and throws the head of Aatu’s killer on the floor in front of his father. The proud father embraces the lethally wounded Tuomas. The literal translation of the end of Runeberg’s poem goes as follows: “Of his wounds died Tuomas Haane, the old father of his joy.” (Hauta Perhossa 1999, 24–31)

Photos

A grave in Perho

A road sign to the Hauta Perhossa (Grave at Perho) granite statue

Information board

Video

A video about the destination: https://youtu.be/AZnqSbVBzy8

Map