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From: alahelma@cc.Helsinki.FI (Antti Lahelma)
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Subject: soc.culture.nordic FAQ, part 2/8 (Miscellaneous topics)
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Date: 15 Feb 1995 16:31:08 +0200
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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
introduce new readers to the group, provide some general information
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-