(Before we start, I will focus mostly on the ingame Kullervo. If I find good examples relating to the original story, I will include them. However, since my knowledge is still limited, I will hold back a little. I don't want to make any bad assumptions without the proper knowledge. We respect other cultures' stories and tales in this house.)
First of all, I could probably write a whole novel about Kullervo — there's just so much to say, especially when you consider that he's based on the Kullervo from Finnish mythology. (Please correct me if I'm wrong or if I've missed anything! Thank you!) Secondly, he is my favourite Warframe. *cough cough* People who saw my thoughts on Protoframe Kullervo already know that. *Cough cough* Anyway, today I want to talk about something that came to my attention while I was spending time around Kullervo’s Hold:
The difference in how two different groups of people see Kullervo. The adults and the children. Well, in the case of the adults, we are going to speak mostly about the Warden, aka Ballas, aka the guy I would gladly revive only to kill him over and over again. Fuck Ballas!
Okay, but what do I mean by that? Well, when Ballas talks about Kullervo's crimes, he's telling the truth. Please don't come after me with pitchforks! But seriously, Kullervo’s crimes are real – he did commit those acts. My point in bringing it up is that Ballas talks about these crimes from the perspective of an adult. He is an Orokin and is therefore only interested in the acts Kullervo committed and their outcomes. He doesn't care how it came to happen and why would he? The other Orokin probably couldn't care either. What I also find extremely interesting is how he sometimes mentions some of the reasons behind why Kullervo did what he did, but twists them in such a way as to make Kullervo sound like an even worse criminal who deserves to be punished even more. One who deserves to suffer for what he did. One of my favourite examples is his 'third charge':
He mentions how Kullervo went after his 'mother', who he realised was still alive, only to end up killing her when he tried to reach her. I'm not 100% sure what Ballas means by 'killing her', if it's Kullervo accidentally killing her during his fight with the Dax or her being sentenced to death for failing to take him into custody. It's insane, absolutely insane. It would imply a certain 'piety' for Kullervo, only to destroy it by mentioning how he brought death upon her. I can understand why some people would say he deserved his punishment, but no. There is more to Kullervo than we see.
Another interesting one is his 'sixth charge':
He himself said it wasn’t entirely Kullervo’s fault. Of course it wasn’t — so many other Warframes and Tenno were involved in the fall of the Orokin Empire, after all. But why should we care? We have Kullervo the Fool right here. Having at least one person to punish is enough, so why not Kullervo? I swear, the more I read, the sicker I feel.
Right now, you could say they only want to see what they want to see. Kullervo did what he did, nothing more and nothing less. It honestly gets even worse when you consider his first charge and remember what he did in the name of a certain Executor, when it wasn't considered 'bad' back then.
Ballas, I know what you are. The biggest bastard in Warframe. Not even Roathe's sweet talk about you and a certain someone can save you now. I'm ready to strike you down! *Ragemeter +9000*
But now, let's move on to the childrens part of my analysis. After all, children are, due to their youth, naivety and lack of knowledge, actually pretty open-minded and recognise Kullervo for what he is. He is a man, a boy and a child who has been twisted and manipulated from the beginning. Kullervo’s story is not that of a criminal – it is the story of a tragic victim walking a path of blood and pain, who likely doesn't know any better.
To me, this sounds like someone who was torn away from their mother at a young age to ensure that he would follow the path intended for him from an early stage in his life. The idea of him being doomed to wander all alone and mourn sounds like they made sure to cut him off from any relationships that would make him feel like he belongs somewhere or has someone, while also feeding his feeling of having lost someone important — his mother. This is something an adult would probably understand too — I mean, I'm sure many of us would mourn for our mothers if we were in such a situation. But I think, in the case of a child who depends on and needs their mother, this hits especially hard.#
As I said, from his earliest days, Kullervo was met with lies that would lead him down the desired path. Perhaps the fact that the children described him as groaning, crying and sighing shows that he really didn’t want this. It brought him sorrow rather than joy (It's interesting if you think about Kullervo's Hold not showing up during 'Joy'-Spiral but the 'Sorrow' one). Also, the fact that death is said to be his prize probably indicates that Kullervo was destined to die from the beginning. Probably when he was no longer useful or had fulfilled all his tasks.
Those three make it even clearer; they show not only more of Kullervo’s story, but also explain how things came to be. Why Kullervo did what he did. Kullervo suffered under the Orokin, under those who had control and ordered him around. He followed them because he didn’t know any better — after all, that's who he was meant to be, or? Also, let's not forget an important detail from his first charge: it seems like Kullervo wanted recognition, praises and attention from others, perhaps especially from Ballas. After all, he was so lonely and starved of company. He wanted someone to pay attention to him, to stop the loneliness from eating him up. Kullervo endured it all, went out to fight and accepted all the woe and horror he witnessed, as well as the pain and suffering he underwent. After all, that is who he is: Kullervo, friend of the blade.
Damn, those three really hurt. The children talk about how Kullervo found out the truth, but the damage had already been done. All of this for what? Just so he could be broken? So that he could live in sorrow, fear and anger? The fact that he was looking for his kin, his family must have been an act out of pure desperation, just to have something meaningful to hold onto. To stop his life from becoming meaningless and full of misery. But how does he handle it? Of course, with his blade — because this is all Kullervo knows: Spilling blood.
I swear I am not crying, you are. At this point, the realisation must have hit us both. Death is Kullervo’s prize, but perhaps it isn't his death at all, or at least not alone. There is no happy ending for Kullervo. Everyone who could have given him the comfort and love he desired and needed is now gone. Maybe Kullervo and the children realised that, even if others had turned him into who he is, they wouldn’t care for his story and that is why they decided to keep all of this hidden. The only people who will truly understand who Kullervo is — a boy turned into a criminal by the Orokin Empire — will be the children. They will sing of Kullervo, the Orokin Empire's blade and scapegoat for their crimes.
So there we have him: Kullervo, who is officially known as 'the one who answers for his sins and for others'. Another victim of the Orokin Empire and in my opinion their ultimate scapegoat for the crimes they committed. For the lives they destroyed.
Honourable mention, by the way:
Drifter, who sees Kullervo for who he is, and Ballas, who gets angry about it.
(Screenshot from this video: Link)
Oh, you would love to know Ballas.
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