Pohjolan Sparta ja Thermopylai joka päivä?

Spartan jälkivaikutus Suomessa

Abstrakti

The golden age of Sparta ended with the Battle of Leuktra in 371 BCE, yet its reception and influence remained strong, particularly during the Roman period. Writers like Pausanias and
Plutarch sustained its mythical reputation, and Leonidas’ hero cult was even revived to inspire Trajan’s Persian campaigns. Sparta has significantly influenced both social philosophy and
military culture throughout European and American history. Finland, too, has engaged with Spartan imagery, from its Grand Duchy period to independence. Songs like Ateenalaisten laulu (The Song of the Athenians), based on a poem by Tyrtaeus and set to music by Jean Sibelius, and Thermopylain laulu (The Song of Thermopylae) by Heikki Klemetti and Uuno Kailas, were widely popular in the Republic of Finland. At times, Finland has even been called
“The Sparta of the North.”

Today, Sparta remains well known in Finland, primarily through movies, comics, and video games. Its influence is visible in gym names, security companies, and sports teams. However,
in global and social media contexts, Spartan imagery is often linked to far-right ideology and militarism. While European right-wing populism has surfaced in Finland, its engagement with Sparta differs from that of other countries.

This article examines Finland’s reception of ancient Sparta from the early 19th century onward, drawing primarily from historical newspapers in The National Archives of Finland.
Two key findings emerge: first, Finland was frequently likened to the Spartans at Thermopylae during the Civil War of 1918 and World War II. Second, unlike their counterparts in for example
France, Greece, Sweden, and the U.S., Finland’s far-right movements have not widely adopted Spartan iconography or ethos.