Perkele Explained

Finnish: Perkele (in Finnish pronounced as /ˈperkele/) is a Finnish word meaning 'evil spirit' and a popular Finnish profanity, used similarly to the English phrase god damn,[1] although it is considered much more profane. It is most likely the most internationally known Finnish curse word.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Etymology

The name is of Indo-European origin; Perkwunos is the reconstructed name of the god of thunder.

Some researchers consider Finnish: Perkele to be an original name of the thunder god Ukko, the chief god of the Finnish pagan pantheon,[6] but this view is not shared by all researchers.[7] There are related words in other Finnic languages: in Estonian, Estonian: põrgu means hell, in Karelian Karelian: perkeleh means an evil spirit.[8] [9]

Influence of Christianity

As Finland was Christianized, the ancient pre-Christian deities came to be regarded as demons. This led to the use of "Finnish: Perkele" as a translation for "Devil" in the Finnish translation of the Bible. Later, in other translations, the word was rendered as Finnish: paholainen (the evil one).[10]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kielitoimiston sanakirja . Dictionary of the Language Office . fi . Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus . 2006 . 952-5446-20-4.
  2. Web site: How Finns Swear and What This Tells Us About Their Culture.
  3. Web site: Finnish swearwords – a list of profanities you shouldn't know . 4 March 2015.
  4. Book: Advances in Swearing Research: New languages and new contexts . John Benjamins Publishing Company . 2017 . 978-9027256874.
  5. Book: Handbook of Finnish . E-painos . 2015 . B015AM7Q90.
  6. Book: Siikala, Anna-Leena . Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia . fi . Mythology of the Baltic Finns . SKS . 2013 . Helsinki.
  7. Book: Salo, Unto . Agricola's Ukko in the light of archeology. A chronological and interpretative study of ancient Finnish religion: Old Norse and Finnish religions and cultic place-names. . 1990 . Turku . 951-649-695-4.
  8. Web site: Miten suomalaiset kiroilivat ennen kristinuskoa? . fi . How did Finns curse before Christianity? . 2015-12-25.
  9. Book: Suomen kielen etymologinen sanakirja. 3. . fi . Etymological dictionary of the Finnish language. 3. . Suomalais-ugrilainen seura . 1976 . Helsinki . 951-9019-16-2.
  10. Web site: Paholainen .

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