The upcoming high holiday of Swedish midsummer associates mildly with frogs. It’s all because of a classic song sung as you dance around the midsummer pole. (Which ironically is also sung when dancing around the Christmas tree–I haven’t figured out why it’s sung/danced at both. )
However, consider the lyrics:
- Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
- Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.
- Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
- Ej öron, ej öron, ej svansar hava de.
- Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
- kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
- Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
- kou ack ack ack ack kaa
Roughly translated:
Little frogs, little frogs, are comical to watch(repeat)
They don’t have ears or tails (repeat)
Quack quack quack (repeat a lot)
Now that’s the part I take issue with. In Sweden frogs say: “Quack” –well…with a Swedish accent. But so do ducks (also with a Swedish accent.) So I guess they’re more likely comical to hear.
THIS IS WRONG. Frogs don’t say quack, they say ribbit (add Swedish accent.)
I don’t care how long I’ve lived here. I don’t care how rude it is to reject my host country’s traditions: Frogs don’t quack. And you can never convince me otherwise.
But for artistic integrity I’m sure I’ll be chirping “quack” as we dance around the midsommar pole.
Tags: duck, frog, midsommar, små groddorna
And Swedish pigs say “noff noff” instead of the universally accepted “oink oink”?!?
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Actually, the swedish translation of “quack” is “kvack”, not “kou ack”. So it could be argued that “kou ack” refer to something entirely different.
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Bertrand. You seem to have discovered the loop hole. Well done
Singing and dancing frogs in Sweden apparently say: “kou ack.” (Now that second bit a bit like something’s unpleasantly lodged in a throat.)
Michael, in Hungary the pigs say röff röff (very important to rrroll your Rrrrs). This could be a pan-European thing.
What always makes me smile in a multi-lingual gathering is to get everyone to say what their language’s rendition is of what a rooster will say.
English: Cock-a-doodle-doo
Swedish: Kukeli koo
Japanese: Can’t remember how to pronounce it but makes me burst out laughing each time.
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Actually, I prefer the Swedish, “nöff nöff” to the universally accepted (is it, really?), “oink oink.” I have never heard a pig oink. But the sound they make when nosing around in the dirt does bear some semblance to a, “nöff.”
As for quacking frogs – ????
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Actually, here in northeastern U.S., wood frogs do sound like quacking ducks. I also heard “quacking” frogs in the botanical garden in Sukhumi many years ago. So they do exist!
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The “kou ack” is actually “o ack” that gets a bit muffled when you repeat it.
“Ack” in means (sort of) “oh dear” or “poor thing”, so we are not singing that the frogs say quack; we are feeling sorry for them for not having any ears or tails.
Ok, I agree, it’s still a crazy song but very fun to sing around the may pole.
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