
MAAN HILJAISET
ARVI JÄRVENTAUS
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A quiet countryside comes alive through the eyes of a small girl named Sabina, who toddles along a narrow herd‑path flanked by curious, twig‑like beings that seem to follow her every step. She talks to the unseen companions, worries about the cows that refuse to give milk, and overhears tales of a hidden, underground city ruled by the ominous Riimiäijä—a place where lost travelers are said to vanish without a way back.
The narrative weaves folk‑mythic whispers with the simple chores of farm life, guiding Sabina as she decides whether to heed her mother’s warnings or forge ahead toward the towering hills and the distant lake that glint like a promise. Along the way she meets the hulking, good‑natured Muurmanni, hears stories of distant towns, and gathers wildflowers that seem to speak back, all while the landscape itself feels both protective and full of quiet, lingering mysteries.
Language
fi
Duration
~4 hours (248K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Porvoo: WSOY, 1925.
Credits
Juhani Kärkkäinen and Tapio Riikonen
Release date
2024-02-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1883–1939
A Finnish priest-novelist who helped bring Lapland into modern Finnish literature, he wrote vivid stories shaped by northern landscapes, Sámi themes, and a restless, eventful life. Popular in the 1910s through 1930s, he was especially known for fiction that made the far north feel immediate and alive.
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