Looking back: Joulupukki

Isn't it fascinating how the Santa Claus figure has evolved in different countries? In Finland, the jolly fellow is called 'Joulupukki' and his home is on Korvatunturi Mountain, in Finnish Lapland.

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Tove Jansson biography

Way back in February of 2005, I wrote about trolls and my love of folk legends, myths and fairy tales especially anything Finnish. In that context came up the name of internationally well-known Tove Jansson and her Moomintrolls. There... [Continue Reading...]

May Eve and Day

This April 30th I'm once again reminded by Helsingin Sanomat that today and tomorrow are Vappu or May Eve and May Day, "one of Finland's most boisterous (and liquid) annual festivals". May Day in Finland is a national holiday,... [Continue Reading...]

Kalevala and Vietnam

I know that the Finnish national epic the Kalevala is read around the world, translated as it is into 61 languages. So I've been quite intrigued to read a fascinating story about two Vietnamese women and their involvement with... [Continue Reading...]

wombat's world

checked out a link back to my blog from Wombat's World -the writer was going to Finland to see the Astuvansalmi rock paintings!

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Toronto's Lord of the Rings

"The much-anticipated musical theatre version of The Lord of the Rings made its formal début in a gala première in Toronto on Thursday evening, and the reactions of the audience suggested that the massive production would not be leaving... [Continue Reading...]

Kalevala Event

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Santa or Joulupukki

(A straw moble or "himmeli" - scanned from a clipping in my files, from an old Finnish magazine possibly Kotiliesi) It's now five nights to Christmas Eve and my thoughts are dancing around this rather magical time. I'm really... [Continue Reading...]

Happy Halloween

(photo - EKR) Tonight is Halloween and all the little boys and girls will be out trick-or-treating. Our granddaughter is coming over to visit a few houses, then help answer the door in her "ghost princess" costume and scare... [Continue Reading...]

World Myths and Legends in Art

Detail of birds, Malagan Pole 19th century Papua New Guinea "Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have... [Continue Reading...]

writers and hoodoos

What are hoodoos? Do the hoodoos have native petroglyphs or pictographs? Is "hoodoo" an aboriginal word?

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'Rings' debut in Toronto

"The much-anticipated stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy will have its world premiere in Toronto, producers announced in London Tuesday. The $27-million show, co-produced by Toronto's Mirvish Productions, will open in March 2006 at the... [Continue Reading...]

Finnish folklore inspires

A news item in VietNam News, via News Room Finland caught my eye - "Finnish oral traditions inspire painting exhibition in Ha Noi" (links are mine): "Two female artists from Viet Nam and Hungary are displaying their interpretations of Finnish... [Continue Reading...]

all about trolls

Illustration by Rudolf Koivu, "The troll and the shepherdess" in "Matka Satumaahan" (A Trip to the Land of Fairytales) by Raul Roine, Otava, Helsinki 1954 Sometimes I wonder if some readers think I'm silly when I write about my... [Continue Reading...]

the sixth day

(Six Geese A-Laying, Illustration by Jan Brett on a Christmas card, from the book The Twelve Days of Christmas, published by Dodd, Mead & Co., NY) A little bit of whimsy, forgive me, as some ever so slight relief... [Continue Reading...]

winter solstice

"The winter solstice is again upon the Northern Hemisphere, and though the year's shortest day heralds the onset of winter it also promises the gradual return of the sun after a prolonged period of darkness. That there are holidays at... [Continue Reading...]

snowflakes & scary santa

Today's blog travels yielded some seasonal treats like this lovely photogallery of snowflakes and some of the science behind these nature's artworks. In case you missed it, also have a look at something a bit related - frost fractals. Thanks... [Continue Reading...]

Aurora Borealis

Yesterday I read on Amy's blog Ever so Humble about the current solar storms taking place (lots of great links here!). Tom Montag writes about seeing the Northern Lights in Wisconsin USA - quite far south, I thought. Now today... [Continue Reading...]

pumpkin moon

How fortunate we are to have a clear night to see this total lunar eclipse. NASA calls it a "blood moon" but it's more like a glowing pumpkin in the sky over the Vancouver area of British Columbia, something like... [Continue Reading...]

Lord of the Rings musical

Helsingin Sanomat has a story that really tickles my Finnish funnybone as it makes the intriguing connection between Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Finland. The makers of London's West End musical Lord of the Rings (Flash webpage) have gone... [Continue Reading...]

Shamans & Storytellers

Back in February, I posted about an event presented by the Vancouver Society of Storytellers. One of these storytellers was Kira Van Deusen, who "brings to professional storytelling and music a background which includes a BA in Russian Language and... [Continue Reading...]

Karelia's Rock Art & History

Andrew Heninen is a Karelian (Finnish-Russian) programmer with a keen interest in the history of lost Finnish territories. Karelia (or Karjala in Finnish) is a territory which straddles the present-day border between Finland and Russia, and is home to the... [Continue Reading...]

summer solstice

Depending on where you are in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the longest day of the year. Actual dates of celebrations vary in countries, often a weekend nearest the true solstice for convenience. It is mostly a northern European festival... [Continue Reading...]

monsters and ghosts

How is your doppelganger or fylgia today? What do nixies, corrigans, dziwozony, yuki onna, erynnes and ajatar have in common (hint: they are all female)? What is a basilisk? Curious? Check out the encyclopedia of monsters, mythological creatures and fabulous... [Continue Reading...]

More on Full Circle

A few days ago I wrote about the Newfoundland and Labrador Museum exhibition commemorating the events surrounding the Viking landfall in L'Anse aux Meadows - Full Circle: First Contact. Then National Geographic News posted an interesting article called "Sagas" Portray... [Continue Reading...]

The Ainu

Feeding my fascination for ancient as well as the indigenous cultures of the world, I was excited to find at the rich Mysterium a post about the Ainu: "A beautiful audio-visual presentation on Japan's Indigenous Ainu people, their origins, art... [Continue Reading...]

The Spell of Rock Art

A prize possession of mine is the 2003 Finno-Ugric Calendar published by the Estonian Society of Prehistoric Art and the Fenno-Ugria Foundation. The photo work was done by society member Loit Joekalda, whom I met in Tallinn in 2002. It... [Continue Reading...]

preserving languages

Recently NewScientist published an interview of linguist Alexandra Aikhenvald. Here are some excerpts : "Imagine how different politics would be if debates were conducted in Tariana, an Amazonian language in which it is a grammatical error to report something without... [Continue Reading...]

Vedic Hymn of Creation

The study of ancient art, cultural anthropology and ethnology inevitably, and happily, seem to lead to reading about the many creation myths around the world. Of course, most familiar to me is the Kalevala Epic of Finland and a few... [Continue Reading...]

Elvish

The Lord of the Rings mania has hit the schools! BBC has an amusing article "Do you speak Elf?", about Birmingham schoolboys who have volunteered for lessons in Sindarin, the "conversational" form of Elvish, invented by Lord of the Rings... [Continue Reading...]

Event: Kalevala Runos

Is this synchronicity? I have just received an email notice about an event this weekend called Kalevala Runos. It is presented by the Vancouver Society of Storytelling. Their link is for last year's event and because there is no current... [Continue Reading...]

The Telling of Tales

At Pericat, a blog that I enjoy looking at as well as reading, I noticed a link for the Kalevala. My curiosity made me write in and inquire "how come?" Pericat wrote a beautiful and moving response as an entry... [Continue Reading...]

Whale Rider

I saw Whale Rider for the first time this weekend, on DVD. Though I do not intend to be a film critic on this blog, this movie is so astounding that I would like to share my excitement about it.... [Continue Reading...]

KALEVALA and The Lord of the Rings

As a Finnish-Canadian artist, I am drawn to learning more about the very ancient roots of my family in the Old World. In writing about these discoveries on this weblog, I hope to share some of these with other expatriate... [Continue Reading...]

A Europe of Tales

This is a fascinating Internet-based programme featuring five series of tales and legends from different parts of Europe. The interactive site presents 18 stories with the means of contemporary multimedia, boldly combining art and science, the mythical tales of history... [Continue Reading...]

Rock art research

In my research into the history and art of my ancestors, a wealth of information has come from Loit Joekalda. He believes the best researcher of the rock art of the Fenno-Ugrians is Väino Poikalainen, chair of the Estonian Society... [Continue Reading...]