Kaarle Krohn

Born in Helsinki on May 10, 1863, Kaarle Krohn became one of Finland’s most important scholars of folklore and oral tradition. He worked at the University of Helsinki, where he served as professor of Finnish and comparative folklore studies, and he is especially remembered for developing the historical-geographic method used to trace how stories and songs spread and changed.

Krohn studied folk poetry, legends, and tale traditions with unusual rigor for his time, helping turn folklore research into a more systematic discipline. He also came from a notable scholarly family: he was the son of Julius Krohn, another major figure in Finnish folklore studies, and his own work continued and expanded that legacy.

He died on July 19, 1933, in Sammatti. Today he is still recognized as a key early architect of modern folkloristics, especially for the way he combined deep knowledge of Finnish tradition with broad comparative research.