Laufey's Sagas and Kalevala Thread

[Suominoita]

I've always thought it a little funny that owls in general have such contradictory stereotypes in Finland: on one hand they're considered wise shamans and knowledgeable beyond this world, yet calling someone an owl means you're calling them stupid. I have no idea how this works.

As I understand it, Wise owl originates from Greco-Roman mythology (Athena/Minerva) while Finnish mythology considered owls stupid. Both at the same time? Stay up all night and you may end up learning loads but also making stupid decisions due to sleep-deprivation.

[ladykatytrent]

As I understand it, Wise owl originates from Greco-Roman mythology (Athena/Minerva) while Finnish mythology considered owls stupid. Both at the same time? Stay up all night and you may end up learning loads but also making stupid decisions due to sleep-deprivation.

I like that, a lot. I'm new to the world of Finnish mythology - I just started studying the language because a) I love the way it sounds b) I've been into a Finnish game company called Remedy and c) I really want to read the Kalevala in English. And, concurrently, I discovered SSSS.

[Róisín]

You might try visiting Project Gutenberg, an online free and legal internet library of important books, many of which are otherwise out of print. I can’t recommend one particular translation, maybe Laufey or Mikko might have a suggestion there?