338 MAN : PAST AND PRESENT. [CHAP. 



the Norwegians still do), and that early navigator already noticed 

 that these " Finns " seemed to speak the same 



Tavastian 



and Karelian language as the Beormas, who were true Finns 1 . 

 Nor do the present inhabitants of Finland, taken 

 as a whole, differ more in outward appearance and temperament 

 from their Lapp neighbours than do the Tavastians and the 

 Karelians, that is, their western and eastern sections, from each 

 other. The Tavastians, who call themselves Hemelaiset, " Lake 

 People," have rather broad, heavy frames, small and oblique blue 

 or grey eyes, towy hair and white complexion, without the clear 

 florid colour of the North Germanic and English peoples. The 

 temperament is somewhat sluggish, passive and enduring, morose 

 and vindictive, but honest and trustworthy. 



Very different are the tall, slim, active Karelians (Karialaiset, 

 "Cowherds," from Kari, "Cow"), with more regular features, 

 straight grey eyes, brown complexion, and chestnut hair, like 

 that of the hero of the Kalevala, hanging in ringlets down the 

 shoulders. Many of the Karelians, and most of the neighbouring 

 Ingrians about the head of the Gulf of Finland, as well as the 

 Votes and Vepses of the great lakes, have been assimilated in 

 speech, religion, and usages to the surrounding. Russian popula- 

 tions. But the more conservative Tavastians have hitherto 

 tenaciously preserved the national sentiment, language, and tradi- 

 tions. Despite the pressure of Sweden on the west, and of 

 Russia on the east, the Finns still stand out as a distinct Euro- 

 pean nationality, and continue to cultivate with success their 

 harmonious and highly poetical language. Since the i2th century 

 they have been Christians, converted to the Catholic faith by 

 " Saint " Eric, King of Sweden, and later to Lutheranism, again 

 by the Swedes 2 . The national university, removed in 1827 from 

 Abo to Helsingfors, is a centre of much scientific and literary 

 work, and here E. Lonnrot, father of Finnish literature, brought 

 out his various editions of the Kalevala, that of 1849 consisting 

 of some 50,000 strophes. 



A kind of transition from these settled and cultured Finns 



1 ")>a Finnas, him J?uhte, and )>a Beormas sprcecon neah an gefteode" 

 (Orosius I. 14). 



2 See my paper on the Finns in Cassell's Storehoiise of Information, p. 296. 



