Edgar Vaalgamaa

Who was Edgar Vaalgamaa?

Edgar Vaalgamaa was a Livonian pastor and ethnologist.

Vaalgamaa was born in Košrags in the northern coast of Courland. As like many other Livonians, his family got their living from fishing. Edgar Vaalgamaa however didn't want to be a fisherman, but went to study theology to the University of Helsinki in 1934. He graduated in 1939, but was unable to return because of World War II. Edgar stayed in Finland, and volunteered to Continuation War. After the war he worked as a Lutheran pastor in several different churches. At the same time he translated the Latvian epic poem Lāčplēsis to Finnish. Later he wrote the book Valkoisen hiekan kansa, which is one of the largest books about Livonian people's history and culture. Edgar Vaalgamaa died in 2003, but the family of Vaalgamaas still live in Finland.