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Ethnology is a big interest of mine and therefore it happens that I translate some tales that suit my fancy when I'm feeling a bit bored, or upon request. Since they have grown in amount over time I thought I could just as well make a post collecting the links to all of them in one place.
All the tales and legends are from Sweden, my native country. Since I usually describe where the story comes from by Swedish geography, that is the historical provinces of the country, you might want to check out this map.
( Fairytales )
( Legends )
( Other )
All the tales and legends are from Sweden, my native country. Since I usually describe where the story comes from by Swedish geography, that is the historical provinces of the country, you might want to check out this map.
( Fairytales )
( Legends )
( Other )
Context: we are currently learning about Christianity in Religion class. When the first- and secondyears go orientating in the woods, we go to visit different denominations in the Swedish church.
Apparently visiting a Pentecostal congregation and getting all fired up about their sexist and homophobic interpretation of Christianity is a great way for my class to bond.
I feel like... You know, I should be really offended about the fact that I was told that my sexuality is a choice and that we'll all go to hell for not believing in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, but. When we were sitting there I was mostly squirming in some kind of horrified glee over meeting people who are actually stupid enough to believe that.
AND EVERYONE GOT SO PISSED OFF, IT WAS HILARIOUS. One of the two guys in particular got really aggressively defensive whenever anyone questioned their beliefs, and the entire class was basically the same (claiming that believing in evolution is a choice and that God is on the husband's side in domestics can do that.
Religious bigotry isn't really amusing, but I. I have never actually met people like this; I'm very familiar with the Lutheran Church of Sweden, which is pretty liberal about, well. Everything.
So basically I couldn't stop thinking "Hahaa omg people like this actually exist, why". If I wasn't laughing I'd be crying.
(Even my teacher in Religion started cracking up at some points. Which is just... Bad.)
But yeah. A pretty dull day overall, the three first churches were very sensible and PC. But several things that were brought up during the last visit reminded me of several errors in text interpretation, so... I talked to my teacher, and now I'm ridiculously excited about getting to talk about the problems with manuscript copying and translation errors in a textbased religion.
Now I need to do some last-minute baking for LGBT society tomorrow. At eight in the evening. *Sigh*
Apparently visiting a Pentecostal congregation and getting all fired up about their sexist and homophobic interpretation of Christianity is a great way for my class to bond.
I feel like... You know, I should be really offended about the fact that I was told that my sexuality is a choice and that we'll all go to hell for not believing in Jesus Christ as our Saviour, but. When we were sitting there I was mostly squirming in some kind of horrified glee over meeting people who are actually stupid enough to believe that.
AND EVERYONE GOT SO PISSED OFF, IT WAS HILARIOUS. One of the two guys in particular got really aggressively defensive whenever anyone questioned their beliefs, and the entire class was basically the same (claiming that believing in evolution is a choice and that God is on the husband's side in domestics can do that.
Religious bigotry isn't really amusing, but I. I have never actually met people like this; I'm very familiar with the Lutheran Church of Sweden, which is pretty liberal about, well. Everything.
So basically I couldn't stop thinking "Hahaa omg people like this actually exist, why". If I wasn't laughing I'd be crying.
(Even my teacher in Religion started cracking up at some points. Which is just... Bad.)
But yeah. A pretty dull day overall, the three first churches were very sensible and PC. But several things that were brought up during the last visit reminded me of several errors in text interpretation, so... I talked to my teacher, and now I'm ridiculously excited about getting to talk about the problems with manuscript copying and translation errors in a textbased religion.
Now I need to do some last-minute baking for LGBT society tomorrow. At eight in the evening. *Sigh*
A Little Something About Hammers.
Jun. 1st, 2011 07:06 amDo any of you remember the good old days when I used to post stories and other tidbits of trivia related to the folklore of my beloved Scandinavia?
I'm asking because it's seven in the morning, I've stayed up all night and I feel like killing some time.
So earlier... Yesterday, following exchange was had on MSN:
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
taiyou_to_tsuki: But I was reminded of this (... by the Thor fandom), and now I've wanted to find material and write something about it on LJ for a long time.
nevermore_1106: About what?
taiyou_to_tsuki: Eventual connections between hammers and fertility rites in Norse religion and Scandinavian folklore. >3>
nevermore_1106: Haha! That was a very nice way of saying "I HAVE MJOLNIR IN MY PANTS".
( A summary of the conversation/explanation that followed behind cut )
... I've often seen people who are a bit more well-acquainted with Norse mythology state that Thor was not only a thunder god and slayer of giants, but a fertility god as well and a sort of "patron" of peasants. However, I have never once seen anyone elaborate on what that fertility aspect means. Above is a possible explanation.
Þrymskviða is btw indubitably one of the most popular myths in Northern Europe, and has been for about a millennium. Several medieval ballads based on it from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland survived to the 19th century, resulting in some edits and changes. Some day, I might compile and translate them if anyone is interested.
Another fun trivia about hammers: they were, as stated above, mainly protective symbols against evil. While not as prevalent as crosses (obviously), they still sometimes appeared in everyday rituals. The by far most recent example was recounted by an informant whose 92-year-old grandmother still carved hammers into the dough before baking bread in the early 1990s (!!!).
(Bread in itself was considered protection against evil, so the process of baking it was very delicate and required safety measures. Bread = Srs business in rural Scandinavia).
I'm asking because it's seven in the morning, I've stayed up all night and I feel like killing some time.
So earlier... Yesterday, following exchange was had on MSN:
taiyou_to_tsuki: But I was reminded of this (... by the Thor fandom), and now I've wanted to find material and write something about it on LJ for a long time.nevermore_1106: About what?taiyou_to_tsuki: Eventual connections between hammers and fertility rites in Norse religion and Scandinavian folklore. >3>nevermore_1106: Haha! That was a very nice way of saying "I HAVE MJOLNIR IN MY PANTS".( A summary of the conversation/explanation that followed behind cut )
... I've often seen people who are a bit more well-acquainted with Norse mythology state that Thor was not only a thunder god and slayer of giants, but a fertility god as well and a sort of "patron" of peasants. However, I have never once seen anyone elaborate on what that fertility aspect means. Above is a possible explanation.
Þrymskviða is btw indubitably one of the most popular myths in Northern Europe, and has been for about a millennium. Several medieval ballads based on it from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland survived to the 19th century, resulting in some edits and changes. Some day, I might compile and translate them if anyone is interested.
Another fun trivia about hammers: they were, as stated above, mainly protective symbols against evil. While not as prevalent as crosses (obviously), they still sometimes appeared in everyday rituals. The by far most recent example was recounted by an informant whose 92-year-old grandmother still carved hammers into the dough before baking bread in the early 1990s (!!!).
(Bread in itself was considered protection against evil, so the process of baking it was very delicate and required safety measures. Bread = Srs business in rural Scandinavia).
- It was terrible to behold how the blood poured down her breast while she greedily drank.
The comment was made by an old man when describing an indelible memory from his childhood. [...] It occurred in Hova, Västergötland, when the last public execution was performed some time circa 1870. The man, at the time a young man aged 12-14, was hired as a guard at the event. Those who were to be executed were husband and wife, sentenced to death for familicide. The husband was beheaded first and when the head rolled a man immediately ran forth. In a small bowl he collected the warm, running blood and handed it over to a soldier's wife.
- Hardly had she had time to drink up, the narrator continues, before two hussars on horses, one of them her brother-in-law, closed up on both sides of her.
They took her by one arm each and started riding down the road while the woman ran between them as well as she could. The man tells that the purpose of that action was to make the blood mix well with her own.
Blood was thought to contain life force and was used to heal the sick in Scandinavian tradition.
As morbid as the above story may seem, the thing that gets to me most is how this was not an in any way unusual occurrence. There are witnesses describing how guards had to fight back the pressing masses trying to collect blood in bowls, bottles, spoons etc. at public executions.
Usually, though, the blood of a slaughtered animal would do. Drinking the blood of a recently killed cow was a custom still practised in Sweden as late as the 1930s.
The comment was made by an old man when describing an indelible memory from his childhood. [...] It occurred in Hova, Västergötland, when the last public execution was performed some time circa 1870. The man, at the time a young man aged 12-14, was hired as a guard at the event. Those who were to be executed were husband and wife, sentenced to death for familicide. The husband was beheaded first and when the head rolled a man immediately ran forth. In a small bowl he collected the warm, running blood and handed it over to a soldier's wife.
- Hardly had she had time to drink up, the narrator continues, before two hussars on horses, one of them her brother-in-law, closed up on both sides of her.
They took her by one arm each and started riding down the road while the woman ran between them as well as she could. The man tells that the purpose of that action was to make the blood mix well with her own.
Blood was thought to contain life force and was used to heal the sick in Scandinavian tradition.
As morbid as the above story may seem, the thing that gets to me most is how this was not an in any way unusual occurrence. There are witnesses describing how guards had to fight back the pressing masses trying to collect blood in bowls, bottles, spoons etc. at public executions.
Usually, though, the blood of a slaughtered animal would do. Drinking the blood of a recently killed cow was a custom still practised in Sweden as late as the 1930s.
It's a Kind of Magic... Really.
Aug. 6th, 2010 01:23 am... "A particularly cruel method was to catch a snake, stick a needle and a thread through both of its eyes and then let it go. The man murmured during this despicable ritual a verse, for example:
"Like the snake longs for its sight,
So you shall always long for me".
He then fastened the needle to the woman's clothes, in the hope that a strong, burning love would soon light up in her heart."
- Ebbe Schön, "Folktro om Ödet och Lyckan" (2002).
... Love magic. It is kind of terrifying.
Poor snakes.
"Like the snake longs for its sight,
So you shall always long for me".
He then fastened the needle to the woman's clothes, in the hope that a strong, burning love would soon light up in her heart."
- Ebbe Schön, "Folktro om Ödet och Lyckan" (2002).
... Love magic. It is kind of terrifying.
Poor snakes.
"The Borders of My Home Expanded"
A study of cultural Scandinavism in the nineteenth century
(Kari Haarder Ekman, Makadam Förlag 2010. Copied down here for quick references and perhaps for some people's viewing pleasure?)
( Summary in English )
A study of cultural Scandinavism in the nineteenth century
(Kari Haarder Ekman, Makadam Förlag 2010. Copied down here for quick references and perhaps for some people's viewing pleasure?)
( Summary in English )
This Old Road
Jul. 8th, 2010 01:46 amThis post will once again reaffirm two things about me:
1. I am really bored now in summer.
2. I am a huge fag.
So here. Have a DenSu fanmix.
( History sticks to our feet )
I'd be rather grateful if you tell me if you snag and/or like this. Besides the fact that comments are always fun, it'd be nice if someone shares my slightly unusual taste in music. XD
X-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
kalmarunionen and denmarkxsweden. Sorry for the spam.
F-List reminder: still leaving for Tunisia the 10th. Will be back a week later/the 17th. <3
1. I am really bored now in summer.
2. I am a huge fag.
So here. Have a DenSu fanmix.
( History sticks to our feet )
I'd be rather grateful if you tell me if you snag and/or like this. Besides the fact that comments are always fun, it'd be nice if someone shares my slightly unusual taste in music. XD
X-posted to
kalmarunionen and denmarkxsweden. Sorry for the spam.F-List reminder: still leaving for Tunisia the 10th. Will be back a week later/the 17th. <3
Trolls. Just trolls.
May. 14th, 2010 04:03 pmGirlfriend wanted to hear this story; I thought I could just as well make a complete post about it here.
In the 1670s, in Småland, the south of Sweden, the mistress of the Röckla estate died while giving birth to her first child. This doesn't seem like a particularly special event, but for some reason there would be many stories and rumours to circle around her death, even when her widowed husband was still alive.
The priest of Virestad parish back then was called "Master Nils" by the local population. There were lots of stories told about him too; that he knew magic both of the good and bad kind. Maybe this was what originally spurred the legend around Röckla.
The forests of Småland are old and big. The trees are tall and the rocks are big and covered with moss; in some parts the light may come trickling down through the crowns of pines and aspen. They are real troll forests, and trolls are in my experience more usual in Småland than anywhere else in southern Sweden.
The story of Per and Kersti of Röckla is no exception. The first time I heard about it, was in a folk song from the 1800s that I decided to upload and translate.
( Sent om en afton... )
Google Maps tells me, that Röckla still stands down in southern Småland, Virestad parish. But if Per's family lives there to this day, I do not know.
In the 1670s, in Småland, the south of Sweden, the mistress of the Röckla estate died while giving birth to her first child. This doesn't seem like a particularly special event, but for some reason there would be many stories and rumours to circle around her death, even when her widowed husband was still alive.
The priest of Virestad parish back then was called "Master Nils" by the local population. There were lots of stories told about him too; that he knew magic both of the good and bad kind. Maybe this was what originally spurred the legend around Röckla.
The forests of Småland are old and big. The trees are tall and the rocks are big and covered with moss; in some parts the light may come trickling down through the crowns of pines and aspen. They are real troll forests, and trolls are in my experience more usual in Småland than anywhere else in southern Sweden.
The story of Per and Kersti of Röckla is no exception. The first time I heard about it, was in a folk song from the 1800s that I decided to upload and translate.
( Sent om en afton... )
Google Maps tells me, that Röckla still stands down in southern Småland, Virestad parish. But if Per's family lives there to this day, I do not know.
-... Låta Minnet Ringla Kring...-
May. 9th, 2010 11:03 pmI haven't really had anything better to do that translate some tales. It's not really very productive but at least it doesn't make me feel completely useless.
I'm still working my way north from the southernmost parts of Sweden. Some day I'll probably make a post collecting all the sägner, but so far it's just something I do when I feel like it. I'm not really trying to achieve anything; picking one tale from each province is more of a guideline I use than an attempt at some kind of structure.
And difference from before is, that I now use another source for the tales I translate. The old book was borrowed from the library and so this one is a bit more recent: Svenska Folksägner by Bengt af Klintberg. Here the tales are a bit shorter, but there's also greater variation on many different subjects.
( Blekinge )
( Bohuslän )
( Västergötland )
I'm still working my way north from the southernmost parts of Sweden. Some day I'll probably make a post collecting all the sägner, but so far it's just something I do when I feel like it. I'm not really trying to achieve anything; picking one tale from each province is more of a guideline I use than an attempt at some kind of structure.
And difference from before is, that I now use another source for the tales I translate. The old book was borrowed from the library and so this one is a bit more recent: Svenska Folksägner by Bengt af Klintberg. Here the tales are a bit shorter, but there's also greater variation on many different subjects.
( Blekinge )
( Bohuslän )
( Västergötland )
The Stockholm Bloodbath in Folklore.
May. 4th, 2010 10:35 amSo, in the spirit of recent time's ficcage, and because someone asked me, I got down to writing this entry.
I think that part of what fascinates me the most about the Stockholm Bloodbath is how deeply imprinted it actually is in people's minds, at least here in Stockholm. People don't THINK about it but at least to me it has been present for a long time. In third grade, when we were working with the history of Stockholm, that was the only event that would stick with me for years.
If you look at local legends about the event, it's also probably quite evident that it's something that has always tickled the imagination of people over almost 500 years. What bloody execution wouldn't?
And the background story is at least as provocative, isn't it? After more than a century of struggles, the powerful men of Sweden one after another goes over to the Danish king, helping him to regain control over the country in exchange for the promise of amnesty. Three days after he's crowned, the coronation feast turns into an execution, starting with the bishops that put the crown on his head to begin with! And this is after a great feast has been thrown to his honour, people have been eating and drinking thinking that they're safe and that things will look up.
I think that's why it has stuck for so long, too. Not as much the number of the executed, the pillaging of Stockholm - bloodbaths were not an unusual event in Medieval Europe - but the betrayal it meant. The bloodbath would be brought up centuries later, still echoing clear in people's minds; don't forget what they did, don't forget what the Danes are like.
It's with this in mind I bring up these tales: just a couple of those that haven't been forgotten over the years. The first one is even well and alive to this day.
( There are ghosts in this town. )
... Now I need to run to school.
I think that part of what fascinates me the most about the Stockholm Bloodbath is how deeply imprinted it actually is in people's minds, at least here in Stockholm. People don't THINK about it but at least to me it has been present for a long time. In third grade, when we were working with the history of Stockholm, that was the only event that would stick with me for years.
If you look at local legends about the event, it's also probably quite evident that it's something that has always tickled the imagination of people over almost 500 years. What bloody execution wouldn't?
And the background story is at least as provocative, isn't it? After more than a century of struggles, the powerful men of Sweden one after another goes over to the Danish king, helping him to regain control over the country in exchange for the promise of amnesty. Three days after he's crowned, the coronation feast turns into an execution, starting with the bishops that put the crown on his head to begin with! And this is after a great feast has been thrown to his honour, people have been eating and drinking thinking that they're safe and that things will look up.
I think that's why it has stuck for so long, too. Not as much the number of the executed, the pillaging of Stockholm - bloodbaths were not an unusual event in Medieval Europe - but the betrayal it meant. The bloodbath would be brought up centuries later, still echoing clear in people's minds; don't forget what they did, don't forget what the Danes are like.
It's with this in mind I bring up these tales: just a couple of those that haven't been forgotten over the years. The first one is even well and alive to this day.
( There are ghosts in this town. )
... Now I need to run to school.
-... Han Kunde ju Kläda Sig så Grann...-
Apr. 28th, 2010 10:09 pmFound this interesting little record of south-Swedish folklore in the ethnological study on Näcken and thought I'd share it with you. It was recorded in Skåne in 1881, and is relating to how women who haven't yet been to church after childbirth are extra vulnerable to the menacing watersprite:
"Some wives are, when they have yet to be taken to church, so vulnerable to the Stream man's intrusiveness that they, for protection, when there is nothing between them and the sky, wear one of their husband's clothes; for if they wear as much as his hat, the rascal doesn't have any power over them. In Rebbelberga parish, Bjäre county, the village of Skörpinge, there served a farm maid many years ago now, I knew her very well, who was always so exposed to the Stream man's impudence, that she always walked around dressed in men's clothing and couldn't stand anyone calling her by her real name."
Now, I'm not going to draw any conclusions here. These beliefs are spread by oral tradition; it's impossible to tell if the person who told this snippet on information is really recalling something s/he had personal experience from.
I'm just saying, that from a queer historical point of view, that last sentence is quite intriguing though.
"Some wives are, when they have yet to be taken to church, so vulnerable to the Stream man's intrusiveness that they, for protection, when there is nothing between them and the sky, wear one of their husband's clothes; for if they wear as much as his hat, the rascal doesn't have any power over them. In Rebbelberga parish, Bjäre county, the village of Skörpinge, there served a farm maid many years ago now, I knew her very well, who was always so exposed to the Stream man's impudence, that she always walked around dressed in men's clothing and couldn't stand anyone calling her by her real name."
Now, I'm not going to draw any conclusions here. These beliefs are spread by oral tradition; it's impossible to tell if the person who told this snippet on information is really recalling something s/he had personal experience from.
I'm just saying, that from a queer historical point of view, that last sentence is quite intriguing though.
"Jungfru Gunnela och Riddar Perleman"
Mar. 31st, 2010 10:05 pmI could try to describe what this entry is really for, but I'll probably end up embarrassing myself.
Long story short,stalkerbunny wrote THIS a couple of days ago after a most interesting MSN convo. Because we are terrible that way. And because we are partners in crime, I translated the medieval ballad it is based on and post it here for you to see in all its glory.
Now you can see that our version isn't that far off. Really.
( Not even the Middle Ages were conservative enough to prevent crossdressing. In people's imagination. )
... I don't think I've ever heard about anyone getting owned as hard as this. For serious.
Long story short,
stalkerbunny wrote THIS a couple of days ago after a most interesting MSN convo. Because we are terrible that way. And because we are partners in crime, I translated the medieval ballad it is based on and post it here for you to see in all its glory.Now you can see that our version isn't that far off. Really.
( Not even the Middle Ages were conservative enough to prevent crossdressing. In people's imagination. )
... I don't think I've ever heard about anyone getting owned as hard as this. For serious.
Look, I found an awesome online edition of Hávamál in Swedish, Icelandic and English. This is why I love Google.
First day of Christmas break = awesome. I promised myself to do nothing today, and I haven't. Just lazed around, taken a long hot bath, watched television and eaten pizza. And sat in front of the computer, translating some more sägner.
This time, there are stories from Sweden's two island provinces, and the western part of Skåneland. The source is as before, Herman Hofberg's Svenska Folksägner from 1882.
And like before, here's a map of the Swedish provinces.
( Gotland )
( Öland )
( Halland )
First day of Christmas break = awesome. I promised myself to do nothing today, and I haven't. Just lazed around, taken a long hot bath, watched television and eaten pizza. And sat in front of the computer, translating some more sägner.
This time, there are stories from Sweden's two island provinces, and the western part of Skåneland. The source is as before, Herman Hofberg's Svenska Folksägner from 1882.
And like before, here's a map of the Swedish provinces.
( Gotland )
( Öland )
( Halland )
-... I Riden Så Varligt...-
Nov. 8th, 2009 08:42 pmOkay, I'm a bit better now.
You know, I was planning on making this... Huge epic post with Swedish myths and legends; one from each province. But then I got so impatient that I decided to post the two I've translated so far. >3>;
In Swedish there is a word called sägen, which roughly translates to myth or legend, although I personally feel that those words are too ambiguous to properly express what sägen means. To put it really simply, a sägen is something that was thought to have happened a long time ago that was true; the events are often trivial and might explain a name, a place, a phenomenon; but it could also simply be a story. They're the urban legends of the old farmers' society (urban legend in Swedish is vandringssägen, wandering myth). You recognize the traits; the story is attributed to a special place and the characters have names and might even be historical people, amongst others.
I work from the south to the north. These two first ones are from Skåne and Småland; map of the Swedish provinces here. The source is Svenska folksägner by Herman Hofberg, 1882, with annotations.
I've only translated the annotations if I felt that they were worth adding...
( Skåne )
( Småland )
This one might also duly note that "Ebbe Skammelsson" is indeed a medieval ballads as well, although the content differs quite a bit from the tales presented here.
You know, I was planning on making this... Huge epic post with Swedish myths and legends; one from each province. But then I got so impatient that I decided to post the two I've translated so far. >3>;
In Swedish there is a word called sägen, which roughly translates to myth or legend, although I personally feel that those words are too ambiguous to properly express what sägen means. To put it really simply, a sägen is something that was thought to have happened a long time ago that was true; the events are often trivial and might explain a name, a place, a phenomenon; but it could also simply be a story. They're the urban legends of the old farmers' society (urban legend in Swedish is vandringssägen, wandering myth). You recognize the traits; the story is attributed to a special place and the characters have names and might even be historical people, amongst others.
I work from the south to the north. These two first ones are from Skåne and Småland; map of the Swedish provinces here. The source is Svenska folksägner by Herman Hofberg, 1882, with annotations.
I've only translated the annotations if I felt that they were worth adding...
( Skåne )
( Småland )
This one might also duly note that "Ebbe Skammelsson" is indeed a medieval ballads as well, although the content differs quite a bit from the tales presented here.
http://mumblingidiot.deviantart.com/art/Hidden-Iceland-Interactive-125372001
THIS
IS
AWESOME.
Interactive Icelandic folklore map, gogogo!
Also, because it was some time ago, I translated a Swedish folk tale. From northern Scania this time; I was kind of thumbing through the book looking for something short to work with for an hour or two, and so the story didn't end up being... Particularly unique or exciting. The language is also older and more advanced than what I'm used to and drawing from the medieval storytelling method, it having been recorded during the Romantic movement, and therefore really tricky to translate. Actually, there's a certain verse in it which rhymes in the original, but I was completely unable to convey the meaning in English without ruining the poetic influence.
It's also late now and I'm tired, so there might be some mistakes in the text. Feel free to point them out in that case.
The typical tale of princesses, good helpers, impossible tasks and enchanted items, it is called "Guldäpplen med Silverblad".
( Or simply... )
THIS
IS
AWESOME.
Interactive Icelandic folklore map, gogogo!
Also, because it was some time ago, I translated a Swedish folk tale. From northern Scania this time; I was kind of thumbing through the book looking for something short to work with for an hour or two, and so the story didn't end up being... Particularly unique or exciting. The language is also older and more advanced than what I'm used to and drawing from the medieval storytelling method, it having been recorded during the Romantic movement, and therefore really tricky to translate. Actually, there's a certain verse in it which rhymes in the original, but I was completely unable to convey the meaning in English without ruining the poetic influence.
It's also late now and I'm tired, so there might be some mistakes in the text. Feel free to point them out in that case.
The typical tale of princesses, good helpers, impossible tasks and enchanted items, it is called "Guldäpplen med Silverblad".
( Or simply... )
An Art Post.
Sep. 14th, 2009 07:00 pm(A post for the community told_tales
Went to the library a while back and found a book with folktales from different parts of Europe and Asia. Naturally, I picked it up to see if it was anything interesting, but in the end, what made me borrow it was not the stories but the illustrations.
Hans Arnold was born in Switzerland in 1925, studied art in Luzern and came to Sweden in 1948. Here, he has been mostly recognized for his horror illustrations but he has also worked with folk- and fairytales, which is why I picked this book up. When I was young I read a lot of the collections of ghost stories he'd illustrated, books you now may find in many Swedish schools and Summer camps, and which used to haunt me quite a bit when I was a child.
As far as I know, he's not that renowned outside of Scandinavia. So I decided to post them here. I've tried to post the original titles of the stories and translations, but they're not always available and sometimes the Swedish titles have been changed...
( A little bit of this, and a little of that... )
If you're interested in more of Hans Arnold's works, there are a number of smaller examples on his website.
I hope you enjoyed. :)
P.S. Yes F-List, I'm back from Italy. Expect posts on the subject when I'm not completely drained.
told_talesWent to the library a while back and found a book with folktales from different parts of Europe and Asia. Naturally, I picked it up to see if it was anything interesting, but in the end, what made me borrow it was not the stories but the illustrations.
Hans Arnold was born in Switzerland in 1925, studied art in Luzern and came to Sweden in 1948. Here, he has been mostly recognized for his horror illustrations but he has also worked with folk- and fairytales, which is why I picked this book up. When I was young I read a lot of the collections of ghost stories he'd illustrated, books you now may find in many Swedish schools and Summer camps, and which used to haunt me quite a bit when I was a child.
As far as I know, he's not that renowned outside of Scandinavia. So I decided to post them here. I've tried to post the original titles of the stories and translations, but they're not always available and sometimes the Swedish titles have been changed...
( A little bit of this, and a little of that... )
If you're interested in more of Hans Arnold's works, there are a number of smaller examples on his website.
I hope you enjoyed. :)
P.S. Yes F-List, I'm back from Italy. Expect posts on the subject when I'm not completely drained.
-... Kommer Aldrig Mer Igen...-
Jul. 23rd, 2009 08:28 pmAwwwright. Yesterday, gluecookie and I went to the Army Museum, on a guided tour about the Swedish Empire and to see the new temporary exhibition about Poltava. There's been a lot of attention given to the commemoration year 1809-2009, but not much at all to 1709-2009. Which is interesting, because while the loss of Finland was important in shaping Sweden of today, I think the beginning of the fall of the empire was too?
I suppose there is a lot of shame connected to Poltava, but... Not even the Hetalia fandom has noticed this. Hello, guys? The Battle of Poltava?
Bought three books: one about the Dano-Swedish wars in the 1600s, one about ghosts and haunted places in Stockholm, and one about Greek myths and their function through the ages. ^^
Ah, and yes. Last post on Oslo. Here goes.
( There are naked people behind this cut. )
Edit: leaving this open for a while... Also, I just realized that next week is the Pride week! And the Army Museum is contributing by showing a photo exhibition of three of our former regents as flaming gay. Sometimes I love my country.
Also, the National Museum of Historical Antiques are having tours about how the hetero norm have shaped our view on vikings, and how it REALLY was... :D
My combined geek and slash fangirl is showing.
gluecookie and I went to the Army Museum, on a guided tour about the Swedish Empire and to see the new temporary exhibition about Poltava. There's been a lot of attention given to the commemoration year 1809-2009, but not much at all to 1709-2009. Which is interesting, because while the loss of Finland was important in shaping Sweden of today, I think the beginning of the fall of the empire was too?I suppose there is a lot of shame connected to Poltava, but... Not even the Hetalia fandom has noticed this. Hello, guys? The Battle of Poltava?
Bought three books: one about the Dano-Swedish wars in the 1600s, one about ghosts and haunted places in Stockholm, and one about Greek myths and their function through the ages. ^^
Ah, and yes. Last post on Oslo. Here goes.
( There are naked people behind this cut. )
Edit: leaving this open for a while... Also, I just realized that next week is the Pride week! And the Army Museum is contributing by showing a photo exhibition of three of our former regents as flaming gay. Sometimes I love my country.
Also, the National Museum of Historical Antiques are having tours about how the hetero norm have shaped our view on vikings, and how it REALLY was... :D
My combined geek and slash fangirl is showing.
-... I Hear the Bells...-
Jul. 7th, 2009 11:14 pmAah. It rained today. Happy times. <3 And mum doesn't work tomorrow, so we'll probably do something together, the entire family, and get some business done...
Anyway, I translated another one.
This story is a bit special because it's a tale only known in Swedish tradition, and not a variation of other stories or connected to a greater web of stories from Europe. People who know enough about the storytelling tradition know that that's very unusual.
The title is "Prästen och Klockaren"; I've translated "klockare" to precentor, which I'm not sure is totally accurate, but the closest I could get. A klockare was the person in church who rang and took care of the church bells, and a number of other services in the church; like the priest's handyman. I'm not sure is precentor is a modern term or not.
( So, what do we learn today? )
Included the illustration this time. Adding the one for the other story as well, feel free to check if you're curious. :D
Anyway, I translated another one.
This story is a bit special because it's a tale only known in Swedish tradition, and not a variation of other stories or connected to a greater web of stories from Europe. People who know enough about the storytelling tradition know that that's very unusual.
The title is "Prästen och Klockaren"; I've translated "klockare" to precentor, which I'm not sure is totally accurate, but the closest I could get. A klockare was the person in church who rang and took care of the church bells, and a number of other services in the church; like the priest's handyman. I'm not sure is precentor is a modern term or not.
( So, what do we learn today? )
Included the illustration this time. Adding the one for the other story as well, feel free to check if you're curious. :D
