Frugal and Rich

This is from Finland Forum:

"We live near Finland's Bible Belt, and my husband knows some Lestadiolaisia. From what I can gather, they tend to be considerably wealthy, presumably because they receive a lot of government aid (mostly in child support I guess), and live frugally; as mentioned no TV's, no booze, a diet of porridge and bread, and apparently they usually buy cheap merchandise and use a lot of hand-me-downs. The father of the family is usually the breadwinner; most Lestadion wives are stay-at-home mothers, but there are some who work. From what I've heard, Lestadions own at least 2 major "bargain basement" retail chains here."

"They're big into house building. As they no real hobbies, they have lots of time to do something productive. Build a house, with cheap labour (relatives) then sell it two years later for hansome profit."

Comments?

Crapula Mundi

Seems many of you readers are shy about posting comments. That's okay. Kind of. For a while. Now get over it and join the conversation!!! Ask questions, share an idea or rant, whatever, but please help keep this boat afloat.

That said, kiitos to the reader who asked me to share my impressions of "Fragments." (I haven't read very far because -- whine alert -- my new poetry blog, ikebana lessons, volunteering, job, housework, hubby and two spunky kids. Not necessarily in that order.)

The book is fascinating. I'm getting a sense of Laestadius as a rebel who used language to shock and manipulate.

At the age of 43 he wrote his pastoral thesis "Crapula Mundi" (I'm told it means "world's hangover"), in which he railed against the Swedish theological rationalism of Enlightenment. The first ten theses were written in Latin, the 11th in Finnish (the sale of liquor in Sami territory was done mainly by Finnish-speaking traders and new settlers) and the 12th in Lappish. Seven of the 12 are included in the Introduction to "Fragments." Here are the last two:

11. The friends of temperance go astray when they speak more about temperance than about the Christianity.
12. A Lapp is a man of better quality than a new settler or a non-Lapp.

The last one is quite revealing. Seems ethnocentrism was at the very genesis of Laestadianism, whether due to actual belief or by design.

Fragments of Lappish Mythology

I've begun reading LLL's book on Sami myths, which was published in Finland in 1997 and translated into English in 2002. Very readable. The foreward and introduction are fascinating.

Already, I have a more complex take on Laestadius, as someone gifted and flawed and deeply human -- and not without a sense of humor. I'll write more about this later, but I want to encourage everyone with an interest in Laestadianism to read this book, and if you are so inclined, to comment here.

It is also available through amazon.

Direct to L Double L

I thought you were inspired, then disturbed
Perhaps both are true. After all you knew
The power of myth and used it
Like a hammer and a bell,
For vengeance and for love.

But however gifted, however driven
The teller doesn't own the tale
Two centuries later
Your words, out of Lapland
Out of proud men,
Are swung like axes
Young hearts -- like mine was --
To fell.

Parlez-vous Suomi?

Thanks to kind reader Theoforos, I have been corresponding with a remarkable former Laestadian, Bengt Pohjanen, who comes from the Tornio valley in Sweden (home to my great-grandfather). Pohjanen is not only a prolific writer but the first to publish in Mienkieli, the Finnish of the Tornio valley. He has translated some of the gospel into Mienkieli. He has written for stage, film and opera.

Bengt's 1981 novel "Ropandes röst" (Voice of the Crying) is about Laestadius. Unfortunately the novel has not yet been translated into English.

Of course, I am dyin' to read it! What should I do? Take a crash course in Swedish or Finnish?