Matthias Castrén

Matthias Alexander Castrén ( born December 2, 1813 in Tervola / Finland, † May 7, 1852 in Helsinki) was a Finnish philologist and ethnologist. He is considered the founder of the scientific study of the Uralic languages.

Training

Matthias Alexander Castrén was born in a Finland-Swedish family. His father Christian Castrén († 1825) was a priest in the parish of Rovaniemi. Matthias was brought up by his uncle Mathias Castrén and went in Oulu, a Finnish-speaking school.

In 1828 he began the study of ancient Greek and ancient Hebrew at the University of Helsinki. After giving up original plans for a theological career, he devoted more and more to the study of the Finnish language. Already during his studies he started to work for a Finnish mythology to write. In 1836 he completed his studies.

Research trips

In the same year traveled Castrén with his friend, the physician Dr. Ehrenström, as linguist and philologist Lapland and Karelia in 1839. In 1841 he published the first translation of the Finnish national epic Kalevala into Swedish. From 1841 to 1844 he attended with Elias Lönnrot the Finno- Ugric peoples in northern Russia beyond the Urals. 1844 published Castren Elementa gram matices Syrjaenae about Komi and Elementa gram matices Tscheremissae about Mari. They were pioneering contributions to the study of Finno- Ugric languages ​​in Russia.

In 1844 he received a doctorate in phil. Although Castren lung was in poor health, he made his recommendation Andreas Johan Sjögren, with the support of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and the University of Helsinki from 1845 to 1848 again on a research trip to Siberia. As results Castrén published an attempt to Ostyak grammar together with a short glossary (1849 ) ( on the tables Chan ) and De affixis personalibus linguarum Altaicarum ( 1850).

Professorship in Helsinki

In 1851 he was appointed the first professor of the newly created Department of Finnish language and literature at the University of Helsinki. However, he died the following year of tuberculosis. Work on a Samoyed grammar remained unfinished. Från Between 1852 and 1858 were published posthumously Reseminnen Aren 1838-1844, Reseberättelser och bref Aren 1845-1849 Föreläsningar i finsk mytolog, Ethnologiska föreläsningar öfver altaiska Folken and Smärre afhandlingar och Akademiska dissertationer. In German language, edited by Franz Anton Schiefner twelve -volume complete edition appeared in 1853-1862 Nordic travels and research of Dr. M. Alexander Castrén.

Castrén was married to Lovisa Natalia Tengström (1830-1881), whose father, Archbishop Johan Jakob Tengström, professor of theoretical and practical philosophy was.

Castrén 1921 a monument was erected in Helsinki close to the Finnish National Museum.

Appreciation

Matthias Alexander Castrén was one of the pioneers of Uralic and important linguist and ethnologist. He has laid the foundation of a scientific referral of language, customs and mythology of the Finno -Ugric and Samoyed peoples.