Robert E. Howard's Views on the Finns
Sept 15, 2016 1:16:29 GMT -5
Post by deuce on Sept 15, 2016 1:16:29 GMT -5
Robert E. Howard had very little to say about the Finnish people. What he did say, you can find below, quoted from his letters and yarns.
Personally, I've known a few Finns. Most were fairly engaging. A couple were kind of quiet, but then talked your ear off once they got going. One of them I partied with was a big fan of Yngvie Malmsteen and Led Zeppelin. I sold him a couple of Jimmy Page shirts I had made. I hope he still has 'em. Another one was really big on not using guns to hunt bears. He said in the "old times", men would go out and hunt bears with a knife. I said that should help the bear population.
Of course, the Finns have shown themselves to be great defenders of their homeland. They gave the Red Army a very hard time.
uralica.com/finnliv.htm
Anyway, I've found the Finns to be good people (I also have a friend who's proud of his Finnish descent). Robert E. Howard seems to have held the same opinion.
In a letter to HPL in 1932, Robert E. Howard writes this:
"Speaking of Mongol stocks, I notice the Finns seem to be somewhat divided among themselves, even to the point of violence. But as you say, they and the Hungarians have adapted themselves to western civilization surprizingly well for Mongolians."
"If we justify Italy's grabbing of Ethiopia, how can we condemn Japan's seizing of Manchuria, China, Australia and India? What objection could we offer against Germany's grabbing Austria, Finland, Poland, Scandinavia? Or Russia's grabbing all the weaker countries about her?" (Feb., 1936)
The two quotes are interesting.
In the first, we see REH being adamant about the "Mongolian" heritage (I believe he was using it in the wider sense of "Finno-Ugric" or "Uralic") of the Finns. He also pointed out how well the Finns (whom he considered ethnic outsiders to Western civilization) had come along culturally.
The second quote shows that, far from looking upon the Finns as a powerful, imperialist nation , he saw the Finns as being the prey of other imperialist nations. In contrast, we see him forecasting that Russia would try to gobble up her neighbours.
Howard predicted the events of the decade after his death fairly accurately
Finally, here is a quote from "The Shadow of the Hun", wherein Turlogh, the Gaelic hero, talks about being ship-wrecked in Finland after fighting Vikings in 1016 AD:
"I awaked in the hut of a strange people. (...) Well, these folks were Finns -- kindly people who treated me well."
Right there is Robert E. Howard's opinion of Finns during the medieval period. Turlogh, a pure-blooded descendant of the Cimmerians, thinks the Finns are "kindly people" (who live in huts and) who treat defenseless strangers well.
All in all, Robert E. Howard seems to have considered Finns to be a people (of "Mongolian" heritage) with powerful neighbors. A people who are kind to helpless strangers. A pretty glowing assessment from REH. He was usually harder on just about every other ethnic group (even his own). That's something the Finns can be proud of.
Personally, I've known a few Finns. Most were fairly engaging. A couple were kind of quiet, but then talked your ear off once they got going. One of them I partied with was a big fan of Yngvie Malmsteen and Led Zeppelin. I sold him a couple of Jimmy Page shirts I had made. I hope he still has 'em. Another one was really big on not using guns to hunt bears. He said in the "old times", men would go out and hunt bears with a knife. I said that should help the bear population.
Of course, the Finns have shown themselves to be great defenders of their homeland. They gave the Red Army a very hard time.
uralica.com/finnliv.htm
Anyway, I've found the Finns to be good people (I also have a friend who's proud of his Finnish descent). Robert E. Howard seems to have held the same opinion.
In a letter to HPL in 1932, Robert E. Howard writes this:
"Speaking of Mongol stocks, I notice the Finns seem to be somewhat divided among themselves, even to the point of violence. But as you say, they and the Hungarians have adapted themselves to western civilization surprizingly well for Mongolians."
"If we justify Italy's grabbing of Ethiopia, how can we condemn Japan's seizing of Manchuria, China, Australia and India? What objection could we offer against Germany's grabbing Austria, Finland, Poland, Scandinavia? Or Russia's grabbing all the weaker countries about her?" (Feb., 1936)
The two quotes are interesting.
In the first, we see REH being adamant about the "Mongolian" heritage (I believe he was using it in the wider sense of "Finno-Ugric" or "Uralic") of the Finns. He also pointed out how well the Finns (whom he considered ethnic outsiders to Western civilization) had come along culturally.
The second quote shows that, far from looking upon the Finns as a powerful, imperialist nation , he saw the Finns as being the prey of other imperialist nations. In contrast, we see him forecasting that Russia would try to gobble up her neighbours.
Howard predicted the events of the decade after his death fairly accurately
Finally, here is a quote from "The Shadow of the Hun", wherein Turlogh, the Gaelic hero, talks about being ship-wrecked in Finland after fighting Vikings in 1016 AD:
"I awaked in the hut of a strange people. (...) Well, these folks were Finns -- kindly people who treated me well."
Right there is Robert E. Howard's opinion of Finns during the medieval period. Turlogh, a pure-blooded descendant of the Cimmerians, thinks the Finns are "kindly people" (who live in huts and) who treat defenseless strangers well.
All in all, Robert E. Howard seems to have considered Finns to be a people (of "Mongolian" heritage) with powerful neighbors. A people who are kind to helpless strangers. A pretty glowing assessment from REH. He was usually harder on just about every other ethnic group (even his own). That's something the Finns can be proud of.