In the Companions Quartet by Julia Golding, the primary antagonist is Kullervo, an insubstantial, shapeshifting force of evil, bent on destroying humanity for the good of magical and non-magical non-human species: a supernatural eco-terrorist of sorts.
He shares a name with the abused, incestuous, hapless character from the Kalevala. However, the Kullervo from the Companions Quartet is (apparently) an extradimensional, formless entity that was never human, whereas the character from the Kalevala was human, and would be long deceased by the time of the Companions Quartet (having committed suicide). Nonetheless, it seems that there must be a connection.
Why does Kullervo have that particular name?
- Is he somehow the Kullervo from the Kalevala?
- Did humans name him after the Kullervo from the Kalevala?
Or is there some other explanation altogether?