Th.--Litt.--Helsinki, 1967. / Bibliogr. p. 309-315. Index.

ENGLISH SUMMARY This master thesis focuses on swan symbolism in Finnish poetry, from the oldest folk poems of oral tradition to the first decades of the 20th century. Firstly a swan is described from the zoological and etymological point of view, and its position in the contemporary Finnish culture is clarified. The next chapter is dedicated to swan symbolism in European culture, from antiquity till presence, and it focuses on mythology, folk traditions and the most common motives in visual art, music and literature. The key part of the thesis describes the swan symbolism in Finnish oral tradition and especially in poetry of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The thesis focuses in particular on Johan Ludvig Runeberg's, Aleksis Kivi's, Elias Lönnrot's, Juhani Aho's, Eino Leino's, Otto Manninen's and Aarni Kouta's poetry. A special chapter is devoted to the myth of the Swan of Tuonela. Following the swan symbolism throughout literature and culture history, I have been looking for connections to Finnish national as well as European traditions and intertextual relations.