The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

216 RUSSIA IN EUEOPE.Ethnology :Tavastians— Karelians — Swedes.The foreign name of Finn seems to be a Teutonic translation of the native wordSuomi, or Suomenmaa, and has been identified with the English fen. This etymologyhas,however, been questioned by Sjogren and others, and the name as well as theorigin of the Finns, the Fenni of Tacitus, remains an ethnological problem. But,speaking generally, the bulk of the present inhabitants of Finland may be said to be ofUral-Altaic stock, and closely akin to the Magyars, as well as to the still uncivilisedCheremissians, Ostyaks, Voguls, and Samoyeds. They are evidently a very mixedrace, for the land, which they are supposed to have occupied towards the end of theseventh century, has been frequently overrun by various tribes, whose descendantsbecame absorbed in the indigenous population. Before the polished stone periodthe great extension of the ice-fields must have rendered the present Finland uninhabitable;but after the first settlements the most frequent ' relations of the peoplewere evidently with the eastern tribes of North Russia, for nearly all the objects foundeast and west of Lake Ladoga are identical in material and workmanship. Lateron, in the bronze age, and especially on the first introduction of iron, Scandinavianinfluences prevailed. Then there are evidences of Slavonic culture, after which, inthe historic period proper, the Scandinavians are found to be in much closer contactwith the people than the Russians. The struggle for ascendancy between theinvaders from the sea and those advancing from the east often became a war ofextermination, laying waste whole districts. In the midst of such conflicts betweenthe foreign rulers of the land, it is surprising that the Finns were able to retainso much of their national characteristics.In the north Lapp influence was probably very marked, owing to crossingswith the Finnish tribes of the Ostrobothnians and Quaens (Kainulaiset). In 18-19Andreas Warelius mentions a great many districts and hamlets in the province ofUleaborg where the rural element was mixed, and still partly spoke Lapponic.Whether the Lapps ever occupied the southern provinces is a moot question, althoughthe local traditions are unanimous on the point, such names as Jaettilaiset, Hiidet,Jatulit, Jotunit, being still current in reference to those aborigines. The nationallegends speak of the struggles that the first Finnish immigrants had to sustainagainst the magicians allied with the powers of darkness, and in Finland as well asin Russia the Lapps, Samoyeds, and all the northern Finns are regarded aswizards and enchanters. Several local names also point at the presence of Lapps inthe south ; but the absence of archaeological remains of Lapp origin shows that theycannot have long sojourned in the land. More numerous are the traces of Teutonicelements on the southern seaboard, andafew very old German words found inFinnish have induced Thomsen to suppose that the race formerly dwelt in theRussian plains bordering on the Baltic.The southern Finns are divided into two distinct families, the Tavastians andKarelians. The former occupy a triangle in the south-west, limited on the westand south by the Swedes of the coast. They have been influenced mainly byScandinavian culture, whereas the Karelians have been brought in contact chiefly