Osmo Pavlovich Borodkin was a graphic artist. After World War II ended, he began working on illustrations for the “Kalevala”. Unfortunately, he did not have time to complete this work. At an all-union competition of illustrations for the epic poem “Kalevala”, held in honor of the 100th anniversary of its publication, he was awarded the 3rd prize posthumously.
The epic poem “Kalevala” touches on fundamental and eternal themes such as good and evil, love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, the willingness to perform heroic deeds, and the pursuit of goals at any cost.
The 31st rune of the “Kalevala” describes the story of two brothers, Kalervo and Untamo, who quarrel over salmon. Untamo assembles an army and wipes out the entire Kalervo family, except for one woman. Soon, she gives birth to a son, whom she names Kullervo. As a child, Kullervo possesses extraordinary strength, and one day, Untamo overhears him vowing to avenge his family. Untamo attempts to kill Kullervo, but neither fire nor water can harm him. Undeterred, Untamo decides to make him his slave. But Kullervo ruins everything he is ordered to work on, causing chaos and destruction. Finally, Untamo sells him to the blacksmith Ilmarinen.
The blacksmith’s wife, the daughter of the old witch Louhi, instructs Kullervo to look after their cattle. The wicked beauty gives him bread with a stone baked into it. Throughout the day, Kullervo tends to the animals. In the evening, he breaks his knife, attempting to cut the bread. This is particularly upsetting to him, as the knife is the only remaining memento of his late father. Kullervo then leads the herd to a swamp and leaves it there. He gathers wolves and bears and brings them back to the farm, magically turning them into cows and calves. When Ilmarinen’s wife goes to milk the cows, the wild animals viciously kill her.
Kullervo flees and returns home. He discovers that all of his relatives are still alive. However, he is not welcomed by anyone except his mother, who still loves him. Soon, he meets a young woman and seduces her, unaware that she is in fact his long-lost sister. Upon learning the truth, the woman commits suicide out of shame. Kullervo takes the sword, gifted to him by the god Ukko, and goes to fight Untamo. Kullervo destroys all his relatives and burns all the houses. After returning home, he discovers that all his remaining relatives have also perished.
