 Krohn was also the first to develop a scientific method for the study of folklore, the historic-geographic method.This method, which is connected with nationalist understandings of folk culture, involves careful comparison of variant texts of an item of folklore to the end of identifying the "original" version (as well as its origin)

Julius Krohn died by drowning in Bay of Vyborg in a yachting accident at the age of 53.His work with folklore and the Finnish language was continued by his son Kaarle Krohn, who published much of his scientific work posthumously.