#Danish Bog

[xtruss]

He’s The Most Famous of Europe’s Bog Bodies. But Who Was Tollund Man?

Was He a Human Sacrifice? A criminal? Scientists are Still Piecing Together Details About the Life—and Death—of the Man Mummified in a Danish Bog Some 2,400 Years Ago.

— By Erin Blakemore | February 6, 2024

The Tollund Man was discovered in 1950 in the Bjældskovdal bog in Jutland, Denmark. His mummified body was found in a sleeping position with a leather cord around his neck—and scientists have been analyzing his ​remarkably well-preserved remains ever since. Photograph By Robert Clark, National Geographic Image Collection

When a family cutting peat for fuel unearthed a mysterious body in a Danish bog in 1950, they assumed the well-preserved corpse was a local murderer’s latest victim. In fact, he was anything but: Although the man had been killed, his body dated from the Iron Age about 2,400 years ago.

Now known only as the Tollund Man, his incredibly preserved face, stubbled and slightly smiling, has ensured him a place as one of the world’s most famous bog bodies—made even more mysterious by the fact he was the assumed victim of human sacrifice.

In the decades since his discovery, scientists have studied Tollund Man extensively and pieced together more details about his life and death. Here’s what to know about the naturally mummified man.

Who Was Tollund Man?

A brown, bronze like mummified body of a man laying on his side in the fetal position on a square pile of brown earth and soil, with a braided rope around his neck against a black background.

Although Scientists know that Tollund Man died of hanging, they're not yet sure why. Could he have been killed in vengeance—or as part of a Ritual Sacrifice Photograph By Ian Dagnall, Alamy Stock Photo

The presence of wisdom teeth suggest the Tollund Man was at least 20 years old when he died in Denmark’s Bjældskovdal bog in Jutland, but researchers think he was actually between 30 and 40. Radiocarbon dating indicates he died at some point between 405 and 380 B.C.

Standing at about 5 foot 3 inches, the Tollund Man was discovered in a sleeping position with a rope around his neck. An autopsy revealed he had died of hanging, noting his extremely well preserved head and face.

After his death, the acidity in the peat bog preserved Tollund Man’s bones and many of his soft tissues, including an intact yet shrunken brain and intestines complete with their contents. Tollund Man’s skin and nails had cured and blackened over thousands of years spent in the oxygen-free environment of the bog. But their full decomposition was blocked by the chemicals that are produced when sphagnum moss, the main moss that comprises peat, degrades.

Today, his body is preserved at the Silkeborg Museum, a Danish cultural heritage museum near the place of his discovery.

Who Were His People?

Tollund Man lived during the early part of the Iron Age in the years before Rome conquered the majority of Europe. During the period, Jutland was well populated and home to villages and farms. The era’s farmers grew grain, kept animals, and engaged in religious rituals that involved leaving sacrifices—often food or weapons, but sometimes human bodies—in the local bogs.

Modern-day researchers suspect these bogs were seen as supernatural sites with connections to the gods and the afterlife. But since the Jutland dwellers left no writing behind, it’s unclear what actually drove their religious rituals.

Tollund Man was found in this bog in Denmark. What makes bogs so good at preserving bodies? Archaeologist Isabella Mulhall told National Geographic in 2023 that factors include the lack of oxygen, the acidity levels, and moss found in bogs that blocks the decomposition process. Photograph By Robert Clark, National Geographic Image Collection

What He Wore

Bogs are famous for preserving clothing along with bodies, like the knitted clothing that surrounded a Scottish bog body found in 1951. But Tolland man wore much less apparel: He was buried naked, clad only in a cap and belt.

Further investigations have revealed that Tollund Man likely wore shoes for part of the year, but also walked barefoot much of the time. Stubble on his face indicates he must have shaved.

His Last Meal

In 2021, researchers discovered the contents of Tollund Man’s last meal—porridge containing barley, a variety of wild seeds, flax, and fish. The gut analysis also revealed that unlike some other famous bog bodies, Tollund Man wasn’t under the influence of edible hallucinogens or other medicinal plants when he died—signs that typically indicate a human sacrifice.

His Death

But scientists say Tollund Man could have been the victim of a ritual sacrifice. The wide variety of types of seeds and weeds found in his gut are similar to those discovered in the digestive tracts of other bog bodies thought to have been sacrificed.

“People have suggested that they’re forming a human sacrifice because something’s going wrong in the environment,” archaeologist Henry Chapman said of those victims in a 2021 interview with National Geographic. Those cases have led researchers to believe that the sacrifices involved eating a wide variety of types of food before death, perhaps in response to environmental changes that threatened farming or food sources.

Another possibility is that Tollund Man’s death could have been more sinister: Perhaps he was a criminal or died by suicide, or was part of a vengeance killing thought to have been a practice in northern Europe at the time. Other bog bodies found throughout the region show evidence of purposeful killing and even gruesome abuses of the corpses.

But though he was clearly killed on purpose, Tollund Man’s body was also carefully buried, and his mouth and eyes closed. Ultimately, that careful burial, his hanging, and the fact that cremation and grave burials were more common at the time than throwing bodies into bogs is why many researchers do believe his death was part of some kind of sacred sacrifice.

His Remaining Mysteries

Though it’s been nearly 75 years since his discovery, Tollund Man could continue to yield more information to curious archaeologists. During scientists’ initial experiments with the bog body, his head was carefully preserved and was put on display in Denmark. But his body dried out and was misplaced—yes, misplaced.

For decades no one knew where the bog body’s limbs and organs were. This led to a bizarre treasure hunt in the 1980s, when researchers armed with new technologies realized the potential worth of the rest of the body and asked for the public’s help locating the remainder of the corpse.

Commonly found in bogs, sphagnum moss releases an acidic sugary molecule that takes up the nutrients that would otherwise nourish microbes that cause decay. This helps mummify corpses—though sphagnan also leaches the calcium out of bones, weakening them. Photograph By Robert Clark, National Geographic Image Collection

It turned out that the severed parts had been housed at a variety of museums and institutions throughout Denmark. The hunt yielded everything except for the internal organs and the bog body’s right big toe, whose location remained a mystery until the children of the former conservator returned it to the museum after their father’s death.

“Now nearly all body parts are in the museum[’]s possession,” the Silkeborg Museum says on its website. “Should anyone, however, come across a mysterious jar containing what might [be] his internal organs, we would be most interested to hear from you.”


The Tollund Man's thumb was among the appendages that were amazingly well preserved after thousands of years in the peat bog, a natural medium for mummification. Photograph By Robert Clark, National Geographic Image Collection

These remains could still produce more insights, though researchers have so far been unsuccessful at obtaining ancient DNA from Tollund Man’s tissues.

In the meantime, the bog man has inspired everything from poems to music to children’s books—a testament to the ongoing fascination he invokes in both scientists and the public. “He is not merely a museum piece, but a man,” one archaeologist told The Age in 1956. “We refuse to believe in his death. There is a living man behind the warmth and fine humor of his face.”

[picturessnatcher]

Blade af Satans bog (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1919)

[blueiscoool]

5,000-year-old 'bog body' found in Denmark may be a human sacrifice victim

The bones of a possible ancient human sacrifice victim have been found in a bog in Denmark.

Archaeologists have discovered the ancient skeletal remains of a so-called bog body in Denmark near the remnants of a flint ax and animal bones, clues that suggest this person was ritually sacrificed more than 5,000 years ago.

Little is known so far about the supposed victim, including the person's sex and age at the time of death. But the researchers think the body was deliberately placed in the bog during the Neolithic, or New Stone Age.

"That's the early phase of the Danish Neolithic," said excavation leader Emil Struve (opens in new tab), an archaeologist and curator at the ROMU museums in Roskilde. "We know that traditions of human sacrifices date back that far — we have other examples of it."

Dozens of so-called bog bodies have been found throughout northwestern Europe — particularly in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain, where human sacrifices in bogs seem to have persisted for several thousand years.

"In our area here, we have several different bog bodies," Struve told Live Science. "It's an ongoing tradition that goes back all the way to the Neolithic."

Ancient bones

The ROMU archaeological team found the latest set of bones in October ahead of the construction of a housing development. The site, which has now been drained, had been a bog near the town of Stenløse, on the large island of Zealand and just northwest of the Danish capital Copenhagen. Danish law requires archaeologists to examine all land that's to be built on, and the first bones of the Stenløse bog body were found during a test excavation at the site, Struve said.

The archaeologists will now fully excavate the site in the spring, when the ground has thawed after winter. But the initial excavations have revealed leg bones, a pelvis and part of a lower jaw with some teeth still attached. The other parts of the body lay outside a protective layer of peat in the bog and were not preserved, he noted.

Struve hopes that the sex of the body can be determined based on the pelvis and that wear on the teeth may indicate the individual's age. In addition, the teeth could be sources of ancient DNA, which might reveal even more about the person's identity, he said.

Bog bodies

Struve said the flint ax-head found near the body was not polished after it was made and may have never been used, and so it seems likely that this, too, was a deliberate offering.

The oldest bog body in the world, known as Koelbjerg Man, was found in Denmark in the 1940s and may date to 10,000 years ago, while others date to the Iron Age in the region from about 2,500 years ago. One of the most famous and best preserved bog bodies is Tollund Man, who was found on Denmark's Jutland Peninsula in 1950 and is thought to have been sacrificed in about 400 B.C.

A few of the bog bodies seem to have been accident victims who drowned after they fell in the water, but archaeologists think most were killed deliberately, perhaps as human sacrifices at times of famines or other disasters.

[scansfrommagazinesandbooks]

[xphaiea]

Braided hair found in Danish bogs

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

the urge to get a taupe cat and name it buckwheat is so strong

the urge to get an orange cat and name it cheddar is so strong

[world-of-mummies]

The Tollund Man (also Tollundmann; Danish Tollundmanden) is a bog body discovered by peat cutters on 8 May 1950 in a raised bog in Bjældskovdal, ten kilometres west of Silkeborg, Denmark. He is now on display in the ‘Hovedgården’ museum in Silkeborg.

The Tollund man was lying in a relaxed position on his right side, his legs drawn up to his stomach. With the exception of a sheepskin cap sewn together from eight pieces and a 77 cm long leather belt, he wore no clothing. It is possible that he was originally clothed in textiles made from plant fibres such as flax, hemp or nettles, which were decomposed by the acidic environment of the bog. He was estimated to be around 40 years old. At 161 cm, he was rather short, but probably also shrunk in the bog so that his skin lay in folds. His arms and hands had been damaged during peat cutting, but his feet and one of his fingers were well preserved. The papillary lines and skin line patterns on the soles of the feet were no different from those of modern humans.

The head was particularly well preserved. The facial expression was calm, mouth and eyes closed, and gave the impression of a sleeping person. He appeared well groomed. His hair was cut short and 2 to 3 cm long. The leather cap covering his scalp was fastened with two leather strips under his chin. The neck of the bog body was in a plaited leather sling, which had left clear marks in the skin on the sides and under the chin. The free end of the strap under the corpse was about a metre long and had been cut off at the end. Most of the upper body was still covered in skin. However, the left side of the chest and shoulder in particular were poorly preserved and partially decomposed. The genitals were well preserved, as were the internal organs such as the heart, lungs and liver. The stomach, small intestine and large intestine of the Tollund man still contained the remains of his last meal.

The noose still around his neck suggests that Tollund Man died violently by strangulation, although the doctor who carried out the forensic examination was certain that the man had not been strangled but hanged. The way he was laid in the bog - in a sleeping position with his eyes closed - suggests that he was not killed by enemies. It is likely that it was a human sacrifice, perhaps in gratitude for the peat or in winter as a plea for the coming spring. His death is dated to 405-380 BC.

[ifindus]

I’ve never heard of ScotNor before, is there any historical background for the ship? Just curious, they’re a cute couple!

The historical background is a large part of what makes a ship interesting to me, and ScotNor’s history is definitely of great appeal along with their peoples and culture. I’ve touched upon this topic before, but that was probably years ago now, so we’re due for a bit of a refresher! Thanks for the interest 🙏 I’m sure there’s no history I’ve not included in my time line below, but this a summary of what I’ve gathered so far.

Viking Period (→ 1066).

The earliest contact between the nations Norway and Scotland begins in the Viking Age and it presents itself in different manners. Norway is expanding across the islands in the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic and gain sovereignty over Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides among others. Note that this is almost exclusively Norwegian people – the Danes usually went to England and the Swedes went East. This increased the contact between the two nations, manifesting in settlement, integrating with the locals, and more trade. There were some disagreements and there is still several theories about how violent and early the colonisation of the Scottish islands were, but we find some evidence that their interactions remained mostly peaceful in the certain areas. Norwegian Vikings definitely fought against both Gaels and Picts before they joined forces.

The celtic name Laithlind/Lochlann, is thought to reference Scandinavia – mainly Norway, but might also be the word for the Norwegian areas of Scotland. The word means “land of bog/lakes” and could be related to the Welsh word for Scandinavia; Llychlyn

Norse Period (1066 – 1468).

The Norse Period is the name of a period in Scotland from the end of the Viking Age in the middle of the 11th century to 1468, when the Danish King gives away the last of Norway’s territories on the British Isles to the Scottish King as a dowry. During this period people in the Norwegian occupied areas identifies as Norse and their language evolve from Norse into Norn, which was in some places spoken until the 1800s.

The Battle of Largs was fought between Norway and Scotland in 1263 A battle at both sea and on land with no winner. They fought over the rights to the Western Isles, which the Scottish King had tried to buy since 1240, but had been rejected. The Norwegian King felt threatened and left Norway with a great fleet to negotiate/fight. After failed negotiations and some Norwegian raids a huge storm surprised the fleet and crashed some of the boats and washing them ashore where the crews were attacked by twice as many Scottish forces. The storm hindered any tactical moves as the waves and wind made it impossible to control the ships, but eventually the Norsemen got back on some of the ships and it became a long distance battle, which both sides pulled back from after a while. The Norwegian King died from illness in Orkney later that year and his son negotiated a treaty with the Scottish King where he gave up the islands for money and trading prospects with Scotland.

Margaret Maid of Norway, was the granddaughter of the Scottish King and the daughter of the Norwegian King. Her mother’s marriage to the King of Norway was diplomatic and a move to strengthen the relations between the countries. Her mother dies in childbirth and Margaret Maid of Norway suddenly become heir to the Scottish throne when her grandfather dies, but unfortunately she dies only 7 years old from illness on her way across the sea to claim her throne in 1290.

Originally, Norway was part of the Auld Alliance. With the negotiating skills of a Norwegian diplomat, Norway became part of the Auld Alliance in 1295, a military alliance that lasted until 1560. Norway was a member until 1326. The alliance marked the end to Norwegian expansion in the British Isles and cemented their collaboration. The Auld Alliance said that if one of the parties was attacked by England, the others should help. Norway were to supply Scotland with warships while England and France were at war, but Scotland never paid and Norway never sent any ships as they were still hesitant to make an enemy out of England. It’s seen as a bit of a scam on Norway’s part as they accepted a pre-payment for their help, but the money “disappeared” and Norway would never have been able to provide the amount of ships and warriors they promised.

Then Norway becomes a part of the Kalmar union as a result of the devastating effect the Black Death in 1348 had on the Norwegian Elite, leaving Norway weak and under Danish rule for about 400 years, where the Danish king in 1468 gives away Orkney and Shetland as a pawn for the dowry of his daughter because he did not have the money to pay (this situation was never actually resolved and the isles still could be considered only a pawn).

Norway under Denmark and Scotland under England (1397 – 1814).

Norway entered a union with Denmark and Sweden in 1397 and proceeded to fall further under Denmark’s rule for about 400 years until 1814, while Scotland entered a union of crowns with England in 1603 and then later a personal union in 1707, which still stands. During these periods it is difficult to talk about the interactions of the nations Norway and Scotland as they both fall in the shadow of the more powerful nation running the union, Norwegians often just considered Danes by people from other countries at this time.

The Battle of Kringen in 1612 was a battle between invading Scottish mercenaries hired by the Swedes, and Norwegian farmers. Denmark-Norway was at war with Sweden again and the Swedes had employed help by foreign forces – very common at this time, and Scottish mercenaries were famous. The Scottish forces were to meet up with Swedish forces, and while they traversed the country they robbed and pillaged Norwegian farms. Norwegian farmers organized and staged an ambush on Scots as they passed through steep terrain, trapping them by cutting trees and disrupting them by rolling rocks down the mountainside. They were only armed with spears, axes and scythes, but managed to absolutely devastate the Scottish army. The Norwegian farmers only suffered 6 deaths while the Scots only had 18 out of 300 make it out alive in the end.

The 1800s.

In the 1800s, Norway was become its own country (still in a union with Sweden) and it’s at this time tourism in the country becomes popular in Great Britain, with both Scottish and English Lords travelling to Norway to fish salmon and hunt and experience the nature. In 1886 a Scottish shipping company began to provide Norwegian cruises to look at the fjords along the coast of Norway, maybe one of the first ever boat cruises, which was so popular that they increased the amount of ships the following year. This continued until World War One began.

In 1806 a Norwegian son of a wealthy merchant travelled with one of their trading ships to the Caribbean, but the ship sank by Jamaica. He drifted on the shipwreck for three days before he was rescued by a British ship. The officer who took care of him was son of a wealthy Scottish landowner, and they became enamoured with each other and never left the other’s side after this. They spent the rest of their lives together, travelling between their estates in Norway, their castle in Scotland, and apartments in London, Paris, Rome, and Naples.

Skotthyll is a game that used to be prevalent in my region, and it’s said to be a game invented by Scottish engineers who came to Norway to work on a railroad in the 1860s.

The 1900s.

When Norway became independent from Sweden in 1905, the new king received a letter from the authorities on Shetland stating that “today no ‘foreign’ flag is more familiar or more welcome in our voes and havens than that of Norway, and Shetlanders continue to look upon Norway as their mother-land, and recall with pride and affection the time when their forefathers were under the rule of the Kings of Norway”.

During the First World War, Norway was neutral, but very much involved with the ongoing politics as they wanted to keep trading with both sides, but eventually settled for Great Britain when they decided to commit to buying all the fish Germany normally would have bought. When the Germans began sinking Norwegian ships, it also drove them further onto the side of Great Britain.

During the Second World War Norway was occupied by Germany, and many of those who fled went to Great Britain (as was the case with most of Europe). On Shetland, there was established a Norwegian base of operations where Norwegian sailors and volunteers would carry out missions across the North Sea to Norway. There they would smuggle in weapons and provisions and information to the resistance, as well as helping refugees to escape the country. This was of immense help to Norway during the war. Additionally, a training camp for Norwegians was established in the Scottish highlands, where Norwegians who wanted to fight for their country was stationed and trained for missions by the Allies.

[facewithoutheart]

Thanks to @larkral & @rimeswithpurple for the tags ❤️

I’ve been in a weird space lately and still figuring out my life. It’s a time. Grateful to everyone who keeps tagging me even when I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to engage. Know I’m rooting for all of your projects and lives even when I’m quiet.

Trying to find fun I hopped over to a new fandom where I’m writing a smut fic I can’t believe doesn’t already exist. You mean a character canonically went four weeks without jacking off and no one made a UST fic about it?!?!?! No guarantees on if I actually finish this but here’s what I’ve got to start:

Five weeks. It’s been five weeks since Buck last boxed the one-eyed champ and, despite barely missing the nine o’clock cut-off from his last donation appointment, he’s been doing fine. Just fine, in fact. One might even say great.

Who needs that kind of release when you’re doing something good for a friend? For the world?

Buck feels enlightened. Saintly. In fact, he’s tempted to repeat this as a seasonal cleanse. LA’s real big into cleanses.

“If you wipe that counter any harder you’ll put a hole in it,” Hen stage-whispers as she passes behind Buck to pick up another pastry, “unless that’s the point?” She waggles her eyebrows for emphasis as she bites into a danish.

“Not so—” Buck clears his throat and looks side-to-side. He lowers his voice, “Not so loud, Hen. Come on.”

“What is ‘something I can do but Buck can’t’ for the win, Mr. Jennings.”

Yes I had to google the current host of Jeopardy for this fic. And the Santa Ana winds. And other things.

Me: I’m gonna write a silly little smut to recapture the joy of writing.

Also me: bogs it down in boring things like facts.

Tagging the besties I’ve subjected to my 9-1-1 hyperfixation: @thewholelemon & @raenestee plus the OGs @martsonmars & @sillyunicorn and for shits and giggles @bookish-bogwitch welcome to my new hell I’m neglecting every other fic commitment 🤣 pls support me in my procrastination

[hapalopus]

"Whether there have been big cats [in Denmark] is doubtful, unless they have been brought in from elsewhere, such as the case of 1630 in Vendsyssel, told by N. Slange in King Christian IV's "Historie," tome II, page 695. An imperial colonel had, in the recent wartime, brought back a pair of big cats, made them tame, and used them as his hunters; they were trained to go out and bring their prey back to him. The colonel lived in Sæby. The animals would hunt on their own, and did great damage, but caused even greater fear, since it was a male and a female. Finally the female was found frozen to death in Hammel Bog. The male was met by Junker Jacob Kruse in Dronninglund Forest, who saved his own life by shooting it."

From "Den Danske Atlas" [The Danish Atlas], book 1, page 607. Erik Pontoppidan (1763).

[o-craven-canto]

Words borrowed from other languages in English

Very incomplete list, based mostly on The Languages of the World (3rd ed.), Kenneth Katzner, 2002 + a heavy use of Wiktionary. some notes:

Many of these words have passed through multiple languages on their way to English (e.g. Persian -> Arabic -> Spanish -> French -> English); in that case I usually list them under the first language that used them with the same meaning as English.

I generally don't include words whose ancestors already existed in Middle English, unless their origin was exotic enough to be interesting.

The vast majority of borrowings are terms very specific to their culture of origin; I generally only include those that are either well known among English-speakers, or of general use outside that culture. As always, this is largely subjective.

INDO-EUROPEAN FAMILY (West and South Eurasia)

Hellenic

Greek: angel, chronometer, democracy, encyclopedia, geography, graphic, hieroglyphic, homogeneous, hydraulic, kudos, meter, microphone, microscope, monarchy, philosophy, phobia, photography, telephone, telescope, thermometer, and way too many other scientific or technical terms to count

Germanic

Afrikaans: aardvark, apartheid, fynbos, rooibos, springbok, trek, veld, wildebeest

Danish: Lego, simper

Dutch: brandy, bumpkin, coleslaw, cookie, deck, dock, dollar, freight, furlough, hodgepodge, landscape, maelstrom, noodle, Santa Claus, waffle, walrus, yacht

German: aurochs, bildungsroman, blitzkrieg, cobalt, dachsund, eigenvector, ersatz, gestalt, glockenspiel, hamburger, hinterland, kindergarten, kohlrabi, lager, poodle, quark, sauerkraut, wanderlust, yodel, zeitgeist

Icelandic: eider, geyser

Norwegian: auk, fjord, krill, lemming, narwhal, slalom, troll

Swedish: lek, mink, ombudsman, rutabaga, smorgasbord, tungsten

Yiddish: bupkis, chutzpah, kvetch, putz, schlemiel, schmaltz, schmooze, schtick, spiel, tchotchke

Slavic

Czech: robot

Russian: fedora, glasnost, intelligentsia, kefir, mammoth, pogrom, samizdat, steppe, sputnik, troika, tsar, vodka

Serbo-Croat: cravat, paprika

Celtic [many of these words are shared between the two languages]

Irish: bog, galore, gaol, geas, glen, orrery, shamrock, slob, whiskey

Scottish Gaelic: bard, bunny, cairn, clan, loch, ptarmigan, ?scone, slogan

Italic-Romance

†Latin: way too many, but ignoring the ones that were already naturalized in Middle English: a priori, arcane, algae, alumni, artificial, calculus, cancer, carnivore, cavity, circa, confide, dire, federal, flammable, homicide, interregnum, larva, lemur, magnanimity, manuscript, millipede, nebula, nimbus, nocturnal, octave, optimal, postmortem, senile, supernova, urban, verbatim, and countless medical or legal terms

French: the bulk of French (or rather Norman) borrowings occurred before Middle English, but to stick to my rules: aubergine, bourgeois, buttress, camouflage, capitalism, caramel, chassis, chauvinism, cheque, collage, elite, embassy, ennui, espionage, etiquette, facade, fondue, gouache, guillotine, infantry, lingerie, mauve, mayonnaise, mollusk, Renaissance, reservoir, sabotage, souvenir, turquoise...

Italian: allegro, aria, balcony, bandit, bravo, calamari, casino, cello, chiaroscuro, crescendo, contraband, contrapposto, fresco, gazette, ghetto, gusto, inferno, lagoon, lava, mafia, malaria, pants, quarantine, tempo, umbrella, vendetta, volcano

Portuguese: baroque, brocade, cachalot, cobra, creole, flamingo, petunia, pimento, zebra

Spanish: abalone, armadillo, bolas, bonanza, canyon, cargo, chupacabra, cigar, cilantro, embargo, gaucho, guerrilla, junta, manta, mesa, mosquito, mustang, patio, pueblo, rodeo, siesta, tornado, vanilla

Iranian

Persian: bazaar, caravan, checkmate, chess, crimson, dervish, divan, jackal, jasmine, khaki, kiosk, lemon, lilac, musk, orange, pajama, paradise, satrap, shawl, taffeta

Indo-Aryan

†Sanskrit: brahmin, Buddha, chakra, guru, karma, mantra, opal, swastika, yoga

Bengali: dinghy, jute, nabob

Hindi: bandana, bungalow, cheetah, chintz, chutney, coolie, cot, dungaree, juggernaut, lacquer, loot, rajah, pundit, shampoo, tom-tom, thug, veranda

Marathi: mongoose

Romani: hanky-panky, pal, shiv

Sinhalese: anaconda, beriberi, serendipity, tourmaline

DRAVIDIAN FAMILY (Southern India)

Kannada: bamboo

Malayalam: atoll, calico, copra, jackfruit, mahogany, mango, pagoda, teak

Tamil: curry, mulligatawny, pariah

Telugu: bandicoot

URALIC FAMILY (Northern Eurasia)

Finnic

Finnish: sauna

Saami: tundra

Samoyedic

Nenets: parka

Ugric

Hungarian: biro, coach, goulash, hussar, puszta, tokay

VASCONIC FAMILY (Northern Pirenees)

Basque: chaparral, chimichurri, silhouette

TURKIC FAMILY (Central and Northern Eurasia)

†Old Turkic: cossack, yurt

Tatar: ?stramonium

Turkish: baklava, balaclava, bergamot, caftan, caviar, harem, janissary, kebab, kismet, minaret, pastrami, sherbet, tulip, yoghurt

Yakut: taiga

MONGOLIC FAMILY (Mongolia and surrounding areas)

Mongol: horde, khan, ?valerian

SINO-TIBETAN FAMILY (China and Southeast Asia)

Tibeto-Burman

Burmese: ?marzipan

Tibetan: lama, panda, tulpa, yak, yeti

Sinitic [Chinese languages closely related, not always clear from which a borrowing comes]

Hokkien: ?ketchup, sampan, tea

Mandarin: chi, dazibao, gung-ho, kaolin, oolong, shaolin, shanghai, tao, yin-yang

Min Nan: nunchaku

Yue (Cantonese): chop suey, dim sum, kowtow, kumquat, lychee, shar-pei, ?typhoon, wok

TUNGUSIC FAMILY (Eastern Siberia)

Evenki: pika, shaman

KOREANIC FAMILY (Koreas)

Korean: bulgogi, chaebol, hantavirus, kimchi, mukbang, taekwondo

JAPONIC FAMILY (Japan)

Japanese: banzai, bonsai, dojo, emoji, geisha, ginkgo, hikikomori, honcho, ikebana, kamikaze, karaoke, koi, kudzu, manga, origami, pachinko, rickshaw, sake, samurai, sensei, soy, sushi, tofu, tsunami, tycoon, zen

KRA-DAI FAMILY (mainland Southeast Asia)

Thai: bong, pad thai

AUSTROASIATIC FAMILY (mainland Southeast Asia)

Vietnamese: pho, saola, Vietcong

AUSTRONESIAN FAMILY (maritime Southeast Asia and Oceania)

Western Malayan

Javanese: ?junk [ship]

Malay: amok, camphor, cockatoo, compound [building], cootie, durian, kapok, orangutan, paddy, pangolin, rattan, sarong

Barito

Malagasy: raffia

Phlippinic

Cebuano: dugong

Ilocano: yo-yo

Tagalog: boondocks

Oceanic

Hawai'ian: aloha, hula, luau, poi, wiki

Maori: kauri, kiwi, mana, weta

Marshallese: bikini

Tahitian: pareo, tattoo

Tongan: taboo

TRANS-NEW GUINEAN FAMILY (New Guinea)

Fore: kuru

PAMA-NYUNGAN FAMILY (Australia)

Dharug: boomerang, corroboree, dingo, koala, wallaby, wobbegong, wombat, woomera

Guugu Yimithirr: kangaroo, quoll

Nyungar: dunnart, gidgee, quokka

Pitjantjatjara: Uluru

Wathaurong: bunyip

Wiradjuri: kookaburra

Yagara: dilly bag

AFRO-ASIATIC FAMILY (North Africa and Near East)

Coptic: adobe

Berber

Tachelhit: argan

Semitic

†Punic: Africa

Arabic: albatross, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alfalfa, algebra, alkali, amber, arsenal, artichoke, assassin, candy, coffee, cotton, elixir, gazebo, gazelle, ghoul, giraffe, hashish, harem, magazine, mattress, monsoon, sofa, sugar, sultan, syrup, tabby, tariff, zenith, zero

Hebrew: amen, behemoth, cabal, cherub, hallelujah, kibbutz, kosher, manna, myrrh, rabbi, sabbath, Satan, seraph, shibboleth

NIGER-CONGO FAMILY (Subsaharan Africa)

unknown: cola, gorilla, tango

Senegambian

Wolof: banana, fonio, ?hip, ?jigger [parasite], karite, ?jive, yam

Gur-Adamawa

Ngbandi: Ebola

Kwa

Ewe: voodoo

Volta-Niger

Igbo: okra

Yoruba: gelee [headgear], mambo, oba, orisha

Cross River

Ibibio: calypso

Bantu

Lingala: basenji

Kikongo: ?chimpanzee, ?macaque, ?zombie

Kimbundu: ?banjo, Candomblé, gumbo, macumba, tanga

Swahili: askari, Jenga, kwanzaa, safari

Xhosa: Ubuntu

Zulu: impala, mamba, vuvuzela

KHOE-KWADI FAMILY (Southwest Africa)

Khoekhoe (Hottentot): gnu, kudu, quagga

ESKIMO-ALEUT FAMILY (Arctic America)

Greenlandic Inuit: igloo, kayak

Inuktikut: nunatak

ALGIC FAMILY (Eastern Canada and northeast USA)

†Proto-Algonquin: moccasin, opossum, skunk

Cree: muskeg, pemmican

Mikmaq: caribou, toboggan

Montagnais: husky

Narragansett: ?moose, ?powwow, sachem

Ojibwe: chipmunk, totem, wendigo, woodchuck

Powhatan: persimmon, raccoon

SALISHAN FAMILY (Pacific coast at the USA-Canada border)

Chehalis: chinook

Halkomelem: sasquatch

Lushootseed: geoduck

IROQUOIAN FAMILY (Eastern North America)

Cherokee: sequoia

SIOUAN FAMILY (Central USA)

Lakota: teepee

MUSKOGEAN FAMILY (Southeast USA)

Choctaw: bayou

UTO-AZTECAN FAMILY (Southwest USA and north Mexico)

Nahuatl: atlatl, avocado, chili, cocoa, coyote, chocolate, guacamole, hoazin, mesquite, ocelot, quetzal, tamale, tegu, tomato

O'odham (Pima): jojoba

Shoshone: chuckwalla

Yaqui: ?saguaro

MAYAN FAMILY (Southern Mexico and Guatemala)

Yucatec Maya: cenote, Chicxulub

ARAWAKAN FAMILY (Caribbeans and South America)

†Taino: barbecue, cannibal, canoe, cassava, cay, guava, hammock, hurricane, iguana, maize, manatee, mangrove, maroon, potato, savanna, tobacco

Arawak: papaya

CARIBAN FAMILY (Caribbean coast of South America)

unknown: curare

Galibi Carib: caiman, chigger, pawpaw, peccary, yucca

QUECHUAN FAMILY (Andes)

Quechua: ?Andes, caoutchouc, coca, condor, guano, jerky, llama, mate, poncho, puma, quinine, vicuna

AYMARAN FAMILY (Andes)

Aymara: alpaca, chinchilla

TUPIAN FAMILY (Brazil)

[borrowings are often shared between these two languages]

†Old Tupi: ananas, arowana, Cayenne [pepper], jaguar, manioc, piranha, tapioca

Guarani: cougar, maracuja, Paraguay, petunia, toucan

CREOLE LANGUAGES (worldwide, mixed origin)

English-derived

Chinese Pidgin English: chopstick, long time no see, pidgin, taipan

Jamaican Creole: dreadlocks, reggae

Chinook-derived

Chinook Jargon: potlatch

EDIT 08-01-24: added lots more examples, especially African, Asian, and North American languages. Still not done. EDIT 17-01-24: finished adding examples, more or less. EDIT: 18-02-24: apparently not (cheetah). EDIT: 20-05-24: nope (mosquito); 30-06-24: jerky, mukbang, cello, glockenspiel, hodgepodge; 06-06-25: marzipan, lagoon, contraband, artichoke EDIT 02-11-24: finally expanded the French and Latin points. Also, added kudos, camphor, moose, and the Thai and Vietnamese sections.

[luminarai]

hello! Im visiting Copenhagen in January and was wondering if you have any recommendations of things to do or like cafes/stores/etc to visit?

Hi nonnie! So sorry for the delayed answer, I was down with the flu/plague/?? most of december so I've only just gotten back to my inbox.

I've tried to make a compilation of the recommendations for places to see, eat, and shop that aren't just the usual touristy stuff. I hope you enjoy your trip and the weather won't be too Copenhagen-in-January!

Where to eat (especially bakeries)

Sct. Peders Bageri – The oldest bakery in Denmark! They have a wonderful selection of traditional Danish baked goods but their seasonal varieties are also incredible.

BUKA – They have a few bakeries in town now and some of the best croissants and pastries.

Cakery Copenhagen – The best eclairs in town, hands down. Always a bunch of fun seasonal varieties and mini versions.

Bertels Salon – They do cheesecakes. And they’re amazing. They have 10+ fresh varieties every day (!) and turned me into a cheesecake lover.

La Glace – They do traditional Danish layer cakes and fancy patisseries as well as hot chocolate ad libitum. Very atmospheric and historic. A bit more expensive all in all but not insanely so.

Torvehallerne – Two large greenhouses full of delicious food and other food/drink related stores. Coffee Collective for coffee, Rørt for Danish smørrebrød, Granny’s House for pastries and Ma Poule for their famous duck sandwich.

Broens Gadekøkken – A small street food market right by the bridge across from Nyhavn. Depending on when you’re here, there’s also an ice skating rink set up during winter.

Mahalle - Lebanese fusion kitchen at affordable prices. You might want to book a table just in case.

Jagger - Burgers! Not the most hyggelige surroundings (a bit too industrial chic) but you can't argue with the food. Highly recommend the milkshakes!

What to see

Glyptoteket – Absolutely gorgeous museum. Free entrance on the last Wednesday of the month.

Thorvaldsens Museum – Also stunning, focused on statues. Free entrance all Wednesdays.

Nationalmuseet – Bog bodies! Their seasonal exhibitions are usually very good.

David’s samling – Smaller museum with free entrance. Classical European and Islamic art.

Kronborg – AKA Hamlet’s castle. Technically outside Copenhagen but you can easily take the train the whole way. I highly recommend doing one of the daily guided tours (no additional cost to the entrance fee).

Rundetårn – A fun look into the old astrology tower with a lovely view of the city. The majority of the inside is one big ramp with some narrow stairs at the end so keep that in mind if you have trouble walking.

Assistentens Kirkegård digital guided tour – If the weather is with you, you can go for a digitally guided tour in the old graveyard, located in a park in the middle of the city. Here’s a link for the app.

Other nice parks in case it's not raining the whole time (Danes love going for a walk, what can I say) include the Botanical Garden, Frederiksberg Have (where you can peek into the elephant enclosure in the zoo) and Kongens Have.

To shop

Vintage shopping: There’s a bunch of good quality vintage stores on Studiestræde and Larsbjørnsensstræde. Also worth a mention is Audrey Vintage on Hyskenstræde, run by a woman who handpicks all the items from all around Europe.

Strøget is the place for high street shopping but I definitely recommend having a look around the inner city’s side streets and down Frederiksborggade (check out the home goods store Maduro here) over the lakes to Nørrebro where you’ll also find some more offbeat stores and great bars and restaurants.

The largest bookstore is Arnold Busck on Købmagergade for books in both Danish and English. Fiolstræde close by has the independent book café Brøg that I highly recommend both for books and for a quick cake + coffee. On Fiolstræde you’ll also find some used bookstores with a variety of options and other smaller shops and cafés.

[blueiscoool]

The 'Carnyx' Nightmare of the Roman Soldiers

The Carnyx was a brass musical instrument used as a psychological weapon of war by the ancient Celts between 300 BC and 200AD in western and central Europe and beyond.

The carnyx was once widespread throughout much of Europe, although only a dozen or so fragments are known to us.

It was carried by bands of Celtic mercenaries; it was present at the attack on the Greek sanctuary at Delphi in 279 BC; it defied Julius Caesar in Gaul; and it faced Claudius when he invaded Britain. They are even shown on a Buddhist sculpture in India, proof of the far-flung connections of the Iron Age world.

However, they were not only used by the Celts; they were also used by the Dacians in modern Romania. The term “Celtic” is a complicated one. The concept of a pan-European Celtic culture is a myth; rather, aspects of art and technology were shared across vast distances by diverse cultures. The carnyx was one example of this.

A 12-foot-long, thin bronze tube with right-angle bends on both ends made up the carnyx. The lower end ended in a mouthpiece, and the upper end flared out into a bell that was usually decorated to look like a wild boar’s had. Historians believe it had a tongue that flapped up and down, increasing the noise made by the instrument. The carnyx was played upright so that the boar’s head bell protruded well above the warriors’ heads. Its primary goal was to create more noise and confusion on the battlefield.

The Greek historian Polybius (206-126BC) was so impressed by the clamor of the Gallic army and the sound of the carnyx, he observed that “there were countless trumpeters and horn blowers and since the whole army was shouting its war cries at the same time there was such a confused sound that the noise seemed to come not only from the trumpeters and the soldiers but also from the countryside which was joining in the echo”.

And the Roman historian Diodorus Siculus wrote, “Their trumpets are also of a peculiar and barbaric kind which produce a harsh, reverberating sound suitable to the confusion of battle.”

Archaeologists discovered a hoard of ritually destroyed weapons in 2004, including a dozen swords, scabbards, spearheads, a shield, bronze helmets, an iron helmet shaped like a swan, a cauldron, animal remains, and seven carnyces. Before the Tintignac discovery, the remains of only five actual carnyces had been found.

The finest was unearthed in Deskford, Scotland in 1816. The Deskford carnyx only has the boar’s head bell and is missing the mane, tongue, and tubing. Images of Carnyx players have been found as well. A Roman denarius, dating from 48 BC bears a representation of a Carnyx. Three carnyx players are featured prominently on the Gundestrup Cauldron, which was found in a Danish peat bog.

One of the seven found at Tintignac, on the other hand, was almost entirely complete. The Tintignac Carnyx was broken into 40 pieces. When puzzled back together, it was found to be just an inch short of six feet long with a single missing section of the tube. The bell was a boar’s head with protruding tusks and large pointed ears. Once restored, the Tintignac Carnyx proved to be the first virtually complete carnyx ever found.

By Leman Altuntaş.

Music video by John Kenny.

[grimmborg-in-the-bog]

was about to ask for advice in constructing the tollund man hat, but then i found this

thank u museum of silkeborg i love you <3

[scorchieart]

Characters: Gilbert von Obsidian x F!Reader

POV: 1st person Genre: Slice of Life

Prompt #4: “I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be lying.”

Wordcount: 999

A/N: I did it, you guys! Thank you Mary Ellen for the request and the vote of confidence, and pretty much laying the groundwork for this entire fic, it could not have been done without you. And thank you to everyone else who believed I could write Gilbert, this one goes out to you all!

I missed the little rabbit the moment I sent her away. Each day in her absence was like blindly wading through the thickest bog, pushing and pulling with no end in sight, as though the sun had forgotten to dawn. I missed the way she happily hopped into my sights like a footloose bunny, spun poetry from the even most mundane of topics like a morning dove, and warmed my skin as heartily as a babe seeking her mother’s embrace. 

All these things and more I wanted to convey upon her return, to tell her of the heartache that flowed through my veins as organically as my own blood, both sustaining and rotting me from the inside out, but one look at her glittering smile dissolved those woes quicker than any antidote, and we were back to our daily routine.

My little bunny and I, side-by-side. Nothing in between.

“Won’t you at least try one of Prince Yves’s danishes? He prepared four entire batches before agreeing to let me bring some back for you.”

Her words were sincere and earnest, and I could tell she truly had my best interest at heart as she carefully arranged three pastel pastries from a rose-draped basket onto a plate. A gentle breeze whistled through the gazebo where we sat, and though our shoulders were flush against each other, the sweets she carried seemed to separate us once again, like a border between winter and spring.

“I’d much rather have one of your famous double-chocolate dipped cookies instead,” I said, lightly pushing the plate back onto the table with the hilt of my cane. “Or a dozen.”

She frowned and picked the plate up again. “But I can make those for you any day. These were prepared only just this morning, and I went through a great deal making sure they stayed level on the journey. The meringue in the batter will deflate if we wait any longer.”

“And that is precisely what I want,” I said. Though we have known each other for quite some time now, I still wondered whether she could pick up on all my cues. Visual ones she mastered instantly, as did most who met me, like when I tap my cane on the ground to grab attention or tilt my head to emphasize a point. But she still needed to work on subtext, because while I meant my comment to be endearing and praiseworthy of her talents, she responded by turning the other cheek and letting out a snide “Humph!”

I truly enjoyed this playful side of her. It assured me that what I believed in was shared by another soul; that one was never too old to cling to childish habits. But what I wanted more than anything now was a return to our normal relationship, back to when the sun dawned brightly on my days like I heard it does in Rhodolite.

“Have I gone and upset my little rabbit? This simply will not do, especially in the midst of my terrain,” I said, a playful rumble gurgling in my belly as I pronounced each word. “Of course, the ill-manners of a beast left alone to prowl in his big empty castle are expected upon the first meeting of his beloved bunny after ages of crippling solitude, yes?”

She turned to face me, and in an instant I knew she had fallen yet again for my renowned duplicity, innocent as I was today.

“It wasn’t exactly ages,” she began, her face clouding with guilt. “But… I guess I have been gone longer than usual this time. I thought bringing the sweets would cheer you up, but is there any other way I could make it up to you? Besides the cookies, I mean.” She added, and the rumble in my belly released in a low chuckle.

“I have several ideas,” I said, the childlike sensation surging inside me. I raised my hand between us, palm facing upward. A few moments passed as she stared blankly at it before she caved.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” she asked, poking my hand with her forefinger.

“Well, that’s your mission now, isn’t it?” I said, stretching my cheeks in a wide grin. “There are many answers to this riddle, but only picking the best will absolve you of your misdeed.”

“And if I don’t pick the best answer?” she said.

I tilted my head and her eyes went wide. Yes, I do believe she has my visual cues down pat.

“You’re just bluffing, aren’t you?” she stammered. “Come on, it’s not like me staying away for that long was so bad. It’s not that big of a deal, right? Right?”

“Hmm. I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be lying,” I said. Of course, I was only playing this up for my own amusement, but seeing her urgently wanting to keep in my good favor gave a certain rebelliousness I could only find enjoyment with in her, my little bunny. I lightly shook my hand. “Tick tock.”

She lowered the plate and frantically looked around the gazebo, eyes darting to the table and the exit and our seat and the flora surrounding us. It was a little difficult concealing my excitement; she wouldn’t find what she was looking for around us. I could have sprung up this game in the middle of a wasteland and it would make no difference. 

Her eyes finally shut in concentration, and I took in the subtle beauty of her musings. It was like looking through a mirror of my time when she was away. Lost in thought, with no lifeline to cling to.

But in an instant, her eyes shot open and she beamed. Before I could react, she seized my upturned hand in both of hers and lunged at me, burying her face in my chest, my once-nippy fingers held captive in the compressed space between us. Touching. Nothing in between.

“Did I get it right?”

At least I can say I was able to write him before canon complicity shunted him from my grasp for the next year.

Tagging: @atelieredux @queengiuliettafirstlady @violettduchess @venulus @thewitchofbooks @leonscape @rhodolitesrose @venti-tangents @dear-sciaphilia @ikesenwritings @myonlyjknight @gilbertvonobsidian

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[signerjarts]

3rd day of #Inktawber : Familiar Folklore!

My take on danish phenomenon: The Bog Hag