Larin Paraske

[3] Her frequent listeners included several romantic nationalist artists, such as Jean Sibelius, seeking inspiration from her interpretations of Kalevala, an epic poem compiled from Finnish folklore by Elias Lönnrot.

[6] Paraske was born as Paraskeva Nikitina, her official Russian name, in Lempaala, Northern Ingria.

[6] In 1853, Paraske married a peasant named Kaurila Teppananpoika, or Gavril Stepanov, from Vaskela village in Sakkola (later Metsäpirtti municipality) of Viipuri Province.

[7] Paraske's life changed in 1887, when she came to the attention of the clergyman Adolf Neovius, who was documenting national folk poetry.

[7] The Finnish Literature Society granted Paraske an artist's pension in 1901, but she was unable to overcome her financial problems.

It was planned for the Kalevala building, which, however, was never realized, so the statue was erected in 1949 in the Hakasalmi park, off of Mannerheimintie, in Helsinki.

In 2004, Paraske placed 87th on Suuret suomalaiset, a vote arranged by YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, to determine the "100 Greatest Finns".