Kullervo is an ill-fated character from the
Finnish Kalevala epic. Kullervo is the only
tragic character in
Finnish mythology. Kullervo was the son of Kalervo. He survived a massacre of his tribe and was raised by his enemy Untamo's tribe. Kullervo grew up thinking his family was dead; he also recognized that he was raised by people who hated him and whom he did not trust, knowing that they were his people's murderers. Later, he was sold into slavery and mocked and tormented further. When he finally ran away, he finds his family, only to lose them again, and unknowingly seduces and has sexual relations with his sister, whom he thought dead. When she finds out it was her own brother who seduced her, she commits suicide. Kullervo becomes mad with rage, returns to Untamo and his tribe, exterminates them using his powers, and commits suicide. The story of Kullervo differs from all other folktales in that it describes the effects of child abuse. In the end of the poem the character
Väinämöinen especially warns all parents about abusing their children. The theme was used by
Filip von Schantz,
Robert Kajanus,
Jean Sibelius, Grahame Gordon Innes,
Armas Launis and
Leevi Madetoja in the Finnish culture for poems, music and in literature. An unfinished novel by
J.R.R. Tolkien based on the tale was published on 27 August 2015.
