Discussion: Cultural history of Jukola

"The forest draws us." (Aleksis Kivi, Seven Brothers)

I'm going to be giving a paper on Jukola and its place in Finnish Culture at a conference in a few weeks time, and I am on the look out for any information about the history and cultural origins of the relay.

Specifically, I will be looking at the ways in which the relay draws on the mythology of Kivi's 1870 novel and the Scandinavian relationship with the wilderness as a formative civilizing force.

But I also want to know more about the modern event - what are the origins of the Jukola address, what is the relay's place in Finnish popular culture, etc? Also, I have heard anecdotally that Jukola is the biggest relay competition in the world of any sport (and was recorded as such in the Guinness book of records). Can anyone verify this?

Any help will be much appreciated!

You probably are already aware there are histories published in Finnish (one has a small summary in English). They can be ordered from the Jukola web site. Published in the site are more recent addresses by the winners. There are plenty of Jukola history buffs out there--not sure they are looking here though. There is one pre-Jukola practice race (Sepon Kirmaisu) organised every year by a venerable orienteer here in Central Finland. I think he raced Jukola with his 6 brothers?! He shows up with his old Jukola maps to retell and reanalyze.

I am not sure how themes in Seven Brothers resonate in the race and larger culture but certainly functionality is prized in this society--things should work, from the results to the showers. Jukola seems the epitomy of this ethos. Is that in Seven Brothers? I should read it.

This is heretical, and grumpy, since every year they seem to want to set a new record but I kind of wish the forest drew less of us at Jukola--some times its hard to see the forest through the orienteers.

Thanks for the tips, it would certainly be good to track down the real life seven brothers and talk to them. I will see if I can find out more from some of my former clubmates in Helsinki.

I noticed some interesting names in this year´s start list: The two top clubs from 1981
(Almby IK, SWE and IF Sturla, NOR) have entered almost the same teams again and in the same running order! Both clubs have 6 out of 7 runners named from their original teams so far. We´ll see if they all show up and are in decent running shape...