At the river of the dead
In the Kalevala, Lemminkäinen dies trying to kill the swan of Tuonela, the realm of the dead. His mother rakes the pieces of his body out of its river.
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Lemminkäinen's Mother
Akseli Gallen-Kallela · 1897
painting
DeathRead the context
Akseli Gallen-Kallela painted Lemminkäinen's Mother in 1897, illustrating a passage from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. The hero Lemminkäinen has died trying to kill the swan of Tuonela, the realm of the dead, and his mother has raked the pieces of his body out of the river. The painting can be seen as a Kalevala version of the Pietà, which shows the dead Christ, commonly held by his mother, the Virgin Mary.
Details
Start with the mother's face. The model was Gallen-Kallela's own mother. She is waiting for a bee to bring honey from the gods, which would bring her son back to life. Behind them, red stones line the edge of the black river of Tuonela.
In its time
1897
Books from this period
Where it hangs
Finnish National Gallery
In context
Seen as a Kalevala Pietà
The painting can be seen as a Kalevala version of the Pietà, the image of the dead Christ, commonly shown held by his mother, the Virgin Mary.
A national epic in paint
The Kalevala is Finland's national epic, and Gallen-Kallela took it as a source for his paintings.
On these book covers
Book covers use a cropped detail.