Myud Marievich Mechev was a prominent graphic artist, illustrator, and landscape painter. He was a People’s Artist of the Russian Federation and member of the Russian Academy of Arts.

In 1967, Mechev revisited the epic poem “Kalevala”, having already developed a wide range of technical skills and gained valuable experience. His friend, the engraver Herman Ratner, taught him various techniques and secrets of his craft. Mechev then returned to Karelia and settled in Petrozavodsk, where he resumed his work on the “Kalevala” illustrations. He adopted a technique that was completely new to him — linocut, or engraving on plastic. This project took him seven more years to complete. As a result, his black-and-white version of the “Kalevala” became a significant addition in the field of book design in the 1960s and 1970s.

The story of the “Swan of Tuonela” can be found in the Finnish national epic poem “Kalevala”, compiled by Elias Lönnrot. Tuonela is the underworld in Finnish mythology, the domain of Tuoni, the god of death, and the goddess Tuonetar, his consort. It is situated on an island, separated from the realm of the living by the Tuonela River. While mortals are not welcome in Tuonela, great shamans have managed to journey there and return, though some of them have not survived the experience.

In the “Kalevala”, the shaman Lemminkainen travels north to woo a beautiful maiden from Pohyola. Louhi, the powerful witch and hostess of Pohyola, agrees to give him her daughter in exchange for completing three tasks. One such task involves slaying the swan of Tuonela with a single arrow. Lemminkainen then journeys to the banks of the Tuonela River to carry out this mission.

However, there is an angry northern shepherd waiting by the river, seeking to kill Lemminkainen. He has a reason to seek revenge: earlier, Lemminkainen used his magic to banish the inhabitants of Pohyola, who were unwelcoming, to eternal torment in whirlpools, fire, and boiling water. The shepherd picks up a snake from the river and shoots it like an arrow at the heart of Lemminkainen. The shepherd then throws the wounded Lemminkainen into the Tuonela River. The river takes Lemminkainen further down the stream, to the tombs of Tuonela, to the son of Tuoni who guards this realm. Upon seeing Lemminkainen, he cuts him to pieces with his sword and tosses the fragments into the water. Lemminkainen dies, and his body parts disappear beneath the surface of the river. Thus, he is punished for attempting to kill the swan.