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Fairies

Over the years the Estonian people have met weird creatures in the forests. Their shapes are often clear-cut, they have shown themselves as a human, an animal or a bird. They let themselves to be seen only when they want it. For instance, there was a beautiful woman but from behind she looked like a tree trunk, at her sides there was hanging a tail, some leaves and  some birch bark. However, the clothes she wore were pretty. Some people say that not all fairies have been visible. Often one can hear them walking in the woods, whistling or laughing. They are guarding the forest, their actions are often unfathomable, they are strictly neutral and do not communicate with anybody. They could be even malicious because it is forbidden to hoot late at night in the forest, otherwise the spirit of the forest could get angry and punish the hooter. The fairies often like to mislead people. True, it is mostly somebody who has upset the fairy in some way. Usually a fairy does not mislead a human being on purpose because the person will start to track the fairy and will get lost. The fairies usually swing, sing and hoot. If anybody happens to see them, they will disappear quickly and imperceptibly.

Often, the forest fairies are more similar to the nature than to a human being. People have heard about  the children of the fairies, the fairies` sons and daughters. There is a story of  the Mother of the Sward and her daughters. The Mother of the Sward is depicted as an old woman who is sometimes moving about with a stick in her hand but all her daughters are depicted as beauties. Her daughters will stay young forever wearing white fluffy clothes and  like to float in the moonlight. Therefore they are also called Maidens of the Sward. There have been stories of their bathing and whisking. Tree tops are their stage where the maidens` whisks shine in silvery moonlight They are rarely seen. However, if you the Mother of the Sward discovers a curious person, she could punish them transforming them blind or dumb.

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Perk (short for Perkmandeljc) is a mine-Goblin. He has wicked character and could be a real pain in the a** . Nevertheless, miners and Perk were living in some kind of symbiosis for a long time He would warn them of oncoming mine-accidents (like water and mud breaks, gases...), so they never forgot to leave him a bite of their launch in some dark corner. It was wise to have good relationship with Perk.

But when they shut down the coal mine in my hometown (Trbovlje in Slovenia), he became an unemployed mine-troll. In this situation he acts like an average unemployed miner - he doesn't know what to do with himself so he drinks large amounts of beer and watches TV... and that's where short animation starts ( it is an Video-Spot from Polka-Punk band named Orlek).

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The most important dwelling for every Finn is the sauna. Historically in  arcaic societies and after wars in the beginnings of reconstruction, the first thing that was made was always the sauna. It was a place where every important action of life happened: women gave birth, a dead person was prepared for the last journey, families lived in sauna before their new house was ready, meat was smoked, moonshine (illegal alcohol) was cooked, cupping out the bad blood made person healthier, love actions occurred and spells and magic actions, also pray for the elf of sauna was made.

The sauna was regarded as a sacred place where it was forbidden to speak loud or shout, to whistle or to laugh loudly because it might irritate the elf. After bathing in sauna people get clean inside and outside. The relaxed feeling make you forget your daily problems and sorrows for a while.

During a holiday or celebration people did magic tricks in sauna. Especially in the midsummer eve young or older maidens bathed in the sauna making special tricks to uplift their fortune to find a spouse. The elf of sauna was honored and people brought him food during festivities. After  bathing in sauna people always left the last “löyly”, the  evaporation for the elf. He was mostly regarded as a kind person, but if somebody behaved disrespectful in sauna he might curse or cause bad luck to that person.

(Today the most Finns do bath at least once a week in their own sauna. It is common to have an own sauna even in the block of flats.  The importance of sauna culture is obvious. There has been also a special feature in Finnish politics – the legendary Finnish president Urho Kekkonen invited his visitors to a sauna and so many important negotiations have taken forward in Sauna bathing. Tarja Halonen, the first femail president in Finland, did not continue this tradition.

Living without the sauna is a hard experience for a normal Finn. That is why Finnish soldiers of international commands of peacekeeping organize minimum a tent sauna for relaxing and washing themselves. The sauna culture has a deeper cultural meaning and it is developing and getting new forms.

To see some photos about the Finnish sauna culture you can google  The Finnish Sauna Society)

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Dones  d’aigua, “water-women” in Catalan, are feminine beings that live in places with fresh water. They appear as beautiful young women with long hair who retain their youth but are not immortal. They look after children from their birth although they sometimes take them away. These beings have the power of healing but also of drowning. They attract others with love but they can also drive them mad. Just once a year, on St. John’s eve, the night in which the spirits wake up and regain the frankness that reigned in the early days, can human eyes see them without risk of being enchanted.

Maria Enganxa, Mary the Hook in Catalan, is a fantastic being, a water-women that lives in deep wells or water tanks waiting for curious children who dare to look into the them. Then she grabs them with her hook and takes them with her.

Legend has it that in the source of Saint Margaret there lives a mysterious beautiful lady, who was condemned to wander through the streets close to the well by a wicked fairy who was jealous of her beauty and her charm. Since then, she roams the narrow streets soaking her garments in the cold source waters.

Woe betide anyone who dares to enter one of the little doors that you must surely have seen when you go down the stairs! One door on the left; another one on the right. As Maria, who is always on the lookout, whenever she sees someone close, she leaves her hiding place, grabs the intruder’s leg with her hook and takes him or her away. Legend has it that on moonlit nights if you dare to get down to the source and you stare at the flowing water you will be able to see her beautiful image clearly reflected.

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Goldhorn or Goldenhorn (Slovene: Zlatorog) is a legendary  white chamois buck, or in some Slovenian stories the steinbock, who had his realm in the heights of Mount Triglav.

A mystical hoofed creature from Slovenia that has the body of a chamois and golden horns. Many have been after its horns but none has ever caught it. Zlatorog leads hunters through dangerous paths, along caverns where the less skilled and unlucky fall to their deaths. One hunter successfully wounded the beast but it ran off. When the blood hit the ground a red flower sprouted. This red flower became the emblem of Slovenia.

The story about Zlatorog was first written down, adapted to the late Romantic style and published by Karl Deschmann (Karel Dežman) in the Laibacher Zeitung, no. 43, on 21 February 1868:

Summary of the story as written by Karl Deschmann

Goldhorn's golden horns were the key to a treasure hidden in the mountains around Triglav. A young and brave hunter from the Trenta Valley fell in love with a beautiful girl and managed to win her heart by bringing her beautiful flowers. However, one day a rich merchant from Venice came by and tried to gain her attention by giving her golden jewellery and dancing with her. As the hunter approached the girl, she mocked him. The hunter was desperate and left. Persuaded by another hunter, called the Green hunter, who was said to have brought about the fate of several honest boys, he decided to go that very night to find Goldhorn and claim his treasure. In the morning, they found the animal, shot it and pursued it. The dying animal dragged itself onto a narrow, rocky ledge. Suddenly the boy saw on a dangerous trail the most beautiful and healing flowers. The Green hunter forced him on to catch the Goldhorn before it ate the magic Triglav flowers that grew from its blood, but it was too late. The Goldhorn had already eaten one and the flower gave it tremendous life power. It ran towards the hunter, who being blinded by the bliss of its golden horns lost balance and fell from the mountain. The river Soča brought his corpse to the vale.

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Kurent (also korant) is typical carnival character to Ptuj Drava plain and the surrounding area, in carnival time acting on the Kurent Festival. According to tradition by jumping, kurents severe the noises (ringing) from a country chase away winter and evil, call into spring and good harvest. Kurent is wearing sheepskin, bells attached to his waist, he is wearing a mask and special made leggings.
In the past he represented something supernatural. As a demon he fought with winter and called spring to the land. With its wild dancing and sounding bells it illustrates the ancient trial of an ordinary man, who has tried with magic to influence natural laws.
This similarity with kurents is found in Greek mythology.
Ancient Kurents hid small Zeus in a cave before his father Kronos. Kronos w,anted to swallow Zeus, because it was prophesied that he will fight his own son and be defeated. Kurents were armed with large swords, and when Zeus wept they caused a great uproar, and thus drowned his cries.
Kurent has also been seen in the Slavic countries, as such unbridled merry man who was worshiped by Christians and linking it to the moon.
Kurent is also found in Christian stories. Christ turned Kurent into a bull and put it in breeding, as he wanted to tame it. Over the seven years God came back for him, only to find that it (the Kurent) was despised by people. Kurent redeemed itself on the day that is now marked as Carnival Tuesday.