2_NORDIC2.TXT - soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 2/8 (Miscellaneous topics)

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Subject: soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 2/8 (Miscellaneous topics)
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Summary: This posting is a part of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
	 file for the newsgroup soc.culture.nordic. Its purpose is to
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	 about the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and
	 Iceland) and to cover some of the topics frequently discussed in 
	 the group.
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 A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) -file for the newsgroup
 
 S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
 
 *** PART 2:  MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS ***
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.1  The Sami (Lapp) minority of Sweden/Finland/Norway

 
(by: Kari Yli-Kuha)
 
WHO ARE SAMI PEOPLE?
 
 The Sami people are one of the aboriginal people of the Fennoscandian area,
 (meaning here: Scandinavia, Finland, eastern Karelia and Kola peninsula)
 and for long they lived more or less disconnected from the European 
 civilization.
 
 They are often referred to as Lapps but they themselves prefer to be called
 Sami (Saamelaiset/Samerna) because they use this name. I use the terms
 Lapp/Sami interchangeably without any intention to hurt the Sami's feelings.
 
 Anthropologically the Sami people form an internally heterogeneous group 
 which differs from other European populations.
 
 The Sami languages (there are several of them) are Finno-Ugric languages
 and the closest relatives to the Baltic-Finnic languages (Finnish, Estonian).
 
 Sami people live nowadays in an area which spreads from Ja"mtlands La"n 
 in Sweden through northern Norway and Finland to the Kola Peninsula 
 in Russia. 
 
HISTORY
 
 The origins of Sami people have been researched for long but no certain
 answer has yet been found. Anthropologically there are two types of Sami
 people, the eastern which resembles northern Asian cultures, and the western
 which is closer to European people. Blood survey, especially in this century,
 indicates western rather than eastern heritage. The long isolation from
 other cultures may explain that some rare features in genetic inheritance
 have accumulated and that Sami are very original people, not only compared
 to other cultures but also internally.
 
 It is believed that the original Sami people came to current Finland
 and eastern Karelia during and after the ice age following herds of deers, 
 as the Sami supposedly were hunters. Prehistoric (some 4000 years old) ski 
 findings by the Arctic Sea show that there was some sort of Sami culture
 there at that time. Some 1500 rock paintings are found everywhere where
 they lived, e.g. by lake Onega and in Kola peninsula, the easternmost
 of them are 3000 years old.
 
 Some archeologists have linked the oldest known Scandinavian stone age
 culture, so-called Komsa culture by the Arctic Sea, to the ancestors of
 the Sami.
 
 In any case, it is known that the Sami people are the original people in
 the Fennoscandia area. Many names even in southern Finland and central
 Sweden are of Sami origin. There was Sami population in those areas as
 late as the sixteenth century. The Sami have always been known as
 "peaceful retreaters" adapting to changing living conditions, whether
 they were caused by nature or by other people. The Sami are known to have
 fished and hunted seals in the west coast of Gulf of Bothnia but in late
 Middle Ages the Swedish agricultural population "invaded" the coastal area
 pushing the Sami further north. The same thing happened in Finland so
 that now the original Sami people can only be found north of Arctic Circle.
 
SAMI CULTURES
 
 Sami people have always been sparsely populated in a large area, making
 their living mostly hunting and fishing, families having large hunting
 areas around them. Connections to other people were rare although they
 had/have a strong sense of community thinking when it comes to dividing
 hunting/fishing areas between families, and, of course, the marriages
 were made between people in nearby regions. This seems to be the major
 reason why there is no one Sami culture and language, but instead many
 Sami cultures and languages. The cultures are affected both by different
 living conditions and other cultures, in Sweden and Norway the Germanic
 culture, in Finland the Finnish culture and in Kola peninsula the Russian
 and Karelian cultures.
 
 FOREST SAMI
 
 Sami people living in coniferous forests lived mainly fishing, but also
 hunting was very important. Most of Finnish and Swedish Sami people
 belong to this category. Families formed Lapland villages (_siida_)
 normally by some prominent river. The size of the siida varied from just
 a few and up to 20 or 30 families totaling some hundred individuals.
 Watersheds were natural borders between these villages. It was also usual
 to have some reindeers for transportation and for the skin, which was an
 important material for clothing.
 
 A special group of forest Sami are the Sami north of lake Inari because
 their language differs from the rest of forest Sami - it's the westernmost
 dialect of eastern Sami languages.
 
 FJELD SAMI
 
 (About the word "fjeld": The ice age has shaped the Scandinavian mountains,
  especially in Lapland, so that the top of them is round, and mostly bare.
  In some Nordic languages there is a special word for them (fjell/fja"ll/
  tunturi) to separate them from other mountains. There is also a rarely
  used english word "fjeld" for the same purpose. The word "fjeld" means here
  _a [treeless] mountain in Lapland_)
 
 The fjeld Sami are also known as "reindeer Sami" because reindeer is
 by far the most important part of their economic life. They live on the
 fjelds between Sweden and Norway and on the highlands north of it
 tending their herds. This kind of nomad culture is something unique
 in Europe and as such it has raised a lot of interest. It has been
 seen as a typical phenomenon in Sami cultures although as such it's only
 a few hundred years old. It's not nearly as common as the half-nomad forest
 Sami culture. The fjeld Sami do also some fishing and willow grouse
 (am. willow ptarmigan) trapping. The importance of reindeer in the Sami
 culture can be seen in the fact that in Sami languages there are about
 400 names for reindeer according to gender, age, color, shape etc.
 
 One special group are the River Sami living around river Tana (Tenojoki)
 and its tributaries. They live mainly fishing salmon but they also have 
 some agriculture and more stable settlements than the fjeld Sami.
 
 SEA SAMI
 
 The first written remark of the sea Sami living in northern Norway by
 the Arctic Sea was made in year 892 by a Norwegian tribal chief Ottar.
 The remark described that "up in the north there are people who hunt in
 the winter and fish on the sea in the summer". This half-nomad culture
 is strongly affected by both Norwegian and Finnish inhabitants. They live
 in two different areas, The Norwegians call the northern people
 "sjo/finner" and the southern "bufinner".
 
 KOLA PENINSULA SAMI
 
 The Lapps living in Kola peninsula are the original population in that area.
 The number of Lapps there has remained pretty much the same throughout the
 years, somewhat below 2000 people. They live mostly fishing and reindeering.
 
RELIGION
 
 Living near and from the nature has formed the original religious views
 among Lapps; the religion was very animistic by nature, with shamanistic
 features. They thought that all objects in the nature had a soul. Therefore
 everybody was expected to move quietly in the wilderness, shouting and
 making disturbance was not allowed. Such a beautiful concept is still
 prevailing among Lapps.
 
 The Lapps thought that alongside with the material world there was a 
 spiritual world, _saivo_, where everything was more whole than here and 
 where the dead continued their life. Important places had their divinities.
 Every force of nature had its god and sources of livelihood were guarded
 by beings in spiritual world which could be persuaded to be more favourable.
 
 Not all beings in spritual world were benevolent; the most famous malicious
 gnome known in all Sami cultures was _stallu_ (taalo in Finnish) who was 
 hostile to a Sami. Stallu was a large and strong but simple humanlike being
 living in the forest, always traveling with a dog, _ra"hk'ka"_, and he
 could sometimes rob a young Sami girl for his wife.
 
 The Sami had no priests but the head of the family was responsible for the
 contact to gods with a "magic drum". A skilled drummer could be regarded as
 a _noaide_ (shaman). Noaide was capable of visiting the saivo and people
 from far away could come to him/her for advice.
 
 In the forest you could find trees which resembled human body, or you could
 make one. These were called _sieidde_ (in Finnish _seita_) and they were
 worshipped. Also a strange shaped stone or rock could be a sieidde.
 
 Christian missionaries and priests normally didn't understand the
 religious concepts of the Lapps, partly because of language problems.
 Sami people were converted into christianity by force and shamanism was
 forbidden. In addition, the disintegration of the hunter/gatherer culture
 and the transition to other forms of occupation meant that the old religion
 had less meaning for the Sami. The "Sami apostle", Norwegian Thomas von
 Westen (1682-1727) started public education among the Sea Sami in Sami
 language. From 1773 on Sami language teaching was forbidden and all teaching
 had to be in Danish until nineteenth century.
 
 Lars Levi Laestadius (1800-1861) has had the strongest religious influence
 on Sami people and his thoughts spread all over Sami region although there
 is evidence that elements of the original religion of the Sami was practised
 as late as the 1940's. Characteristic to Laestadius' ideas is the central
 significance of parish. This has helped in preserving Sami culture.
 
LANGUAGE
 
 As there are several Sami cultures there are also several Sami languages
 and dialects. It is not known what kind of language the Sami originally
 spoke, before any Finno-Ugric contacts. Now the common theory is that
 the Sami languages developed through language exchange with early basic
 Finnish so that there was some sort of basic Sami language somewhere
 1000 BC - 700 AD which then developed to various languages and dialects
 as we know them now. Now Sami languages are regarded as Finno-Ugric 
 languages and the closest relatives to the Baltic-Finnic languages 
 (Finnish, Estonian).
 
 It's hard to define whether two different spoken forms can be said to
 be different languages or different dialects of the same language, 
 especially when there are transition areas between them. Commonly
 the Sami languages are divided into nine main dialectal areas.
 
 The numbers in brackets represent the approximate number of speakers
 of the language according to _Geographical distribution of the Uralic
 languages_ made by Finno-Ugric Society in 1993.
 
 1. South Sami - in central Scandinavia                 [500]
 2. Ume language                                        [very few]
 3. Pite language                                       [very few]
 4. Lule language                                       [2 000]
 5. Northern languages (Norwegian Sami, fjeld language) [30 000]
 6. Inari language - north of lake Inari                [400]
 7. Skolt language - in Pechenga                        [500]
 8. Kildin language - in central Kola peninsula         [1 000]
 9. Ter (Turja) language - in eastern Kola peninsula    [500]
 
 As there are several languages, there are also several grammars and 
 orthographies for them. The areas 2 - 5 have more or less the same
 literary language but several orthographies. Language 6 has its own 
 orthography whereas areas 7 - 9 use mainly Kildin language in publications.
 
 The next description about the history of written Sami concerns mainly 
 the languages spoken in Sweden.
 
 The history of written Sami language is similar to the history of written
 Finnish language. The first Sami books were made for religious purposes
 to convert the Sami people into christianity during Gustav II Adolf
 in the 17th century. The first books (ABC book and mass book) were
 made by priest Nicolaus Andreae in Piteaa 1619, but they were very clumsy. 
 The first written grammar was again made in Sweden by priest Petrus
 Fiellstro"m in Lycksele 1738.
 
 For long time the written texts in Sami languages were solely for religious
 purposes. Poetry and other such literature in Sami languages is rather new.
 In 1906 a Sami teacher Isak Saba (1875-1921) published a poem _Same soga 
 lavla_ (the Song of Sami Family) which is known as the national anthem of 
 the Lapps. Four years later Johan Turi's (1854-1936) _Muittalus samid birra_
 (A Story about Lapps) was published in Sweden. This is probably the most
 famous volume made in Sami language. Just as an example what Sami language
 looks like here's the first verse of _Same soga lavla_ in the orthographic 
 form proposed by Sami Language Board in 1978 (a' and c' denote a and c with
 apostrophe):
 
           Sa'mi soga la'vlla                    Song of Sami Family
   Guhkkin davvin Da'vgga'id vuolde       Far in the north under the Plough
   sabma' suolggai Sa'mieatnan:           looms quietly the land of Lapps:
   duottar laebba' duoddar duohkin,       a fjeld lies behind a fjeld,
   ja'vri seabba' ja'vrri lahka,          a lake spreads near a lake,
   c'ohkat c'ilggiin, c'orut c'earuin     peaks on ridges, tops on bare fjelds
   alla'naddet almmi vuosta';             rise against the sky;
   s'a'vvet jogat, s'uvvet vuovddit,      rushing rivers, wuthering forests,
   ca'hket ceakko sta'llinja'rggat        steep steel capes stick
   ma'raideaddji mearaide.                into roaring seas
 
SAMI PEOPLE AS CITIZENS
 
 Before 1600s the Lapps lived their own life more or less undisturbed.
 They were gradually pushed further north by new inhabitants but all that
 happened peacefully. It is believed that the Lapps were mainly following 
 deers and other wild animals which were also retreating further north.
 
 In the 1600s, and later, there were some "colonialistic" features in the
 policy of states; that was very common in Europe at that time. It was
 "natural" to subjucate cultures that were regarded as "undeveloped" and
 "uncultural". At that time the government of Sweden-Finland had a political
 goal to have permanent agricultural settlements in the Swedish Lapland
 instead of sparse nomad inhabitation. They thought it would be easier to
 keep the area within the state that way. This is why many Finns were also
 encouraged to move there.  Although the same basic European colonialistic 
 thinking was also common in Scandinavia, it has to be noted that
 the attitude towards the original people has never been as inhuman as it
 was in many colonies elsewhere in the world.
 
 As a general observation it can be said that as the Nordic countries divided
 the Sami territories between states they failed to take into account the 
 Sami colonies and to let them develop naturally. Instead the Sami people 
 were forced to adapt to the cultural system of each country. 
 
 The Swedish king Gustav Vasa declared that "all permanently uninhabited 
 land belongs to God, Us and the Swedish crown". This declaration concerned
 also the territories where Lapps lived. Because of their nomad way of living
 they were not seen as "permanent inhabitants". Later the Sami's right for
 land was stabilized as certain "family areas". In 1867 in Sweden a new
 administrational "cultivation border" was formed. It goes several tens of
 kilometers from the Norwegian border all the way from Karesuando to 
 Ja"mtlands La"n.  All land in the Swedish territory was given to the Sami
 and only Sami people were allowed to live there without a separate
 permission. All activities that are done there need a permission and the
 money goes to "Lapland fund". The money of this fund is used for reindeering,
 building bridges, etc. in that area. All this is done by the state and 
 the Sami people have very little to say about how the money is to be used.
 
 There have been discussions about the Sami's right for the natural
 resources in their areas between the Nordic Council and the Nordic Sami
 Council but there has been no progress in this issue.
 
 There have been several agreements between the Nordic countries and
 the Sami people but they are beyond the scope of this document. 
 
 All in all, the Nordic countries have not been indifferent about Sami
 but due to lack of ethnosociological knowledge the Sami have been treated
 as "children who don't know what's best for them".
 
 Because arctic occupations favour individual mind, and the Sami population
 is sparse, their own activities as Nordic citizens have developed very
 slowly. Also belonging to four different countries doesn't make it easier
 - on the other hand crossing borders between the Nordic countries has never
 been a problem. This belonging to different countries has been one factor
 which has increased the common sense of ethnicity among the Sami people
 during this century. Only a few decades ago it was not desirable that Lapp
 children spoke Sami with each other in school whereas now, in principle,
 it's possible to perform the higher school examination in Sami language.
 
 How many Sami are there, then? Well, that depends on who is counted as a
 Sami, who is not, as there has been much assimilation and mixture. Some
 figures were presented in the chapter concerning Sami languages. Another
 often presented statistic tells that there are 25000 Sami in Norway, 
 17000 in Sweden, 4000 in Finland and 2000 in Russia.
 
 Yet another statistic which only counts people who speak Sami languages as
 their mother tongue says: 10000 in Norway, 5000 in Sweden, 3000 in Finland
 and 1000 in Russia.
 
SAMI PEOPLE TODAY
 
 For centuries the majority population has had a patronizing attitude 
 towards the Sami, which has affected cultural policy and politics. This
 policy was abandoned after World War II. This phase was signalled in 1948
 in Norway by the official "Proposals for Sami School and Educational Affairs"
 from the Coordinating Commission for the School System. A definitive change 
 did not come before 1963, however, when the Norwegian parliament discussed
 the recommendations of the Sami Committee of 1956. The official policy then
 adapted is expressed in the Parliamentary Records for 1962-1963 as follows:
 
 "The policy of the national state must be to give the Sami-speaking
  population the opportunity to preserve its language and other cultural
  customs on terms that accord with the expressed wishes of the Sami
  themselves."
 
 Later in 1980 the Government appointed two new commissions with very
 extensive mandates: the Sami Rights Committee and the Sami Cultural
 Committee. At the moment demands for clarification and legalization
 of local rights in areas traditionally used by the Sami are under
 consideration by the Sami Rights Committee. Since much of this area
 has diversified use by different Sami and non-Sami groups, it has been
 difficult to arrive at a just and nationwide solution.
 
 The Nordic Sami Council was established in 1956 to promote cooperation
 among the Sami in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Council has 12 members,
 4 from each country. Both state authorities and the Nordic Council have
 recognized the Sami Council as a legitimate spokesman for the Sami and
 have met many of its demands.
 
 The Cultural Heritage Act, passed in 1978 in Norway, states that everything
 which is more than 100 years old and related to the cultural heritage of
 the Sami, is automatically protected by law - this is to protect historic
 sites and monuments.
 
 Sami as an elective language is taught in primary schools in several places
 in Lapland. Special Sami high schools are located in Kautokeino and Karasjok.
 Sami language and culture courses are taught at several universities in the
 Nordic countries.
 
 Modern Sami applied art has largely extended the development of traditional
 Sami handicrafts such as horn- and wood-carving, basketry, leather work, etc.
 Sami art appears at present to be undergoing an important period of
 creativity - this applies as well to music. The traditional Sami folk music
 song, the joik, has won growing recognition and interest. Singer Mari Boine
 Persen has held concerts of Sami-inspired music in both Norway and abroad.
 
 There are five Sami newspapers, or newspapers intended for Sami readers, in
 the three Nordic countries but the circulation figures for them are small.
 The newspapers and magazines are dependent on state funds for their existence.
 Radio programs are broadcast in all three countries, in Karasjok (Norway),
 Kiruna (Sweden) and Inari (Finland). Plans exist for the establishment of
 a Nordic-Sami production center for radio and television programs, but the
 extent and form of cooperation have not yet been agreed upon.
 
 Because of growing Sami cultural consciousness and sympathetic official
 minority policies, there is good cause for believing that the Sami will
 survive as a viable ethnic and cultural group in Scandinavia. The meaning
 of "Sami" will change as the way of life itself changes. The Sami's own
 actions and self-conception will be decisive in forming the future meaning
 of the term.
 
References:
 Karl Nickul: _Saamelaiset kansana ja kansalaisina_, 1970
 Mikko Korhonen: _Johdatus lapin kielen historiaan_, 1981 ISBN 951-717-248-6
 Bjo/rn Aarseth: _The Sami Past and Present_, Norsk Folkemuseum, Oslo 1993
    ISBN 82-90036-32-9
 
 
SANA - THE SAMI ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA (from: Ruth M Sylte)
 
 SANA was formed on 10 April 1994 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
 
 The purpose of SANA is to create a strong Sami presence and an 
 understanding of the Sami people and Sami culture in North America.  
 Membership includes a subscription to _Baiki, the North American Sami 
 Journal_, which will continue to function as the official organ of 
 communication for the group.
 
 SANA encompasses both the United States and Canada.  It has recently 
 been given permanent observer status at the Sami Governing Council.
 
 For more information, contact:
 
        Susan Gunness Myers, SANA USA
        10010 Monticello Lane North
        Maple Grove, MN  55369  USA
                E-mail:  smyers@nh.cc.mn.us
 
        Faith Fjeld, Editor
        BAIKI
        3548 14th Avenue South
        Minneapolis, MN  55407  USA
 
 
2.2  The Great Whaling Debate
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 (empty)
 
 
2.3  The Great Finnish-Swedish flamewar
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 (empty)
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.4  Scandinavian mythology

 
 Not very much about the religion of the Vikings; in fact, we're lucky to
 know as much as we do. For example, most of the poems about pagan deities
 that survive to this date are from a book called Codex Regius, the only
 extant copy of which was rescued in half-rotten condition from an Icelandic
 barn in the 17th century.
 
 Although the Vikings were, in theory, a literate people, the runic script
 was never used for anything more complicated than a few sentences, usually
 commemorating some person or event, e.g "Bjorn had these runes carved in
 the memory of Hofdi. He died in Sarkland." The runestones and other
 archaeological material offers clues as to the nature of the Norse religion,
 and there are some accounts by Christian and Moslem contemporaries of the
 Vikings -- e.g the bishop of Hamburg, Adam von Bremen, and the Arab traveller
 Ibn Fadlan -- but the main sources of information are the _Eddas_, written
 down in Iceland in the early middle ages. The _Poetic Edda_ is a collection
 of poems on mythological themes by anonymoys poets; even more important is
 the _Prose Edda_ written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in about
 1220, which is a collection of old heathen myths in prose form. The medieval
 Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus can also be mentioned, but he is less
 reliable and certainly less interesting to read.
 
 The problem with those sources is that they were written down hundreds of
 years after the conversion of Scandinavians to Christianity, indeed some
 of the authors (e.g Saxo) were members of the Catholic clergy, and their
 work is to some extent influenced by Christian and classical ideas. Also,
 the picture given is no doubt biased towards the particular form of pagan
 religion practiced in Iceland; while the main deities Odin, Thor and Freyr
 seem to have been worshipped all over Scandinavia, there must have been
 a lot of local variation, local deities, differences in emphasis given
 to the main deities and their aspects, etc.
 
 Nevertheless, the stories of the Eddas have become a common cultural 
 heritage of the Scandinavian countries, and at least a basic knowledge
 of it is a must for anybody interested in Scandinavian culture.
 
 The following text is taken from the excellent book by H.R.Ellis-Davidson,
 _Gods and Myths of Northern Europe_, 1964, pages 26-30, Penguin Books.
 
 
 THE WORLD TREE
 
 
 This world had for its centre a great tree, a mighty ash called Yggdrasill.
 So huge was this tree that its branches stretched out over heaven and earth
 alike. Three roots supported the great trunk, and one passed into the realm
 of Aesir, a second into that of frost-giants, and a third into the realm of
 the dead. Beneath the root in giant-land was the spring of Mimir, whose
 waters contained wisdom and understanding. Odin had given one of his eyes
 ti drink a single draught of that precious water.
 
 Below the tree in the kingdom of the Aesir was the sacred spring of fate,
 the Well of Urd. Here every day the gods assembled for their court of law,
 to settle disputes and discuss common problems. All came on horseback except
 Thor, who preferred to wade through the rivers that lay in his path, and 
 they were led by Odin on the finest of all steeds, the eight-legged horse 
 Sleipnir. The gods galloped over the bridge Bifrost, a rainbow bridge that
 glowed with fire. They alone might cross it, and the giants who longed to
 do so were held back. Near the spring of fate dwelt three maidens called
 the Norns, who ruled the destinies of men, and were called Fate (Urdr),
 Being (Verdandi), and Necessity (Skuld). They watered the tree each day with 
 pure water and whitened it with clay from the spring, and in this way
 preserved its life, while the water fell down to earth as dew.
 
 The tree was continually threatened, even as it grew and flourished, by
 the living creatures that preyed upon it. On the topmost bough sat an eagle,
 with a hawk perched on its forehead: the same eagle, perhaps, of whom it is
 said that the flapping of its wings caused the winds in the world of men. At
 the root of the tree lay a great serpent, with many scores of lesser snakes,
 and these gnawed continually at Yggdrasill. The serpent was at war with the
 eagle, and a nimble squirrel ran up and down the tree, carrying insults from
 one to the other. Horned creatures, harts and goats, devoured the branches
 and tender shoots of the tree, leaping at it from every side.
 
 
 CREATION
 
 
 The tree formed a link between the different worlds. We are never told of
 its beginning, but of the creation of the worlds of which it formed a centre
 there is much to tell. In the beginning there were two regions: Muspell in
 the south, full of brightness and fire; and a world of snow and ice in the
 north. Between them stretched the great emptiness of Ginnungagap. As the
 heat and the cold met in the midst of the expanse, a living creature appeared
 in the melting ice, called Ymir. He was a great giant, and from under his
 left arm grew the first man and woman, while from his two feet the family of
 frost
 
     This section is taken from the excellent book by H.R.Ellis-Davidson,
     _Gods and Myths of Northern Europe_, 1964, pages 26-30, Penguin Books.
 
 
 THE WORLD TREE
 
 
 This world had for its centre a great tree, a mighty ash called Yggdrasill.
 So huge was this tree that its branches stretched out over heaven and earth
 alike. Three roots supported the great trunk, and one passed into the realm
 of Aesir, a second into that of frost-giants, and a third into the realm of
 the dead. Beneath the root in giant-land was the spring of Mimir, whose
 waters contained wisdom and understanding. Odin had given one of his eyes
 ti drink a single draught of that precious water.
 
 Below the tree in the kingdom of the Aesir was the sacred spring of fate,
 the Well of Urd. Here every day the gods assembled for their court of law,
 to settle disputes and discuss common problems. All came on horseback except
 Thor, who preferred to wade through the rivers that lay in his path, and 
 they were led by Odin on the finest of all steeds, the eight-legged horse 
 Sleipnir. The gods galloped over the bridge Bifrost, a rainbow bridge that
 glowed with fire. They alone might cross it, and the giants who longed to
 do so were held back. Near the spring of fate dwelt three maidens called
 the Norns, who ruled the destinies of men, and were called Fate (Urdr),
 Being (Verdandi), and Necessity (Skuld). They watered the tree each day with 
 pure water and whitened it with clay from the spring, and in this way
 preserved its life, while the water fell down to earth as dew.
 
 The tree was continually threatened, even as it grew and flourished, by
 the living creatures that preyed upon it. On the topmost bough sat an eagle,
 with a hawk perched on its forehead: the same eagle, perhaps, of whom it is
 said that the flapping of its wings caused the winds in the world of men. At
 the root of the tree lay a great serpent, with many scores of lesser snakes,
 and these gnawed continually at Yggdrasill. The serpent was at war with the
 eagle, and a nimble squirrel ran up and down the tree, carrying insults from
 one to the other. Horned creatures, harts and goats, devoured the branches
 and tender shoots of the tree, leaping at it from every side.
 
 
 CREATION
 
 
 The tree formed a link between the different worlds. We are never told of
 its beginning, but of the creation of the worlds of which it formed a centre
 there is much to tell. In the beginning there were two regions: Muspell in
 the south, full of brightness and fire; and a world of snow and ice in the
 north. Between them stretched the great emptiness of Ginnungagap. As the
 heat and the cold met in the midst of the expanse, a living creature appeared
 in the melting ice, called Ymir. He was a great giant, and from under his
 left arm grew the first man and woman, while from his two feet the family of
 frost-giants was begotten. Ymir fed upon the milk of a cow called Audhumla,
 who licked the salty ice-blocks and released another new being, a man called
 Buri. He had a son called Bor, and the sons of Bor were the three gods, 
 Odin, Vili, and Ve. These three slew Ymir the ancient giant, and all the
 frost-giants save one, Bergelmir, were drowned in his surging blood. From
 Ymir's body they formed the world of men:
 
	... from his blood the sea and the lakes, from his flesh the earth,
	and from his bones the mountains; from his teeth and jaws and such
 	bones as were broken they formed the rocks and the pebbles.
 
 From Ymir's skull they made the dome of sky, placing a dwarf to support it
 at each of the four corners and to hold it high above the earth. This world
 of men was protected from the giants by a wall, made from the eyebrows of
 Ymir, and was called Midgard. The gods created inhabitants for it from two
 trees on the sea-shore, which became a man and a woman. They gave to them
 spirit and understanding, the power of movement, and the use of senses. They
 created also the dwarfs, creatures with strange names, who bred in the earth
 like maggots, and dwelt in hills and rocks. These were skilled craftsmen,
 and it was they who wrought the great treasures of the gods. The gods caused
 time to exist, sending Night and Day to drive round the heavens in chariots
 drawn by swift horses. Two fair children, a girl called Sun and a boy called
 Moon, were also set by them on paths across the sky. Sun and Moon had to
 drive fast because they were persuaded by wolves, who mean to devour them.
 On the day when the greatest of the wolves succeeded in swallowing the Sun,
 the end of all things would be at hand.
 
 
 ASGARD
 
 
 Once heaven and earth were formed, it was time to set about the building
 of Asgard, the realm of the gods. Here there were many wonderful halls, in
 which the gods dwelt. Odin himself lived in Valaskjalf, a hall roofed with
 silver, where he could sit in his special seat and view all the worlds at
 once. He had another hall called Valhalla, the hall of the slain, where he
 offered hospitality to all those who fell in battle. Each night they feasted
 on pork that never gave out, and on mead which flowed instead of milk from
 the udders of the goat Heidrun, one of the creatures that fed upon Yggdra-
 sill. Odin's guests spent the day in fighting, and all who fell in the
 combat were raised again in the evening to feast with the rest. Horns of
 mead were carried to them by the Valkyries, the maids of Odin, who had also
 to go down to the battlefields of earth and decide the course of war, sum-
 moning fallen warriors to Valhalla. Somewhere in Asgard there was a building
 with a roof of gold, called Gimli, to which it was said that righteous men
 went after death. There were other realms beyond Asgard, like Alfheim, where
 the fair elves lived, and as many as three heavens, stretching one beyond
 the other.
 
 
 THE GODS
 
 
 As to the gods who dwelt in Asgard, Snorri twice gives their number as
 twelve, excluding Odin himself. Odin was the father and head of the Aesir;
 he was called All-Father, but had many other names, among the One-Eyed,
 God of the Hanged, God of Cargoes, and Father of Battle. He journeyed far
 and wide over the earth, and had two ravens to bring him tidings from afar.
 His eldest son was Thor, whose mother was Earth. Thor was immensely strong,
 and drove in a chariot drawn by goats. He possessed three great treasures:
 the hammer Mjollnir, which could slay giants and shatter rocks; a belt of
 power which doubled his strength; and iron gloves with which to grasp the
 terrible hammer.
 
 Another son of Odin was Balder, said to be the fairest of all and most
 deserving of praise; he was white of skin and bright-haired, and was both 
 wise and merciful. The gods Njord and Freyr were also dwellers in Asgard,
 but were not of the race of the Aesir. Njord came of the Vanir, and was
 sent to Asgard as a hostage when the two races were at war, and Freyr was
 his son. Njord controlled the winds and the sea, helped in fishing and
 seafaring, and brought men wealth, while Freyr gave sunshine and rain
 and the gifts of peace and plenty. Freyr possessed the ship Skithblathnir,
 large enough to hold all the gods, but small enough when folded to lie in 
 a pouch, and also a wonderful boar with golden bristles.
 
 Another god was Tyr, who could give victory in battle, and it was he who
 bound the monster Fenrir and was left as a result with only one hand. There
 was also Bragi, who was skilled in the use of words and in making poetry.
 We hear, too, of Heimdall, who was called the white god, and was said to
 be the son of nine maidens. His dwelling was beside the rainbow bridge,
 for he acted as the gods' warden, guarding heaven from the frost-giants.
 He could see for an immense distance, while his ears were sharp enough to
 catch the sound of grass growing on earth, and wool on sheep. He owned the
 Gjallarhorn, whose ringing blast could be heard through all the worlds. 
 
 There was also among the gods Loki, the son of a giant, who was handsome 
 to look upon but given to evil ways. He was a cunning schemer, who both
 helped and hindered the gods, and he gave birth to the wolf Fenrir, to
 the World Serpent, and to Hel, the ruler of the land of death. These were
 the chief of gods, and beside them were others of whom we know little: Ull,
 a famous archer and skier, Forseti, the son of Balder and a good law-giver,
 Hoder, a blind god, and Hoenir, who was sometimes the companion of Odin 
 and Loki in their wanderings. The sons of the great gods, like Vali, Vidar,
 and Magni, had special parts to play, for they were to inherit the world
 of Asgard when the older generation had perished.
 
 
 THE GODDESSES
 
 
 There were also certain mighty goddesses. Frigg was the wife of Odin, and
 like him knew the future of gods and men. Freyja was Freyr's twin sister,
 and the most renowned of all the goddesses; she helped in affairs of love
 and had some power over the dead. She drove in a chariot drawn by cats.
 Freyja was said to have husband called Od, who left her to weep tears of
 red gold at his disappearance. Skadi, the wife of Njord, came from the 
 mountains to marry the sea god. The marriage was not a success, because
 neither was willing to live away from home, and in the end Skadi went back
 to the hills, where she went on skis and hunted with the bow. Bragi's wife
 was Idun, who had one important part to play: she guarded the apples of
 immortality, on which the gods feasted in order to keep their perpetual
 youth. Other goddesses are little more than names. Thor's wife, Skif, had
 wonderful golden hair. Balder's wife was Nanna, and Loki's Sigyn, while
 Gna and Fulla are mentioned as servants of Frigg. There is also Gefion, to
 whom unmarried girls went after death.
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.5  Where can I find electronic texts in Nordic languages?

 
 [by Lars Aronsson>
 
 Project Runeberg, on an open and voluntary basis, publishes free
 electronic texts in all languages of the Nordic countries (plus Estonian,
 which is related to Finnish).  Active since late 1992, Project Runeberg
 is a part of Lysator, a students' computer club at Linkoping University
 in Linkoping, Sweden.  The texts are available by World Wide Web at 
 "http://www.lysator.liu.se:7500/runeberg/Main.html", Gopher menus at host
 "gopher.lysator.liu.se" path "/project-runeberg", and anonymous FTP at
 "ftp.lysator.liu.se" in "/pub/runeberg".  There is an electronic mailing
 list for discussions about the project: write to [runeberg-list-request@
 lysator.liu.se> if you want to join. 
 
 If all else fails, send snailmail to:
 
    Lysator
    Linkoping University
    S-581 83 Linkoping
    Sweden.
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.6  What about those horned Viking helmets?

 
 Surprising though it may sound, the Vikings have never worn even the
 tiniest little horns in their helmets. Viking helmets did sometimes have
 neat figures and all kinds of decorations, but not horns. There are some
 Danish bog-findings of ritual helmets that do have metal horns in them, but
 these date from the Bronze age -- some 2000 years before the Vikings.
 
 The idea has its roots in the art of the Romantic period -- first half of
 the 19th century -- when the artists started to introduce native myths and
 legends in painting and sculpture instead of Greco-Roman ones. But since
 archaeology as a science didn't really even exist yet, they had a very poor
 idea of what sort of equipment the heroes of the sagas had used. So they
 used their creative imagination. Later, despite the fact that we now know
 better, the myth has been further popularized by Hollywood movies and comics
 such as Hagar the Horrible, and nowadays a "Viking" is almost by definition
 "someone who wears a pair of horns in his head". 
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.7  Looking for a Nordic girl-friend?

 
About once a week, some cretin mistakes soc.culture.nordic for a dating 
service and posts a version of this actual message:
 
   In article xxXxx.xxXX.Xxxx.it [someone@somesite.it> writes:
        >  My name is DAVID and I Live in ITALY.
        >  I'm looking for swedish GIRL-FRIENDS.
        >  Let's write me!!!!!!
        >  I am a very interessant boy.
 
These type of queries, however innocent they might be, indicate faulty 
assumptions about the purpose of s.c.n. and about Nordic women.  
Understandably, therefore, they tend to provoke flames from s.c.n.ers. 
These flames often digress into a more general sort of flaming on our usual 
topics of, for example, US imperialism, Norwegian whaling or the status of 
Finnish in Sweden / Swedish in Finland.
 
An s.c.n. Nordic woman has written the following reply to such requests. If 
you have not bothered to read this FAQ entry before posting a request for 
correspondence, you will most assuredly receive this, or a less polite 
version thereof, in response to your posting:
   
   Dear soc.culture.nordic Poster:
   
   You are receiving this message because of your recent posting to s.c.n. 
   asking for or offering correspondence with Nordic women.  It goes 
   without saying that your post will achieve its desired objective only 
   when hell freezes over.  However, Hell is in Norway and regularly 
   freezes over - so the analogy suffers, but the sentiment remains intact.
   
   Those of us on s.c.n. know that the natural beauty, friendliness, and 
   sincerity of many Nordic women attracts attention from all corners of 
   the world.  We are also well aware that general cultural mythology, 
   adventuresome travelers, and Nordic cinematic efforts of the 1960s have 
   led many non-Nordic men to believe, among other things, that a) all 
   Nordic women are blonde, b) all blondes are stupid and/or c) Nordic 
   women of any hair color are somehow "easy", or at least "easier" than 
   most.  These myths are not true.  We can assure you that Nordic women 
   are quite desirable, but for *far* more reasons than *you* can imagine.
   
   Bluntly put, Nordic women are not interested in corresponding with you 
   simply because you exist.  You have simply "dropped in" to the s.c.n. 
   neighborhood to see if you can pick up chicks and your post clearly 
   shows your stunning ignorance on the topic of Nordic women.  Note this 
   well: The men who have made it through the Viking gauntlet to become 
   regular readers and contributors to s.c.n. (whether Nordic or not) are 
   more than sufficiently intelligent, sincere, and funny to attract the 
   interest of any Nordic woman.  We are *not* suffering here.
   
   One last word.  There is a popular misconception that many females 
   reside on this group.  Don't be fooled.  Nordic men are notorious for 
   hiding behind names that the rest of the world identifies as female - 
   only to pounce on ignorant boys who attempt "friendly" correspondence. 
   This is, of course, considered a Viking sport and a favorite form of 
   s.c.n. entertainment.  Be forewarned...
   
   Ruth Marie Sylte
     Regular s.c.n. contributor
       writing on behalf of, but not for,
         the Nordic Goddesses and Gods of s.c.n.
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.8  Need a Santa? Pick one of these!

 
Recognizing the lucrative opportunities of making money of Christmas
tourism, the Nordics have all been lobbying for their own country to be
associated as the Country Where Santa Comes From. For contrary to popular
American misconceptions, Santa Claus does *not* live on North Pole --
Korvatunturi, Finland, may be, Greenland could be it, too, or even Skansen,
Sweden, but who on earth would want to live on an iceberg in the middle
of nowhere anyway?
 
A touching Christmas tradition has evolved in soc.culture.nordic around
the annual yuletide bickerings of which country has the most Orthodox and
Original Santa (or Julenisse, or Joulupukki), during which cheerful
arguments such as "*our* Santa has a bigger theme park than *yours*" are
countered with detailed explanations of why every sensible person knows that 
Santa can't *possibly* come from a country with no reindeer... :> 
 
The following are some of the addresses where Santa can be reached by
snail-mail:
 
 Santa Claus Post Office and Village		Santa Claus
 96930 Polar Circle				Skansen
 Rovaniemi					Stockholm
 Finland					Sweden
 
 Santa Claus					Santa Claus
 Havnebakken 6					H0H0H0, Canada	
 1440 Dro/bak					(included here purely out
 Norway						of mercy)
 
 
Naturally, Santa is also available on the Infobahn; here are some WWW URL's.
 
	http://www.mofile.fi/rec/santa/santa.htm 
	A Finnish Santa Claus home page
 
	http://web.telepost.no/Santa/Claus.html
	Santa Claus is coming... ..from Norway!
 
	http://www.neosoft.com/citylink/xmas/default.html
	North Pole [CityLink]
 
	http://northpole.net/
	Northpole.Net - Santa's Home
 
Please let me know if you have more addresses than these, e-mail or
regular mail (there's a Santa Office in Greenland I've heard of, perhaps
one in Iceland as well?) 
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.9  Nordic recipies

 
[this section is unfinished, but at least I found the following>
 
LUTEFISK RECIPE:
 
Anyway, it's too late, the recipe has surfaced.  This is from an old friend
whose father prepared it every year for the first Christmas meal on Dec. 23.
She says "He was a real pro, I am not."  You will know it's an authentic 
Norwegian recipe, for she also says "when I give you the "recipe" for the 
lutefisk, it will be more or less the same way when sombody asks for the 
recipe for the cake, so and so much flour, and handful of this, a pinch of 
that etc."
 
Britt Tveiten's Lutefisk recipe:
 
Make the lute from the ashes of birch, no other ashes should be used. Gather 
the ashes in a large container and pour boiling water over them. Let stand, 
then reheat the liquid or the lut and pour over the ashes, preferably with 
some fresh ashes added.  This was done several times until the lut was 
strong enough and that was judged by the look of it and also by the "feel" 
of it.  (!!)
 
Cut dry cod into 2-3 pieces.  Presoak the cod in fresh water for a couple of 
days, changing the water frequently.  Then put the cod into a wooden contai-
ner and pour the lut over the cod.  Let the cod soak in the lut for 4-6 days 
and always looked over every day.  If you like reasonably firm lutefisk, 
take the cod out of the lut before it turns too soft.  Your experience and 
feel of it comes into the picture.  
 
Then rinse the fish in running water for a couple of days, again depending 
upon experience and what you like.  Too much lut in the fish is too hard on 
the stomach.
 
Then she goes on to tell how to cook it:
 
"Some people cook the fish in boiling water.  We always put the fish into a 
kettle - no water - and the kettle was placed over low heat until some of 
the water from the fish came out, then the fish was simmered over low heat 
until done, that is rather firm, flaky.  We never overcooked the fish which 
is a great mistake, also in preparing ordinary fish.
 
"It was served hot with freshly boiled potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, 
also grated carrots and melted butter with finely chopped onions."
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.10  What is "Janteloven"?

 
The word "Janteloven" occasionally pops up in s.c.n, often with no
hint given as to what it's supposed to mean since apparently it's common 
knowledge in most Nordic countries. Not so with the rest of the world, 
however, or Finland for that matter, so a brief explanation warrants a
place. It derives from the the novel "En flygtning krysser sitt spor"
('A refugee crosses his tracks') by the Norwegian/Danish author Aksel 
Sandemose. The book takes place in an imaginary Danish small town called 
Jante, based on Sandemose's hometown Nyko/bing Mors. The book is about 
the ugly sides of Scandinavian smalltown mentality, and the term "Jante-
loven" meaning "Jante Laws" has come to mean the unspoken rules and 
jealousy of such communities in general.
 
This translation of the Jante Laws was suggested by Leif Knutsen (except
that I replaced "venture to think" with "to presume", as suggested by
someone in the group):
 
The form and style of the Ten Commandments in Norwegian are "straight," 
i.e. unencumbered by the "thous" and "thys" in the English translations 
of the Bible.  I've made the assumption that Sandemose deliberately chose 
10 laws and that his style was intentionally reminiscent of the Ten 
Commandments.  It's also interesting to note that the Ten Commandments 
(and the other laws of Leviticus) are often referred to as "Moseloven" 
(or the Mosaic Law) in Norwegian.
 
Also, there are some messages that are implied in these laws that are not 
explicit.  I've included those in brackets so as to convey the meaning 
better, although they should properly be construed as editorializing on 
my part.
 
		_The Jante Law_ by Aksel Sandemose
 
1.  Du skal ikke tro at du *er* noe.
 
    Thou shalt not presume that thou *art* anyone [of notice].
 
2.  Du skal ikke tro at du er like saa meget som *oss*.
 
    Thou shalt not presume that thou art as good as *us*.
 
3.  Du skal ikke tro at du er klokere en *oss*.
 
    Thou shalt not presume that thou art any wiser than *us*.
 
4.  Du skal ikke innbille deg du er bedre enn *oss*.
 
    Thou shalt never indulge in the conceit of imagining that thou 
    art better than *us*.
 
5.  Du skal ikke tro du vet mere enn *oss*.
 
    Thou shalt not presume that thou art more knowledgeable than *us*.
 
6.  Du skal ikke tro du er mere enn *oss*.
 
    Thou shalt presume that thou art more than *us* [in any way]
 
7.  Du skal ikke tro at *du* duger til noe.
 
    Thou shalt presume that that *thou* art going to amount to anything.
 
8.  Du skal ikke le av *oss*.
 
    Thou art not entitled to laugh at *us*.
 
9.  Du skal ikke tro at noen bryr seg om *deg*.
 
    Thou shalt never imagine that anyone cares about *you*.
 
10. Du skal ikke tro at du kan laere *oss* noe.
 
    Thou shalt not suppose that thou can teach *us* anything.
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.11  Not-so-Wagnerian Nordic mythology

 
The opening ceremonies of the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994 spawned a series
of questions about the various mythological beings that were featured in the
spectacle. The following was collected from articles about trolls, vetter, 
huldras and so forth that were written as a part of one such thread by Anne 
C. Elster (for Norway), Bodil Gram (Denmark) and Kent Saxin Hammarstro"m 
(Sweden). 
 
			Nordic popular mythical beings
			~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Aelva (pl. aelvor): (Sweden) Sort of like fairies.  Exclusively female, 
 ethereal beings with wings.  They don't seem to do much but dance in the 
 moonlight and mist.
 
 Alv (pl. alver): More or less like the elfs of Anglo-Saxon(?) mythology
 (the seelie court, the shining ones, the Sidhe, etc.)
 
 Elverfolk: (Denmark) The females are much like the Norwegian huldre, only 
 they do not have a tail, their non-human nature is revealed by the fact that 
 their backs are hollow - but by the time the lusty male human is close 
 enough to realise that, she is close enough to do real damage...  The males 
 are beautiful too, not ugly like trolls.  They live in special hills that 
 can be raised on golden pillars on a beautiful summer night when the 
 elverpiger dance.
 
 Havfolk: (Denmark) These people live in the sea.  The males like marrying
 Danish girls; this gives exactly the kind of problems that marriages between
 people from two human nations create: The wives pine, they go back, the
 husbands pine, they go fetching, and so on.
 
 Huldre: (Norway) Female charcter of "troll" ilk. Known for their stunning
 beauty (and hence ability to entrance unsuspecting male humans) and their 
 characteristic long tail with a bushy end which give their non-human 
 identity away...
 
 Huldra (pl. huldror): (Sweden) Seems to be a cross between the Danish and 
 Norwegian ones. They're exclusively female, have a hollow back ("like a 
 trough" is how they're usually described), and sometimes a tail (like that 
 of a cow or a troll).  They seduce foresters and hunters by their beauty 
 and tend to marry them and even have children (until the husband discovers 
 that they're actually huldror, when they disappear together with the 
 children). 
 
 Jaetter: (Norway) Huge trolls as believed in by Vikings
 
 Jaette (pl. jaettar): (Sweden) Definitely not huge trolls. Nowadays 
 (i.e. in children's tales) more or less like the giant in "Jack and the 
 beanstalk." They used to be the rivals of the Asar and Vanir (i.e. the 
 gods). There were several kinds, like the fire giants and the frost 
 giants (Loki, the god of mischief was actually a jaette). 
 
 Jo/tul: (Norway) Mountain troll.
 
 Mara (pl. maror):  (Sweden) This is what you get when a woman is subjected 
 to what would make a man into a werewolf, such as being borne by a woman 
 who tried to make the labour easier.  A mara can leave her body to ride 
 sleepers, making nightmares.  
 
 Noekken: (Denmark) This guy I am shocked to see that the Norwegian corres-
 pondents have forgotten. He sits in rivers (= elve) (in little Denmark's 
 case just big streams, though) and plays so beautifully on his harp or 
 violin that unwary maidens cannot resist to follow him. They always regret 
 this pretty soon.
 
 Naecken: (Sweden) More or less like the Danish one, but he only plays the 
 violin and sits in "wild" streams (the kind that has white water parts). 
 In some stories he is connected to the aelvor. He can also change form to 
 that of a black horse (the "aelvahaest") that carries children off to drown; 
 similar to a pooka (?).
 
 Nisser: (Norway) Small characters with red hats resmebling minature St. 
 Claus; known to live in farm barns and help out around the farm. Should be 
 treated well (hence a plate of porridge traditionally set out on X-mas eve 
 for them) to ensure good fortune.
 
 Troll: (Norway) large mythical figure associated with evil and mischief; 
 generally  known to live inside mountains, some turn in to mountains if 
 struck by sunlight. Often characterized with ugly warted faces, messy hair 
 and a large nose with a pine tree growing on it. Some may have more than one 
 head. Most famous reference: Dovregubbens Hall (Hall of the MoutainKing) 
 from E. Grieg's classical piece Peer Gynt (music to a play by the same name 
 by Ibsen.)
 
 Trolde: (Denmark) About the same as the Norwegian ones, only ours live 
 in hills for lack of mountains in our flat country.  Oh, and they hate 
 the sound of church bells, they throw huge boulders at new churches and 
 move away if that does not help.
 
 Troll (pl. troll): (Sweden) Like the Norwegian ones, and they also (like 
 the Danish ones) hate the sound of church bells (that's why their aren't 
 any trolls around anymore).
 
 Trollunge: (Norway) kid troll -- expression often use to humourously refer 
 to naughty (human) kids.
 
 Vetter: (Norway) More commonly known as "underjordiske" (direct translation:
 "sub-earthlings"); predominantly evil spirits that rise from the ground.
 "Vetter" is the Old Norse term that was not commonly used again until some 
 Olympic promoters dug the term up again. Guess it has a better "sound" than 
 "Underjordiske". :-)
 
 Vaetter: (Denmark) Small supernatural beings, in many cases = trolls. Suck
 the fingers of infants, making them thin and weak.  This nasty habit can be
 prevented from happening to your baby by placing one of the oblong squid
 fossils called belemnites in the cradle. They look like fingers...
 
 Vaette (pl. vaettar): (Sweden) I'm hazy on these, except that they are 
 small and mischevious/evil (sort of like the unseelie).  At least partly 
 they`re the equivalent of "will-o-wisps," i.e. they lead wanderers astray.
 Interestingly, the belemnites that Bodil mentioned are called "vaetteljus"
 (i.e. candles of the vaettar) in Swedish. 
 

------------------------------

Subject: 2.12  The soc.culture.nordic drinking game!

 
  I'm including this classic article by Lee Choquette in the FAQ. Posted ca.
  three years ago, it has stood the test of time pretty well, which I suppose
  tells something quite fundamental about the nature of this newsgroup. Hope
  you enjoy it. 
 
From: lchoqu%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Lee Choquette)
Date: 24 Nov 92 11:58:18 MST
 
I got the idea for this article from one about the US presidential debates
posted in rec.humor.funny last month.  I've also seen such games for several
different TV shows.  Now I introduce...
 
		     THE SOC.CULTURE.NORDIC DRINKING GAME
 
You need a supply of your favorite drink (aquavit, koskenkorva, a glass of
vodka in a pitcher of Pommac, whatever) and a stack of articles from
soc.culture.nordic, if your local pub doesn't have Usenet.  Read through the
articles, and take a drink (sip) each time one of the following conditions is
met:
 
1.  An American asks what "canulla" means.  Two drinks if a Swede responds
    and can't figure out what the word is.
 
2.  A heated argument erupts over whether Vikings had horned helmets, or where
    Santa Claus lives.  Take an additional drink for each week the thread
    continues.  The whole glass if someone draws a color-coded graph of which
    Internet domains believe Vikings had horned helmets.
 
3.  Someone complains about software that strips the eighth-bit.  Two drinks
    if it's not someone from Iceland.
 
4.  Someone criticizes the Swedish king.  Two drinks if s/he mentions the
    Norwegian prime minister or the 1994 Winter Olympics in the same
    sentence.
 
5.  Someone relates an anecdote demonstrating the kindness and earthy humanity
    of the Norwegian king or his father.  Two drinks if it involves mass
    transit.
 
6.  You hear about the Danish prince who doesn't use mass transit. Two drinks
    if it's a story about a new crash.
 
7.  There's an article about Olof Palme *again*.  Drink the whole glass if
    someone actually talks about Palme's life or beliefs, not just his death.
 
8.  An American asks about an obscure Scandinavian band, and the conversation
    somehow shifts to Vikingarna and how awful dansband music is.  Two drinks
    if someone confesses to having played Vikingarna on a jukebox.
 
9.  Jungle animals are on the loose in Finland.  Two drinks if the topic turns
    to alcoholism in Finland.
 
10. Russian submarines are detected in the Stockholm archipelago.  Two drinks
    if the topic turns to alcoholism in Sweden.  Three drinks if it turns to
    drunk tourists in Copenhagen.
 
11. A genealogist to the group asks about a place one of his/her ancestors came
    from, and for a couple of weeks we talk about how to translate l{n and
    kommun into English.
 
13. An American asks what this newsgroup is for, and unwittingly sparks a
    flame war over the meanings of "Scandinavia" and "Skandinavien."  Two
    drinks if the debate is instead over whether sports comes under culture.
 
14. The Great Whaling Debate resumes.  Two drinks if it doesn't continue
    beyond a single article.
 
18. Swedish-speaking Finns are referred to as aristocrats.  Two drinks if a
    Finland-Swede refers to his potato-farming ancestors.
 
17. A Finnish-speaking Finn complains about mandatory Swedish classes.  Two
    drinks if s/he can't write in Swedish despite the classes.
 
26. We face the age-old question, "Why 'Italien' and 'italienare,' or
    'Fo"renta staterna' and 'amerikanare,' but 'Finland' and 'finla"ndare'?"
 
81. Finns in Sweden are portrayed as the victims of racism, ethnic
    cleansing, or genocide.  One drink for each of the following words
    or phrases you see:
    a.  home language or hemspr}k (2 drinks for "skolbyr}kratisk term");
    b.  Forest Finns, skogsfinnar, or V{rmland (2 drinks for N{tti-Jussi);
    c.  Tornedal Finns (2 drinks if someone disputes that they are Finns);
    d.  Nazi Germany, Holocaust, or the like; or
    e.  Hasan B. Mutlu.
 
I hope I didn't offend anyone by this game.  I mean it as a good-natured
(self) parody of this newsgroup.
 
 
  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-END OF PART 2-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-