"Ikuiset uhritulet" by Lauri Luoto is a political-historical novel written in the early 20th century. The work condemns war and bourgeois domination while tracing Finland’s class struggle from medieval Pirkkala myths to the Red stronghold of Tampere in 1918. It centers on ordinary people and rank‑and‑file Reds—such as Nestori Norola and Olli—enduring grief, resolve, and hard choices amid a swelling tragedy. The opening of the book unfolds as a fiery, lyrical denunciation
of war and the White terror, questioning the worth of “civilization,” religion, and culture when graves are desecrated and the poor are hunted. It shifts into a legend-like episode from medieval Pirkkala, where the noita Poukka and his kin resist church power, briefly seize the Kivikirkko, and are crushed by outside force—an origin tale for long-running oppression. The narrative then leaps to modern Tampere: smokestacks stilled, a vast Red funeral procession to Pyynikki, refugees streaming in, and exhausted units from the Vilppula front regrouping as Norola and Olli seek scattered comrades. The city braces for encirclement, morale wavers, civilians and women remain largely un-mobilized, and the section closes with White forces pressing in and preparing bold assaults around late March. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
