Epic songs of "Kalevala" and Russian bylinas, recorded by researchers of the 19th century in Karelia, belong to the cultural values of world significance. Bylinas and Karelian runes have been handed down from generation to generation for many centuries, which has enabled the formation of unique dynasties: the Perttunens family is famous among the runes performers, and the Ryabinins family among the byliny narrators.
The focus of the exposition is the meeting and dialogue between researchers of folklore and its performers. Performers of Karelian runes and Russian bylinas are represented by such names as the Ryabinins family, Irina Fedosova, personal collections of rune performer Tatjana Perttunen, blacksmith and rune singer Kirill Haurinen. A significant place in the exposition is taken by the collection of shepherd trumpets, horns and unique kantele - traditional instruments, to the accompaniment of which runes were performed.
The subject of research of folklore traditions of Karelia is disclosed through the names of scientists, who entered the world history of literature. A part of the exposition is devoted to Elias Lennrot, the author of the epic poem "Kalevala", based on the ancient songs of Karelians and Finns. The poem itself is represented by a collection of the first editions of "Kalevala" and its translations into world languages.
The discoverer of the tradition of bylinas in Karelia was Pavel Rybnikov, who in the early 1860s recorded bylinas considered lost to popular memory. His folklore collection was supplemented by Alexander Gilferding, who recorded more than three hundred bylinas in Olonets governorate. At the exhibition there is reproduced a fragment of the researcher's cabinet, which was based on the memorial belongings of Nikolai Shaizhin, a member of the statistical committee of Olonets governorate, a local lore expert, a collector of songs and bylinas of Pudozhye.
The exhibition is supplemented with photographic material from expeditions of the late 19th - the first third of the 20th century. These are the works of scientists-ethnographers David Zolotarev, Sokolov brothers, Konrad Inha. A part of the collection of graphics from the museum repository, dedicated to the theme of illustrating "Kalevala" - these are the works of artists Valentin Kurdov, Osmo Borodkin, Myud Mechev, Tamara Yufa, Nikolai Bryukhanov.
