LL-L "Traditions" 2009.08.11 (01) [EN]

Tue Aug 11 16:37:43 UTC 2009

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L O W L A N D S - L - 11 August 2009 - Volume 01
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From: Heiko Evermann <heiko.evermann at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Tradition" 2009.08.10 (07) [EN]

Hi Sandy,

> In Scotland the Sandman was someone who came at night and sprinkled sand
in
> your eyes to make you sleep. This sand was still there when you woke up,
of
> course.
>
> I was very surprised when I moved to Wales and discovered that nobody I
> mentioned it to there had heard of this.
It is well-known in Germany. We even have it on TV almost every day:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandm%C3%A4nnchen
 "Unser SandmÃ¤nnchen, Das SandmÃ¤nnchen, AbendgruÃŸ, Sandmann,
SandmÃ¤nnchen (Little Sandman) is a German children's bedtime
television programme using stop motion animation. The puppet was based
on a character by Hans Christian Andersen."

Heiko

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From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
 Subject: LL-L "Tradition" 2009.08.10 (05) [EN]

In reply to sandy's comments
about popularity of the sandman in scotland vs wales

i am assuming this is yet another case where US (or at least my
parents' part of it) shows STRONG scots influence

the highlands games here are in fact held here in North Carolina I
believe ... though I have never been around when they take place ....

mike || U C > || Ð¼Ð¸ÐºÐ°  || à¤®à¤¾à¤ˆà¤• || ãƒžã‚¤ã‚¯ || áˆšáŠ«áŠ¤áˆ
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
          (( Michael W Morgan, PhD ))
    to be Assistant Professor in Linguistics
Ethiopian Sign Language & Deaf Studies Program
      Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yo afaan wali galle malee, diina keenya il en manque.

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Traditions

Mike, folks,

I don't know how firmly the Sandman figure is anchored in Scottish culture.
But in the case of the USA you can rarely be sure about the ethnic origin of
a tradition. The Sandman tradition is very strong in German tradition, was
featured particularly strongly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and
German immigration rivals that of Scottish immigration I believe.

By the way, highland game traditions are found in several places in the US.
Here in Washington State alone we have at least four of them: Enumclaw (
http://www.sshga.org/home.htm), Tacoma (http://www.tacomagames.org/),
Bellingham (http://www.bhga.org/), and Mount Vernon (
http://tinyurl.com/mwhjr8), and they aren't exactly small affairs. I agree
that there are all indications that Scottish influences in the USA are
strong, and I believe that most of them are not generally recognized. I
found them to be much stronger in Australia, or at least more recognizable.

I find it interesting that Sandy found there to be a lack of knowledge about
the Sandman tradition in Wales. Had he not told us this I would have
suspected that the Sandman tradition, though apparently it evolved much
earlier, was spread throughout Northern Europe during the Romantic Movement
of the 19th century when international communication had vastly improved and
literary works came to be translated on a larger scale than ever before.

I am pretty sure that H. C. Andersen did not pluck his character Ole LukÃ¸je
(originally spelled Ole LukÃ¸ie)* out of thin air, and the alternative name
Jo(h)n Blund (*blund* 'wink (of sleep)') in Swedish and Norwegian (aside
from Ole LukkÃ¸ye in Norway) seems to be indication of this. What if such a
character already existed in medieval Scandinavian folklore and was imported
to Scotland?

* Danish original:
http://www2.kb.dk/elib/lit//dan/andersen/eventyr.dsl/hcaev016.htm
   English translation:
http://www.portitude.org/literature/andersen/ft-ole_lukoie.php

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

P.S.: This is a German song I was sung to sleep by when I was little:

*Die BlÃ¼melein sie schlafen*

Worte: Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio (1803-1869)
Weise: mÃ¼ndlich Ã¼berliefert

   1. Die BlÃ¼melein sie schlafen schon lÃ¤ngst im Mondenschein.
   Sie nicken mit dem KÃ¶pfen auf ihren StÃ¤ngelein.
   Es rÃ¼ttelt sich der BlÃ¼tenbaum, er sÃ¤uselt wie im Traum:
   Schlafe, schlafe du, mein Kindlein schlafe ein

   2. Die VÃ¶glein sie sangen so sÃ¼ÃŸ im Sonnenschein.
   Sie sind zur RuhÂ´gegangen in ihre Nestlein klein.
   Das Heimchen in dem Ã„hrengrund, es tut allein sich kund:
   Schlafe, schlafe du, mein Kindlein schlafe ein.

   3. *SandmÃ¤nnchen *kommt geschlichen und guckt durchs Fensterlein.
   Ob irgend noch ein Liebchen nicht mag zu Bette sein.
   Und wo es nur ein Kindchen fand streut es ins AugÂ´ ihm Sand.
   Schlafe, schlafe du, mein Kindlein schlafe ein.

   4. *SandmÃ¤nnchen *aus dem Zimmer, es schlÃ¤ft mein Herzchen fein,
   es ist gar fest verschlossen schon sein Guckauge klein.
   Es leuchtet morgen mir Willkomm das Ã„ugelein so fromm!
   Schlafe, schlafe, schlaf du, mein Kindelein.

Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YocrwbobWVU

•

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