Perkele (swear word)
Perkele ( [ 'perkele ] ) is a frequently used Finnish swear word and is used in situations in which one is angry or upset, similar to the vulgar expression " shit " in the German language. Literally translated, Perkele means “devil” or “demon”.
Word origin and history
The word Perkele comes from the Indo-European language family and is the name of a thunder god called Perkwunos. According to other sources, Perkele is derived from Ukko , the high god in Finnish mythology and the highest god in the Kalevala . A distant similarity can also be seen in the Estonian word põrgu , which means "hell", while perkeleh means "evil spirit" in Karelian . Both Estonian and Karelian belong, along with Finnish, to the Urals language family.
When Finland was Christianized , the Catholic Church began to demonize the Pagan gods of the Finnish people or to declare them heretical . Gradually people began to use the word perkele, which translated means devil or demon, as an exclamation for annoyance or displeasure.
Pop Culture
Many Finnish heavy metal bands such as Impaled Nazarene , Norther and Pepe Deluxé use Perkele to underline their Finnish origins, the band Perkele even named themselves after the swear word.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kielitoimiston sanakirja . Kotimaisten kalten tutkimuskeskus, 2006, ISBN 952-5446-20-4 .