Stories

In The Tales of Ensign Stål (Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat), Finland’s national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg wrote a heroic poem related to the fighting in Perho. The poem tells of a wanderer named Cloud’s Brother (Pilven veikko), who had settled in the Metsä-Poranen house. Based on Runeberg’s poem, Samuli Paulaharju (1930, 52) writes as follows:

“He left to chase the Russians and met a big bunch of villains on the church hill. Like a wild animal, this forest boy attacked them. A fierce battle followed, in which ten Russians lost their lives and furious, bloody and torn Poranen finally also fell next to the bell tower.” After the battle, the farmer of Metsä-Poranen and his daughter came to ask what had happened to the young man. Especially the daughter was filled with sorrow because she had been the beloved of the deceased. Even at an old age, she might mention that her real husband had been killed by the Russians.

A march played mainly on the kantele or violin has been composed about the Kokkoneva battle. It was performed at the first Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in 1968 by local musicians. See the music of the march here: http://www.kamulaari.fi/site/_files/kokkonevan_taistelumarssi.pdf