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[Timpsi]

We Finns have The Kalevala. It's a national epoch in the Iliad & Odyssey style and can be compared even to the Bible in many ways. It describes the birth of the world, the Finnish myths, and many heroic tales.

We also have our own folklore with gods, demigods, magic, occult and so on.

The English version of Kalevala can be found from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/ , and there's an ugly but informative website about the ancient myths at http://www.finnishmyth.org/

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("The Ancient Finnish Myths Database")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>"Finns have the power of darkness, Finns are wizards"
This was the cry of the Viking warriors who feared nothing...
nothing but the power of the Finns in their dark forests.[/b][/quote]

:Titan:

[Morrin]

EDIT: OH! There was a description of kalevala already! But here is the post anyway

--

Im from Finland

Propably the the only and one talebook of finland is "Kalevala" where even J.R.R. Tolkien took some elements like singing spells.

Kalevala is a mythos or talebook of a person called "Vainamoinen" (a's are with dots and o's are with dots). The tale begings from creation of world where bird called "Sotka" lays eggs to the island which was actually a leg of mother sea (or something). Sotka incubated the eggs and the eggs become so hot that the leg had to withdraw to sea and therefore the eggs broke and formed lands.

Vainamoinen was a bloke aight. He possessed a skill of singing people to swamp and stuff. I haven't completed the book singe it's very heavy to read and it's written in form of poetry.

Kalevala is perhaps the only thing remained in finnish "culture". Some say that finland is the most american country in europe (but still small and pathetic piece of shit).

[Morrin]

UKKO

Oh, Ukko, You mightiest of all!
To You we are drinking this sacred toast, brewed from your corn.
To You, our father, we are drinking to unite You with all the living and all our dead.
Ukko, You are the mightiest of all,old man of the sky.
Accept these riches in the vakka.
We give them to You as we know You shall give us plenty.
The seed has been sown.
Now raise the cloud, bring the rain.
In rain You come, in thunder we hear the strikes of your golden club when You thresh in your fiery drying-house.
Above the clouds You dwell, in the center of the sky, ruler of the rain and winds.
We seek Your help in despair and danger.
Our hunters seek Your help.
You can raise the game, You can bring the bear to us, as a gift from You.
And for your help, the wives giving birth cry out.

Jesus christ! I hope crusades never reached finland. That is heavy shit!

[Rogue]

@unknown_here and milos

I am from Bosnia, and I was 20 years old when war begun. I don’t need news to know what happened, simply because I was there. After concentration camp (Keraterm, if the name tells you anything) I was transferred to Croatia, from where I emigrated first to Germany, then to USA. Lost a lot of family members and friends, and know what and how happened. (first hand, how they say it here)

And now about the story from my country. There is a nice story about women called Hasanaginica (wife of Hasanaga) who dropped dead at the time of her second wedding when her ex-husband called children in the house, telling them that she does not have a heart. It’s kind a long story. (poem)

[Sebatianos]

Originally posted by Gekko@Nov 11 2004, 03:17 PM
Some say that finland is the most american country in europe.

I guess many people in many countries say that (about their own country). The thing is, that poeple don't read enoguh and don't listen to folk tales anymore. Most people rather watch TV (and since Hollywood makes movies based mostly on Anglo/American legends - and even those not accurately) people know only what they see - not their own culture,
Hope this thread will help a bit (both with cultural awarenes, and understaning each other).

[Rogue]

In my country they used to say 'You work like a black man' for a man that works a lot and hard.

After couple months in USA, most people do not say that any more, as those don't work a shit. LOL

[Maikel]

Originally posted by Stroggy@Nov 11 2004, 10:00 AM
hmmm.

Well here in Antwerp there are a few myths... like how the city got its name.

The story goes that somewhere in Brabant (name of a geographical area in Belgium) there stood a castle next to the river Scheldt (river Scheldt is the river that runs through Antwerp and also the reason Antwerp became such a rich city near the end of the Dark Ages... until the Spanish general Sfernize (sp?) closed it)
In that castle lived a huge giant named Druon Antigoon.

This nasty giant demanded a toll from every passing ship. if the captain could not pay this outrageous toll the giant would cut the captain's hand off and throw it into the river.

One day a roman soldier named Silvius Brabo passed. The giant demanded Brabo pay the toll. Brabo refused and fought the giant.
Brabo eventually cut the giant's hand off and threw it into the river.

and since in dutch hand is 'hand' and throw is 'werpen' the name of the city became handwerpen... or in old Belgiant dialect: antwerpen

While this is obvious total bullshit, statues of Brabo and Antigone can be found everywhere in the city.
There is even a huge statue showing the slain Antigone and Brabo holding the Giant's hand up in the air.
During the summer water comes out of Antigone's arm and disembodied hand to simulate the blood.



Another myth is much more famous since it rivals literary works like Dante's: Divina Comedia, according to a lot of experts.

I'm talking about the story of Reinaerdt the Fox (or perhaps stories)
while this is, in many ways, a fable set in the region of the province of Antwerp. It also gives a very panoramic view of the medieval society. It shows corrupt and powerhungry nobility and clergy, and only a criminal like Reinaerdt can outwit them.

The (real) story, while very entertaining, is not suitable for children (these days the story is relayed to children in a much more toned-down version. it has been 'disneyed' :angry: )

But really it does contain quite a few revolting, yet amusing, scenes.

The story I heard about antwerpen is that 2 important people held a running contest, the one who where the first to lay his hand on the city walls of antwerpen would claim the city. One of the 2 guys was a couple of meters behind, so he cut of his hand and threw it at the wall before the other could touch it . That''s what a tourist guide in Antwerp told me at least

[Stroggy]

First time I heard that story.
The brabo story is the one I've always heard from teachers and guides

[bohor]

ok I would like to tell you a legend about a great great man called Marco Kralyewitch...
He lived in the middle ages, in the Balkans, somewhere around Kosovo. He had a horse called Sharatz with whom he would share everything, expecialy booze aka rukeeya. He and hes horse were apparently VERY strong.. Marco could plow stone raods instead of field and could jump (with his horse) over seven meter high spears. .....
END OF PART ONE!
more will come in short...

[Rogue]

You sure that mostly was not a wine instead of 'sljivovica'? ("vino pije kraljevica marko, pola pije, pola sarcu daje..." what kind of Serb are ya if you don't know your own legends??? :bleh: )