Iceland is the one that sparkles

May 21, 2012 6:18 PM

Scandanavia And The World: A web comic of outrageous national stereotypes bluntly portrayed by cute little cartoon bobbleheads, that will nonetheless help outsiders learn to differentiate among the Nordic countries. With explanatory text.
posted by Diablevert (48 comments total)

I have zero expertise, but I'm charmed by this already. It's like Hetalia with knowledge, and without the creepy WWII yaoi.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:27 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

It seems weird that a prerequisite to learning to distinguish Nordic countries is being already familiar with their flags. I wish they wore nametags, too.
posted by gilrain at 6:29 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Wow. This hasn't been on the blue? I'm glad it is now!
posted by bswinburn at 6:34 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Dakotas totally, completely count as part of Scandinavia.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:38 PM on May 21, 2012 [14 favorites]

Perkele!
posted by cmyk at 6:44 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

And it’s legal to have sex with animals in Denmark (and Norway), so we get sex-tourists from our surrounding countries, looking for some animalistic loving.

This raises so many questions in my tiny, whirring brainicle.
Does it require consent of both parties?
Are there animal-sex-tourist hostels in the idyllic Danish countryside full of bovinophiliac Britons?
Is this against international law?
Does it leave you with a despondent, bereft emotional state the next day when you wake up beside an underage ungulate?
posted by Alonzo T. Calm at 6:45 PM on May 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

I liked the portrayal of Finland. Also the Eurovision ones. Hu?
posted by Existential Dread at 6:48 PM on May 21, 2012

I thought I'd seen the link before, and it was a comment in an FPP about the Norwegian butter shortage.
posted by needled at 6:50 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

There's a comic that covers the flags of the three central characters, and then there's the Norwegian/American Friendship Flag.
posted by frimble at 6:54 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

I love that skål is the simple word for cheers in Scandinavian languages.

You know, most words for cheers are roughly either health, to you, happiness, or similar. Slainte, saúde, etc. are all health etymologically, if not currently. Na zdraví, etc. is also health. Prost is "to you". etc.

Skål otoh means bowl or drinking vessel. Sounds serious, no? In fact, it's root is skalle, which means skull. So they claim it means "To drink from the skulls of our enemies!"
posted by jeffburdges at 6:57 PM on May 21, 2012 [11 favorites]

Tons more of his comics on this page
posted by flif at 7:13 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

The one thing I don't quite understand about Scandinavia is why they can't seem to grasp the superior practicality of a sandwich with two pieces of bread.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:15 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

And, now actually reading the comics, the USA does completely count... and the dark skin-tone is actually a pretty clever thing to do.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:19 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Just fyi, the Germans hold their own with the longer cheers for "zur mitte zur titte zum sack zack zack".
posted by jeffburdges at 7:27 PM on May 21, 2012

Humon's Mating Rituals of Animals series is just as fun. The first book is already available for pre-order, and work has already begun on material for a second volume.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:35 PM on May 21, 2012

The artist is a woman. And having followed this comic for some time I might also point out that a number of them are NSFW. And also that I love Finland.
posted by Gator at 7:52 PM on May 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

The Sami character needs to show up more often.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:00 PM on May 21, 2012

Åland represents.
posted by banal evil at 8:01 PM on May 21, 2012

I saw the one about fish completely out of context a long time ago and giggled. Now I know where it's from.

Thanks for posting this! Time for an Archive Binge!
posted by spitefulcrow at 8:06 PM on May 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Skål otoh means bowl or drinking vessel. Sounds serious, no? In fact, it's root is skalle, which means skull. So they claim it means "To drink from the skulls of our enemies!"
posted by jeffburdges at 3:57 PM on May 21 [7 favorites +] [!]

Weirdly 'scull' is a slang word for 'drink' in New Zealand. As in 'he sculled two riggers then did a pelican'

But I think that's via England and the 'boat race' name for drinking contests.

NB do not attempt to discover what a pelican is. Do not.
posted by Sebmojo at 8:38 PM on May 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

NB do not attempt to discover what a pelican is. Do not.

Well NOW I can't NOT look it up.

…

oh god urbandictionary I don'teven know which one it is that was meant but oh god I just oh god
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:59 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I might also point out that a number of them are NSFW.

Her penchant for international slashfic (interslash?) is kind of adorable.
posted by psoas at 9:06 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yeah, the comment above about it being like Hetalia without the yaoi seems ... misinformed.
posted by radwolf76 at 9:12 PM on May 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

I think I just... I think I just consumed all of that. All at once.

Aaaaand the liquor store closes early on Vic day. Great. Awesome. And here I just wanted to re-read through those after a few.
posted by Slackermagee at 9:58 PM on May 21, 2012

The webcomic is hilarious. Definitely going to check it weekly from now on.

And I wouldn't ever have figured out such a boring word as pelican could be loaded with so many different astoundingly filthy meanings. Yikes.
posted by Iosephus at 10:04 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

So, uh, I'm definitely going to look at this when I get home, but if you could, for just a sec, imagine what went through my mind at my desk in the junior high office when the new tab I opened says "Porn for Everybody." A little NSFW might go a long way. Also, I'm hoping not to see the vice principal show up for a little chat in the next few minutes.
posted by Ghidorah at 10:05 PM on May 21, 2012

I'm somehow amazed that this hasn't made it here yet. It is basically the best thing. Half 'Here's how nations see eachother and see politics', and half strange and wondrous things.
posted by CrystalDave at 10:22 PM on May 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh, this one is just fantastic: Awesome hats.
posted by hanoixan at 10:34 PM on May 21, 2012

I ran across this, like, years ago and totally did an archive binge (awesome term, btw). I'll have to go through and look at the new ones that have been added since then.
posted by delmoi at 11:17 PM on May 21, 2012

Sister America
posted by delmoi at 11:27 PM on May 21, 2012

Stephen Fry cameo (from her gallery)
posted by sebastienbailard at 2:37 AM on May 22, 2012

And here's sister Sweden.
posted by dabitch at 2:41 AM on May 22, 2012

Also, I'm hoping not to see the vice principal show up for a little chat in the next few minutes.

What, he's going to come and claim his porn in person?
posted by Dr Dracator at 2:42 AM on May 22, 2012

Alonzo T. Calm: "Does it require consent of both parties?"

No, but it's not legal if it's harmful to the animal (due to animal protection laws). From time to time there's a bit of hubbub about the legality of animal sex in Denmark, but I've never heard anyone explain why it should be illegal if the animal is not harmed.
posted by brokkr at 2:53 AM on May 22, 2012

I went to the Scandinavia last month. It was charming enough that I thought having to pay £24 for two pre-packed sarnies and two machine coffees at a Danish airport was funny, when it just would have upset me on several levels back home. Finland and Sweden have a tradition where children dress up the week before Easter (I think it was Palm Sunday in Finland and Good Friday in Sweden?) as strange gypsies and go from house to house to collect eggs. It made me want to be a Finnish child.

I have heard that other Nordic countries see Sweden pretty much how non-Londoners see London in the UK - as slick, arrogant and showy. Is this the case?
posted by mippy at 3:51 AM on May 22, 2012

Also, I'm hoping not to see the vice principal show up for a little chat in the next few minutes.

What, he's going to come and claim his porn in person?

You laugh, but: in the earlier days of the web, it was too easy to search something on Yahoo and end up clicking a link to something very unsavoury. At college one day, I was searching for something on women and the media for my A-level coursework and accidentally clicked onto a porn site, which I shut down instantly (aside from anything else, I was sixteen and porn - at least, mainstream porn which was all I knew existed - freaked me out).

Next thing I knew, I was called into the college priest's office. 'Well, I was all ready to discipline you, but then I realised you were a girl so I presumed that your login had been compromised. Have you shared it with anyone?' Quaking in my stripey tights, thoughts of expulsion running through my head, I had never been so glad of the Catholic church's disbelief in female sexuality.

Hopefully the VP is a Catholic priest. It's worth a shot.
posted by mippy at 3:54 AM on May 22, 2012 [3 favorites]

mippy: "I have heard that other Nordic countries see Sweden pretty much how non-Londoners see London in the UK - as slick, arrogant and showy. Is this the case?"

No. I can recommend reading the comic in this post to learn more about intra-Nordic stereotypes :)
posted by brokkr at 5:45 AM on May 22, 2012

I didn't know about the bestiality, but I do know that in the Norwegian Gulaþing laws from (I think) the 9th century, there was a specific law forbidding people from drilling holes in trees and, well, having sex with them. A professor of mine in medieval literature used to bring this factoid up in every course he tought. Good times.
posted by Zero Gravitas at 6:00 AM on May 22, 2012 [2 favorites]

brokkr - I will be having a good read when I get chance :) I enjoyed Finland enough to almost consider learning Finnish (it's very very hard).
posted by mippy at 6:39 AM on May 22, 2012

Sorry about that, Giddorah --- I should have probably put in an NSFW. I suppose I was too focused on the cute little cartoons aspect and not on the "discussion Of porn and boobs" aspect.
posted by Diablevert at 6:43 AM on May 22, 2012

I love the "Sorry for Ads" guy up in the corner!

I knew it wasn't true, but I always pictured the Sweden being full of death metal bands, Norway being full of black metal bands, and Finland, prog metal. Never mind that every picture of Scandinavia I've seen has gentle-looking people in sweaters in them.

Sweden Denmark and Norway never hates each other more than when we play football.

And this makes me think of Toki and Skwisgaar's constant and awesome mispluralizations. Which, of course, I bet is also not a genuine reflection since people from Scandinavia all seems to speaks the perfect English.
posted by ignignokt at 7:01 AM on May 22, 2012

I'm reminded of this, oddly enough.
posted by charred husk at 9:25 AM on May 22, 2012

this is fantastic. thanks.
posted by moss free at 11:46 AM on May 22, 2012

I've spent most of my (otherwise dreadful) morning laughing out loud at these comics, so yes, thanks. one quarter norwegian swede with a half-danish child reporting for her stereotype giggles.
posted by dabitch at 12:06 PM on May 22, 2012

I have heard that other Nordic countries see Sweden pretty much how non-Londoners see London in the UK - as slick, arrogant and showy. Is this the case?

Norwegian Lotto ad, "Partysvenske". Three Norwegians discover that their old hangout has been taken over by hard-partying Swedes...
posted by iviken at 3:12 PM on May 22, 2012

I googled Partysvenke, found no ad but did find this amusing rap video.
posted by Diablevert at 3:34 PM on May 22, 2012

There's no reason this should be as good as it is.

Seriously, how is this so awesome?!
posted by lekvar at 4:05 PM on May 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

I knew it wasn't true, but I always pictured the Sweden being full of death metal bands, Norway being full of black metal bands, and Finland, prog metal. Never mind that every picture of Scandinavia I've seen has gentle-looking people in sweaters in them.

I'm not a metal fan, so my mental picture of Scandinavia has always been of very satisfied looking Vikings coming back to a longboat, their arms full of loat, a burning monastery in the background.

Except for Norway. My new mental picture of Norway is just trees. A see of trees. Each one with a hole drilled in it.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:34 PM on May 22, 2012