Blonde hair, blue eyes, a fluttering dress and a figure as slender as a young birch tree. Who is she? The answer is familiar to all Finns, but not to foreigners. She is the Maiden of Finland, the visual symbol of the nation and a key to the heart of Finnishness. In the struggle to defend autonomy, depictions of the Lion Of Finland pictures of an anonymous maiden personifying Finland, as well as the colours blue and white, were important instruments of propaganda. Edvard Isto's painting of the maiden (1899), seen defending the book of Finnish law, became known throughout the country in spite of official attempts to prohibit its display. The two-headed eagle, emblem of the Russian Imperial House, excellently symbolised the powers of darkness. What sustained the Finns in fighting forty-two wars with Russia and losing every one? It was the quality of courage and a unbreakable fortitude which made the Finns, fearless! This is "SISU" Painting courtesy of National Finland Museum of Art This page has been accessed times since the counter was created on June 21, 2005. BACK TO SISU Main Page Updated August 14, 2005 |