LOLLefty wrote: I know what that means!! it means "devil" right? and is a big one in Finland, no?
Meeting the parents (help required!!)
-
Hank W.
- The Motorhead
- Posts: 29973
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 10:00 pm
- Location: Mushroom Mountain
- Contact:
You need to get the "peRRRkele" right and you shall get action/reaction allright. One of the very first useful Finnish words to learn.
Though I know of a girl who was learning her R's repeating a new word she'd heard "runkkari" in the back of the bus...
Though I know of a girl who was learning her R's repeating a new word she'd heard "runkkari" in the back of the bus...
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
I take it he has told you about the nastiest one then too!? I mean the one that you get to hear all the time in here! Most of you must know what I'm talking about!
Its v*ttu of course, referring to women. God I hate it! Its often combined with perkele, as in v*ttu perkele. Its not PG, PC or anything like that.
Actually, I much prefere the English equivalent F**k for its gender equal approach
!
What a topic, by the way!
Its v*ttu of course, referring to women. God I hate it! Its often combined with perkele, as in v*ttu perkele. Its not PG, PC or anything like that.
Actually, I much prefere the English equivalent F**k for its gender equal approach
!What a topic, by the way!
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
I know that one too, I could end up being a walking swearing machine at this rate!
its so funny actually, because "v**tu" and its English translation are very big swear words in both countries, but "perkele" is huge in Finland but its English translation "devil" is not really a swear word in England
its so funny actually, because "v**tu" and its English translation are very big swear words in both countries, but "perkele" is huge in Finland but its English translation "devil" is not really a swear word in England
-
Hank W.
- The Motorhead
- Posts: 29973
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 10:00 pm
- Location: Mushroom Mountain
- Contact:
Its a cultural thing. In Sweden or example the traditional "bad" swears are all religious-oriented. And then in Russia you tell people "huj" all the time (which means penis). So A Finn uses the feminine, The russian the masculine, and the poor Anglo in between gets ****ed
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.
hank wrote:
luotot wrote: I know! this is what I mean. I was out with a bunch of friends and I was introducing my boyfriend to them, then I introduced one of my friends as "this is Mikey, he such a little devil", and my boyfriend laughed and said "is he really, just make sure you dont say that in Finnish, in Finland" 
while we are on the topic of rude finnish words, my boyfriend said when I go into a Finnish bar I should say "pikku herre" (maybe I've spelled that wrong) to the bar man, what does that mean? is it another swear word? (you know I cant trust him in such issues)
you are a funny man hank!So A Finn uses the feminine, The russian the masculine, and the poor Anglo in between gets ****ed
luotot wrote:
(her) "little devils have been running about all afternoon" gave a little pause for reflection...
I know! this is what I mean. I was out with a bunch of friends and I was introducing my boyfriend to them, then I introduced one of my friends as "this is Mikey, he such a little devil", and my boyfriend laughed and said "is he really, just make sure you dont say that in Finnish, in Finland" while we are on the topic of rude finnish words, my boyfriend said when I go into a Finnish bar I should say "pikku herre" (maybe I've spelled that wrong) to the bar man, what does that mean? is it another swear word? (you know I cant trust him in such issues)
Perkele doesn't just mean "The Devil". It is the ancient name of the finnish god of warfare from the pre-christian times (before 12th century). After the swedes brought us christianity the missionaries told finnish people to abandon the old gods and also that Perkele was actually The Devil leading finnish people astray. So even if christianity managed to destroy the original finnish pagan religion we still have this old god living on as a swearword.* 
The Devil or Satan has it's own name in finnish as well. He's called "Saatana" and that's a swearword too, much like perkele.
Vi_tu is the word for female genitalia and kyrpä is the male equivalent. These two words are actually some of the oldest still in use in modern finnish language. There was much power to these words and the organs they referred to in the old times. It was common practice (before the christian times) for the head women (called "emäntä" in finnish) of the cattle-owning families to bless the new cattle by standing legs spread on top of the gate of a new cattle-inclosure and having the cattle walk into the closure under her. The fertility and life-bringing power of vi_tu was believed to transfer to the cattle. Nowadays of course both vi_tu and kyrpä are considered to be very rude swearwords and not something to be used in a polite, considerate discussion.
And this is not a joke. Nor a troll. It's genuine finnish cultural history.
(* = Some of the other old gods still live as well. For example the finnish word for thunder is "ukkonen" and it comes from the ancient Supreme God, god of thunder, who was called Ukko. Even still some finns may be heard saying "Ahti suo antejaan" which means that the god of the sea (Ahti) is giving a good bounty. Also the god of forest, Tapio, and his mate Tellervo, are well known. All of these names are also still in use when people name their children. Well, all the others except Perkele.)
The Devil or Satan has it's own name in finnish as well. He's called "Saatana" and that's a swearword too, much like perkele.Vi_tu is the word for female genitalia and kyrpä is the male equivalent. These two words are actually some of the oldest still in use in modern finnish language. There was much power to these words and the organs they referred to in the old times. It was common practice (before the christian times) for the head women (called "emäntä" in finnish) of the cattle-owning families to bless the new cattle by standing legs spread on top of the gate of a new cattle-inclosure and having the cattle walk into the closure under her. The fertility and life-bringing power of vi_tu was believed to transfer to the cattle. Nowadays of course both vi_tu and kyrpä are considered to be very rude swearwords and not something to be used in a polite, considerate discussion.
And this is not a joke. Nor a troll. It's genuine finnish cultural history.
(* = Some of the other old gods still live as well. For example the finnish word for thunder is "ukkonen" and it comes from the ancient Supreme God, god of thunder, who was called Ukko. Even still some finns may be heard saying "Ahti suo antejaan" which means that the god of the sea (Ahti) is giving a good bounty. Also the god of forest, Tapio, and his mate Tellervo, are well known. All of these names are also still in use when people name their children. Well, all the others except Perkele.)
Its actually quite interesting once you get into it. Not only is the female genitalia a potent symbol in finnish history, but in many other prechristian societies as well- one of the most popular being the Celtic Sheela-na-gig.Timbeh wrote: Vi_tu is the word for female genitalia and kyrpä is the male equivalent. These two words are actually some of the oldest still in use in modern finnish language. There was much power to these words and the organs they referred to in the old times. It was common practice (before the christian times) for the head women (called "emäntä" in finnish) of the cattle-owning families to bless the new cattle by standing legs spread on top of the gate of a new cattle-inclosure and having the cattle walk into the closure under her. The fertility and life-bringing power of vi_tu was believed to transfer to the cattle. Nowadays of course both vi_tu and kyrpä are considered to be very rude swearwords and not something to be used in a polite, considerate discussion.
And this is not a joke. Nor a troll. It's genuine finnish cultural history.
More info can be easily found on the internets, most easily and linkedly from the Wikipedia entry.
Oddly enough, the sheela-na-gig/vi__u is still with us today as a potent cultural symbol, in the form of the hello.jpg image from goatse.cx
Yeah, I know some of the history behind v***u, too. Still, I don't like the way it is used today! But as I'm not a complete prune , here goes...
Actually, ones while discussing ancient religions in my cultural anthropology class at uni (we were talking about women's role etc.) this girl said that in Finland people used to believe in the power inside v***u, and that they talked about "v*tun väki" or the c**t folk, "as in folk inside the c**t" (that's were the babies come, so it must be a place of great magic ).
I'll always remember the look on the teacher's face! Someone actually said v***u in his class! Well, to his credit he recovered quickly, kind of. 
I know it came behind the corner and all
, but I mean we were all adults, and she was being serious, but it was still hilarious!
, here goes...Actually, ones while discussing ancient religions in my cultural anthropology class at uni (we were talking about women's role etc.) this girl said that in Finland people used to believe in the power inside v***u, and that they talked about "v*tun väki" or the c**t folk, "as in folk inside the c**t" (that's were the babies come, so it must be a place of great magic
). I'll always remember the look on the teacher's face!
Someone actually said v***u in his class! Well, to his credit he recovered quickly, kind of. I know it came behind the corner and all
, but I mean we were all adults, and she was being serious, but it was still hilarious! Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
Old cattle magic usually was connected to female sexuality.
I read an interesting article last weekend. At the cottage, from a 40+ years old Soviet magazine. It was about the origins of this Russian "maatuska (matrjoska) nukke", one that always has a smaller one inside. This Russian historian wrote that it has Ugric origins. Ancient Ugric people had a female god that they worshipped in "uhrilehto", and they made statues of her. Those statues always had two smaller ones inside. And there is a srory attached which at least 40+ years ago was alive and well in Russia. Either Khantys or Mansis made that statue out of solid gold, and the fame of it reached far and wide. Vikings came to raid the area, and people hid their golden goddess. It is somewhere in the Ural mountains, and according to some old shaman it is on an island, in a swampy lake region. Russians have looked for it for ages. And still did in 1960´.
I read an interesting article last weekend. At the cottage, from a 40+ years old Soviet magazine. It was about the origins of this Russian "maatuska (matrjoska) nukke", one that always has a smaller one inside. This Russian historian wrote that it has Ugric origins. Ancient Ugric people had a female god that they worshipped in "uhrilehto", and they made statues of her. Those statues always had two smaller ones inside. And there is a srory attached which at least 40+ years ago was alive and well in Russia. Either Khantys or Mansis made that statue out of solid gold, and the fame of it reached far and wide. Vikings came to raid the area, and people hid their golden goddess. It is somewhere in the Ural mountains, and according to some old shaman it is on an island, in a swampy lake region. Russians have looked for it for ages. And still did in 1960´.