Mehiläinen ( Finnish “The Bee”) is the first Finnish-language magazine to be published by Elias Lönnrot . The magazine was published in Oulu (1836-1837) and in Helsinki (1839-1840).
From the beginning of its appearance until the cessation of the release, the number of subscribers gradually decreased: in 1836 the publication had 500 readers, in 1837 - 150 and 119 in 1840. Most of the subscribers belonged to the intelligentsia . The periodical ceased to be printed in 1840 due to a decrease in the number of readers. The magazine significantly influenced the development of the Finnish literary language. It published folk poetry, proverbs, tales and riddles. Along with this, articles were written about local history, life in the provinces was described, and medical advice was given. In addition, Lönnrot published articles on the grammar of the Finnish language and on the basics of counting. The magazine was promoted by Juhani Ihalainen, Eric Alexander Ingman, Olli Karjalainen, Pietari Makkonen, Kustaa Paturi, Karl Saks and Pietari Tiklen.