Career
With a field-work oriented approach to the study of religious traditions he is especially interested in the oral history of languages, religions and cultures. His publications since 1960 include 30 books, 250 scholarly articles, and 15 films. He has held professorships in Europe and America as well as keynote addresses.
In 1995 he was nominated to membership of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.
He is globally renowned for his research in religious traditions in the Finnish culture, and their psychological effects on humans. His respect has led to a number of guest professorships in both the United States and Norway.
Along with his professorships, he has appeared to speak at over 100 Universities in numerous different countries. Based upon his work, other professors (ie Veikko Anttonen and Nils G Holm) in his field have analyzed his approach towards the studies of religion.
His form of research has resulted in numerous awards and inductions into societies throughout Finland and the Globe.
He is most known for his book Kalevala Mythology, which is an in depth analysis of Elias Lönnrot"s epic Kalevala. He analyzes both the career background and life of Lönnrot. Then he analyzes the epic, and the differences between the two versions that Lonnrot wrote.