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Nordic FAQ - 2 of 7 - NORDEN |
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A Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ) file for the newsgroup
S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
*** PART 2: NORDEN ***
Index
2.1
How does one define "Scandinavia" and "Nordic
Countries"?
2.1.1
Background
2.1.2
What is "Nordic"?
2.1.3
What is "Scandinavia"?
2.1.4
What is "Baltic"?
2.2
What makes the Nordic countries a unity?
2.2.1
Culture
2.2.2
Religion
2.2.3
Geography
2.2.4
Language
2.3
The Sámi people (not Lapps!)
2.3.1
Who they are?
2.3.2
Sámi history
2.3.3
Sámi cultures
2.3.4
Sámi mythology
2.3.5
Sámi languages
2.3.6
The Sámi as citizens
2.3.7
The Sámi today
2.3.8
SANA - The North American Sámi Association
2.3.9
@ The Sámi in Internet- a linklist
2.4
What do we know about Scandinavian mythology?
2.4.1
Short introduction to the sources
2.4.2
The World Tree Yggdrasill
2.4.3
The Creation of the world
2.4.4
Asgard, the realm of the Gods
2.4.5
The Gods
2.4.6
The Goddesses
2.4.7
@ Trolls and other beings
2.5
Introduction to the History of Norden etcetera,
etcetera...
2.5.1
Norden in prehistoric times
2.5.2
Iron Age
2.5.3
Where did the Vikings travel?
2.5.3b
Place names in Old Norse
2.5.4
What about those horns in Viking helmets?
2.5.5
Medieval times
2.5.6
Christian and pre-Christian laws
2.5.7
Modern Nordic History in a Nutshell
2.5.8
Political history & co-operation
2.6
The essence of Nordishness
2.6.1
What is Janteloven (the Jante Law)?
2.6.2
A Nordic national character?
2.7
@ Sex, drugs and censorship
2.7.2
Domestic partnership
2.7.3
Pornography
2.7.4
Censorship in the Nordic countries
2.7.5
Drugs in the Nordic countries
2.8
Nordic socialism and welfare
2.8.1
Wouldn't the Nordic economies gain from
abolishing the Socialism?
2.8.2
Don't the Nordic states have huge welfare
expenditures?
2.8.3
But you do pay terrible taxes, don't you?
2.8.4
Now, when the Soviet Union has fallen...
2.8.5
What are the differences of the economies?
2.9
@ Valborg, Midsummer and other festivals
2.9.1
@ Valborg
2.9.2
@ Midsummer
2.9.3
! Lucia
2.9.4
! Christmas
2.10
Nordic alcohol customs
_________________________________________________________________
Subject: 2.1 How does one define "Scandinavia" and "Nordic Countries"?
It may seem a bit silly, but this is actually a topic that every now
and then causes rather heated discussions in s.c.n. So I'm going to be
pretty thorough here.
2.1.1 Background
The Roman historian Pliny the Elder mentions in 67 CE an island called
"Scadinauia" in the sea at the edge of the world, north of Germania.
This, as it dawned much later to the civilized world, was in fact no
island but the southern tip of Sweden, the province of Scania (Skåne).
The name is thought to be related to the word "skada", or "damage"
that could be done to ships by the sand reefs outside southwestern
Sweden. The "-avia" ending, on the other hand, probably comes from a
word meaning "island", cf. contemporary Norwegian "øya". Thus the
original definition of the word "Scandinavia" was purely geographical:
it referred to the Scandinavian peninsula -- contemporary Sweden and
Norway.
Later, as people became more conscious of their culture, formed
political unions, colonized previously uninhabited areas and conquered
the land of their neighbours, the definition of the word started to
stretch. "Scandinavia" became more a political and cultural concept
than a geographic one. And since cultural boundaries tend to be less
clearly definable than geographic ones, and political boundaries on
the other hand move around quite a bit, the current use of the word is
a bit of a mess.
2.1.2 What is "Nordic"?
Another term used of the countries covered by this FAQ is, of course,
"Nordic countries", coming originally from French ("Pays Nordiques").
It was at first used of "northern" (European) countries in general,
but with the common political, economic and cultural development of
Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland, the term has in English
widely become established as referring exclusively to said five
countries (still, not everyone agrees; you may, for instance, find
Canadians who are under the misconception that *they* are Nordic :-> .
Some examples from dictionaries:
[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]
NORDIC
4. of or relating to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland.
[Oxford Reference Dictionary]
NORDIC
2. of Scandinavia, Finland or Iceland.
In the Nordic languages, one has the term NORDEN ("Pohjola" or
"Pohjoismaat" in Finnish) which is commonly used of the five Nordic
countries which since 1956 cooperate in the Nordic Council. Some have
tried to implant this term into English, but without much success so
far. It does, however, occur every now and then in this newsgroup.
In addition, it should be noted that after the fall of the Soviet
Union, Latvia and especially Estonia have expressed a wish for
extensive co-operation with the Nordic countries, emphasizing their
many historical and cultural ties with Norden. If the Nordic Council
manages to justify its existence even as Finland and Sweden have
joined the EU (some politicians in the Nordic countries have
questioned the importance of the NC in the current political
situation), we may yet see Estonia and Latvia joining.
The "Nordic race" is a topic which now and then get brought to the
groups attention. Mostly by people living abroad. Usually the Nordic
participants in the discussion produce disappointment on the other
side, by stating that we consider the typical nordic look as un-exotic
and un-sexy.
Arne Kolstad writes:
This is confusing, but nevertheless:
While "Nordic" means somewhere a bit North; I think it is
mostly understood as a (recently) politically defined collection of
countries, including Scandinavia, Iceland and Finland. At least that
is how it is understood in these countries. As a linguistic unity,
Norden hangs well apart. In general, however, we dislike each other
enough to form an active neighbourhood.
Cultural relationships with other regions - Westwards for the
Germanic, Eastwards for the Fennic - are interesting. If there is a
political process with the outcome of defining them as Nordic (like
the one some Balts are trying to establish), then so be it. I can't
see, though, that poor old Scotland stands a chance as long as the
evil empire rules.
2.1.3 What is "Scandinavia"?
The word "Scandinavia" presents a bit more difficulty. In Nordic
languages, the meaning is quite clear:
Skandinavien:
Sweden, Denmark, Norway (and sometimes Iceland)
-- the ancient lands of the Norsemen.
The Scandinavian peninsula, on the other hand, is usually simply
understood as comprising Norway and Sweden, despite the unclear border
to the Kola peninsula. The northernmost part of Finland is of course
also situated on the Scandinavian peninsula.
But in English, alas, there seems to be no standard usage. This is
mainly due to the fact that English lacks a simple and clear term for
the five countries, and the word "Scandinavia" tends to be used for
that purpose instead. The term "Nordic countries", in its current
definition, is a rather recent invention, its meaning is still a bit
obscure especially to non-Europeans, it's awkward to use and to some
people it carries unpleasant connotations of the Aryan "Nordic race".
Therefore, you will find that it's quite common to define the word
"Scandinavia" in English like this:
[Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English]
SCANDINAVIAN
1. of the countries Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland
in northern Europe, or their people or languages.
On the other hand, it is not uncommon to use the word "Scandinavia" in
its more limited definition. An example:
[The Concise Oxford Dictionary]
SCANDINAVIAN
1. a native or inhabitant of Scandinavia
(Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland).
And some encyclopaedias put it like this:
[The Random House Encyclopaedia]
SCANDINAVIA
1. region of northern Europe consisting of
the kingdoms of Sweden, Norway and Denmark;
culturally and historically Finland and Iceland
are often considered part of this area.
Despite the term being rather clear for the Scandinavians themselves,
disputes remain about how the term would be understood and derived in
English. If the word is understood as a geographic term, how can then
Denmark be included - as most do. If instead it's deduced from the
area where the languages are quite similar North-Germanians, should
Iceland logically be excluded?
At the risk of disturbing some people's sleep, we will use "Nordic"
and "Scandinavian" interchangeably throughout this FAQ, for practical
reasons. You have been warned. :->
2.1.4 What is "Baltic"?
"Baltic" as a single word is in itself a bit vague, because it can
mean either the Baltic peninsula (Balticum) or the Baltic sea (Mare
Balticum), and it depends on the context where it's used.
But, when this "Baltic" is used in connection with the word "country",
there are two distinct concepts:
* Baltic countries - countries in Baltikum (Estonia, Lathvia,
Lithuania)
* Baltic Sea countries - all countries around the Baltic Sea.
The latter is normally used in connection with environmental issues
concerning cooperative protection of the Baltic sea, and in some other
efforts of public utility - such as occasional Miss Baltic Sea
contests.
------------------------------
Subject: 2.2 What makes Nordic countries a unity?
From the Viking age onwards, the Nordics have fought each other,
formed unions with each other and ruled over each other. Sweden ruled
over Finland for over 600 years, Denmark ruled over southern Sweden
also for over 600 years (or, alternatively, Sweden has ruled over
eastern Denmark for the past 300 years) and over Norway for nearly 500
years, while Norway ruled over Iceland for some 200 years and Denmark
yet another 500 years, and the list goes on (but Finland hasn't ruled
over anybody, and is very envious because of that :-> . Unavoidably,
this has caused some anti-pathies, but it has also made the Nordic
cultures more uniform.
2.2.1 Culture
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland shared a more or less homogenous
"Viking" culture in the Viking Age (800 - ~1050 CE), and Finland,
while not strictly speaking a "Viking" country, did have a "Viking
age" and a culture very close to its western neighbours, and at the
close of Viking age was united into the Swedish kingdom. Scandinavian
culture today could be described as a potpourri of this "original"
culture, medieval German influence, French influence in the centuries
that followed, and several other smaller sources, not forgetting local
development and national romantic inventiveness, of course.
A significant factor is also the fact that the Nordic countries never
had an era of feudalism to speak of; personal freedom is highly valued
here. One of the expressions of this freedom is the Allemansret /
Allemansrätt ("Everyman's right") in Norway, Sweden and Finland,
giving all residents free access to the forests, seas and uncultivated
land.
The Nordics are rather heavy drinkers, the "vodkabelt" goes right
through Finland, Sweden and Norway; the Danes are more of a
beer-drinking nation, but don't say no to a glass of akvavit either.
Smörgåsbord with pickled herrings and open-faced sandwiches is no rare
sight. Women are emancipated. Towns are clean and well-functioning
enough to make a Swiss clocksmith feel at home. And so forth; myths
and stereotypes about Scandinavia are many. Some of them are, of
course, less true than others, but their very existence illustrates
the fact that we do have quite a lot in common.
2.2.2 Religion
The Germanic pagan religion has left its mark on customs and
festivals; celebrations with bonfires and maypoles mark the Finnish
and Swedish midsummer, and the Nordic Christmas bears many
similarities to the midwinter feast of the Vikings, starting with the
word for Christmas (sw. Jul, fin. Joulu) which comes from the Old
Germanic word "hjul", meaning the wheel of the year. Trolls and gnomes
still inhabit Nordic households, although the once revered and feared
mythical beings have been reduced to the lowly caste of soft toys.
The Finns and the Sámi ought to have a common set of folklore and old
relicts of religious traditions, but it is rather hard to find a
common denominator for Fenno-Ugric traditions. For instance are the
Sámi the only Fenno-Ugrians where shamans are known. Probably the
Finns and the northern Germanians have made impressions in both
directions. In any case: Bears had a central role in myths and rites,
and beings ruling the nature, Haltia in Finnish, are more central in
the Finnish and Sámi tradition than among other Nordeners.
The Nordic peoples were converted to Catholicism in the 10th to 12th
centuries, but the Lutheran reformation embraced in all Nordic
countries wiped out most of the Catholic customs and memories in the
course of the 16th century. Having become a stronghold of
protestantism against Catholics in the south and Greek Orthodox in the
east had some unifying effect on Scandinavia even though wars between
the countries kept raging on; religion was, after all, the most
important basis of one's identity well into the 18th century. The
Lutheran ideal was to require the common people to be able to read the
Bible on their own, which had a enormous educating effect on the
Nordic peoples. This, along with the protestant work ethic, had a
significant role in the forming of the Scandinavian societies,
enabling their economic and cultural growth and the pioneering work
that the Nordics have played in decreasing social inequality. No doubt
it also shaped the national character of each country to a similar
direction (a common complaint in Norden: we're such joyless, grey and
angst-ridden people ---> it's all the Lutheran Church's fault! :->
Even today, all five Nordic countries have a Lutheran state church to
which a vast majority of the population belongs (there is of course
full freedom of religion granted by the constitutions of the five
countries). Paradoxically, this is probably the reason why
Scandinavians are among the most secular peoples on the face of the
earth. Despite its seemingly all-pervasive presence in various state
institutions and the ceremonies guiding the life of the average
Scandinavian, Lutheranism has in most parts of Scandinavia retreated
to the fringes of culture and has little meaning to the average
person. Church attendance is record-low, the liberal morals hardly
reflect specifically Lutheran ideals, religion is no major issue in
politics, etc. The official, institutionalized religion offered by the
state churches has to a large extent vaccinated the Nordics against
Christian fundamentalism of the American kind.
2.2.3 Geography
Norway, Sweden and northern Finland form the Scandinavian peninsula
more than 2'000 kilometers from south to north. Denmark is a peninsula
stretching out from continental Europe, accompanied with an
archipelago of large and small islands, while Iceland is situated in
the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Except for Iceland, the countries
are situated relatively close to each other, often sharing borders
with one another. They do not really form a geographical unit, but
this is rather irrelevant since seas and waterways have historically,
instead of separating peoples, united them. And we are, after all,
talking about the best seafarers of ancient Europe.
Finland, Sweden and Norway receive many tourists camping outdoors and
hiking in the (relatively) unpolluted wilderness, taking advantage of
the "Allemansret" (the General Right of Public Access) - the ancient
right to move over land and waters of others, and to pick berries, and
mushrooms, as long as one doesn't disturb and doesn't cause harm. Some
tourists even travel by bicycle.
Since the kingdom of Denmark includes also the autonomous area of
Greenland (area: 2.2 mill. km², pop. 53,000) the area which could be
regarded as "Norden" is huge.
2.2.4 Language
Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese are all
North-Germanic languages developed from the Old Norse spoken in Viking
age Scandinavia. (Also English is classified as a Germanic language.)
A Swede, a Dane and a Norwegian can understand each other with varying
degrees of difficulties, but none of them will fully understand
Icelandic or Faroese without studying the languages. Finnish is an
entirely different case, it's a Finno-Ugric language related to
Estonian and Hungarian. There is, however, a Swedish-speaking minority
in Finland, which ties it linguistically to Scandinavia. Also, Finnish
is related to the Sámi languages spoken in Norway, Sweden and Finland
by the Sámi or Lapps, the aborigines of northern Scandinavia (and the
Kola peninsula and adjacent lands).
Melodic accent & glottal stop
Norwegian and Swedish except Finland-Swedish belong to the few
European languages with a melodic accent. (Others are Lithuanian and
Serbo-Croatian.) The way this melodic accent is expressed vary quite a
lot between different dialects, but the dichotomy exists everywhere
having an important role to differentiate between words which
otherways would have been confused.
Words with one syllable, words stressed on the end and short words
with an unstressed suffix usually has what could be called "one
syllable accent" (rarely marked, but then by acute accent). Words
derived from two-syllable roots usually have an almost equal stress on
both syllables.
In south Swedish dialects the "one syllable accent" is expressed as a
falling tone on the first syllable, while "two syllable accent" is
expressed as a rise and a fall of the tone on the first syllable.
Questions are expressed by a rising tone on the second syllable.
In most Danish dialects (and some Scanian too) this melody accent has
been replaced by a glottal stop (stød) in place of the "one syllable
accents".
Are linguistic definitions of any value?
Maybe not, but nevertheless they show up now and then in the group.
An example:
Dr. R. Rautiu writes:
Contemporary Germanists are dividing the North-West Germanic branch in
a
1. Continental branch comprising: Swedish, Danish, Bokmål (Norwegian)
2. Insular branch comprising: Icelandic, Faeroese and sometimes
Nynorsk (closer to insular than continental linguistic traits),
some specialists put Nynorsk as a transitional language between
the continental and the insular groups.
Tor Arntsen replies:
About trying to group Nynorsk and Bokmål to different East/West Nordic
groups: It's really a red herring as Nynorsk and Bokmål exist as
written languages only. No one actually speaks Nynorsk for example.
The same goes for Bokmål.
Some dialects would be "closer" to either one or the other, depending
on what you end up with if you try to create a "written" form of a
dialect. Norwegian language has as many dialects as there are cities
and villages and valleys and fjords, and there is no way to create a
common written language from that. Bokmål and Nynorsk are just two
constructed written languages, where Bokmål is something that once
upon a time came from written Danish, and Nynorsk was constructed from
south-west Norvegian dialects -- and some personal colouring from the
constructor (cultural and political).
Eugene Holman writes:
The majority of the traditional inhabitants of Iceland, the Faroe
Islands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and some regions of western Finland
speak closely related Germanic languages belonging to the North
Germanic ( = Scandinavian = Nordic) subgroup. North Germanic is a
subgrouping within Germanic (formerly called Teutonic). Thus English,
German, Yiddish, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, Lezebuurjesh, and the now
extinct Anglo-Saxon, Middle English, Old High German, Gothic,
Burgundian, Vandal, Longobardian, etc. are all Germanic or Teutonic
languages ( - but they are not Nordic languages).
The late Einar Haugen, one of the leading authorities on the
Scandinavian languages, once characterized Norwegian as "Danish spoken
with a Swedish accent". The essential difference between the three
Scandinavian languages is that Danish and (Bokmål) Norwegian have a
long history of shared culture and vocabulary which Swedish lacks,
while Norwegian and Swedish have many shared features of
pronunciation, which Danish lacks. Actually, the truth is somewhat
more complex, since Norwegian and Danish have radically simplified
their pronunciation and grammar in a way that Swedish has not, but the
pronunciation of Danish has subsequently been influenced by that of
German, while Swedish and Norwegian have not.
[ the sections above are available at the www-page
http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq21.html ]
------------------------------
Subject: 2.3 The Sámi people (not Lapps!)
This section by Kari Yli-Kuha
(being revised - last edited 98/03/21)
A more recent version might be found at
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