"Valitut kertomukset" by Larin-Kyösti is a collection of short stories written in the early 20th century. The pieces blend folklore, allegory, and village realism, moving from nature personified to satirical portraits of church and town life. Themes include the human struggle with nature and time, temptation and conscience, and the pull of community customs. Protagonists range from the archetypal Inehmo and a prankish devil to a proud farmer, his envious neighbor, and a wandering orphan, in tones that shift from lyrical fable to playful satire.The opening of this collection moves through five vivid tales. In Inehmo ja sammal, an archetypal settler wages a lifelong battle with moss and mire, wins with a companion’s help, then yields to calamity as nature recloaks his ruin—until a “new Inehmo” arrives. Paholaisen soitto shows a devil hijacking the church organ on a drowsy Sunday, turning hymn into dance, exposing the pastor’s hypocrisy, and sending the congregation whirling before vanishing. Tarina kerjuupussista tells of a prosperous man’s cherished beggar’s bag stolen by a jealous neighbor who is tormented by guilt until he returns it; both men are humbled, reconciled, and keep the bag as a shared moral emblem. Noiduttu tornikello follows New Year’s revelers in a bell tower as a rascally rakkari swaps the clock hands, plunging the town’s time into chaos until the error is fixed and he is disgraced, with a later reveal of a mischievous magnetized watch. In Metsän henki, a dest…
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