Cultic revelations : studies in modern historical cult personalities and phenomena
This collection of articles contains history papers of the third
conference of the joint project of the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences and the Academy of Finland titled Cult and Community ,
held in Jyväskylä, 6 7 September, 2007. They are complemented by
a couple of specialized, independent contributions by scholars
working in the field of cults. It may be noted that the Finnish
participants were newcomers in the cult research group since the
Hungarian cult studies draw on traditions in the history of
literature (e.g. Péter Dávidházi on Shakespeare-cult, the
publications of the Petőfi Museum of Literature, Budapest and the
Déri Múzeum, Debrecen) and critical studies. Also studies in
personality cults of the Communist leaders in the Eastern Europe
have been launched there.
In Finland the situation has been different. There have been
lively cults of J. L. Runeberg (national poet), J. V. Snellman
(philosopher for the Finnish nation) and other luminaries but
genuine political cults have been relatively rare and ambiguous. In
such a legalist country as Finland has been, revolutionary popular
movements imitating National Socialism and Fascism impregnated
by obsessive cultic practices, could not gain long-standing, firm
foothold. That Vihtori Kosola, the leader of the fascismo of
Finland the label of a British contemporary correspondent
could call almost 13,000 peasants to demonstrate in 1930 at the
main square in Helsinki, was the utmost he could manage and it
was not enough to transform his popularity into a personality cult.
And that he was donated a bust of Mussolini by the Italian
Embassy rather was a symbolic diplomatic gesture not prone to
elevate Kosola s figure to wider public acceptance. Nevertheless,
usually in times of crisis, some strong men have been promoted to
represent the ability to defend the country. One of them was, for
example, President P.E. Svinhufvud for the White Finland in the
early 1930s. In contrast, the feminine symbol of Finland, the whitedressed
virgin, was a rather fragile figure but all the same
politically utilized. Lenin and Mannerheim are exceptional types as
they represent the heroism of the opposing political camps.
It has been a great intellectual pleasure and refreshment to the
Finnish participants to get acquainted with the Hungarian insights
and methods to study cults during the project. Hopefully, the
impact has been mutual. The Finnish contingent wishes to thank
the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Finland
for their support.