Rauhojen

Rauhojen is a Finnish grammatical form that appears as the genitive plural of the noun rauha, meaning peace. In practical use it functions to indicate possession or association with peace in contexts that refer to periods, states, or conditions characterized by calm and security. The form is most commonly encountered in formal, historical, or literary Finnish and is less frequent in everyday speech, where alternatives such as the singular genitive or other phrasing may be preferred.

In sentences, rauhojen can introduce phrases describing peaceful periods or conditions. Examples include expressions like rauhojen aikana, meaning during peacetime, or rauhojen turvaamiseksi, meaning to safeguard peace. The exact usage can vary by register and historical period, and modern writing frequently opts for more direct constructions such as rauhan aikana or rauhan turvaamiseksi. The presence of the form rauhojen thus signals a focus on peace as a plural, overarching concept spanning multiple times or states, rather than a single, singular peace.

Etymologically, rauhojen derives from rauha (peace) with a plural genitive suffix pattern used in certain inflection classes of Finnish. It is distinct from the genitive plural forms of other related words, such as rahat (money) or rauha’s singular genitive rauhan. See also rauha, rauhan tila, and rauhanomainen for broader context on the concept of peace in Finnish language and literature.