HONKO, Lauri Olavi. Hanko 6.3.1932 — Turku 15.7.2002. Finnish Folklorists. Professor in Turku. Son of Svante Honko and Helmi Sofia Starck. Studies at Helsinki, Ph.D. 1959 under M. Haavio. In 1971-97 Professor of Folklore and Religious Studies at Turku, then emeritus. Married 1958 Märta Sjögren (divorce 1988), one son, and Raili Anneli Peräniitty. The major part of his research concerned other areas and themes than South Asia (especially Finnish and Finno-Ugrian), but in the early 1990s he carried through an important project on Tuḷu oral epics.

Publications: Diss. about primitive disease explanations, 1959; much unrelated to South Asia.

Intian päiväkirja. 224 p. S.K.S. toim.  629. Helsinki 1995 (“Indian diary”).

– Ed. & transl., with others: The Siri Epic as performed by Gopala Naika. 1–2. 69+893 p. FF Communications 265–266. Helsinki 1998.

– Textualising the Siri Epic. 695 p. FF Communications 264. Helsinki 1998.

Sources: A.-L. Siikala, Suomen kansallisbiografia 4, 2004, 84-86 with photo; Wikipedia.