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Can Someone Help with 2 Danish or Swedish Nursery Rhymes? We Have a Recording of Them!

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Lori wrote:

Dear Mama Lisa,

I am so excited to find this website because I have been searching for many years to find out about two Danish or Swedish nursery rhymes (you can listen to them by clicking the link). My mother’s beloved grandfather, Lars Christensen, used to bounce her on his knee and recite these rhymes. She then passed them on to me…and neither one of us know what they mean. Lars’ parents were both from Denmark: His father from the Brenderup, Odense, area and his mother from Lynge, Juteland area. So we think the rhymes may be Danish and probably date from the early 1800’s. However, Lars’ wife’s parents were from Sweden: Her father from Vallby, Kirkedinge area and her mother from Sallerup, Malmohus area. So there is a possibility that they are Swedish.

They might be so distorted coming from the mouth of an old Danish man through the memory of a small American girl and passed on to another generation, but I am hopeful that someone may recognize them.

My dear mother’s 80th birthday is coming up and I would love to surprise her with a written version or reading of the original, an English interpretation, or any information about any one of these two nursery rhymes. No matter how silly, they are very important to us because they are a link to our sacred, and loved ancestral roots.

Thank you so much,

Lori

If anyone can help out Lori, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

PS We know the first rhyme is a version of Ride ride ranke, and Lori checked the versions posted on the blog in the past, but couldn’t find it there.

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Posted in Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Danish, Danish Children's Songs, Danish Nursery Rhymes, Denmark, Languages, Mama Lisa, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Rhea Rhea Runkin, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Children's Songs, Swedish Nursery Rhymes, USA | 1 Comment »

Can Someone Help with a Swedish or English Nursery Rhyme?

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Ronnie wrote:

My Father and uncle used to put us on their knees and bounce us and say this rhyme. Something about a fox. I don’t know if they were speaking Swedish or English (and pronouncing the words badly)…

“A raven come a walkin
a balkin, a talkin a piddlee peekin.”

They’d start down at our bellies and work their hand up under our chins.

Have you ever heard of this?

Thank you for your time,
Ronnie Larson

If anyone can help out with any information about this rhyme and/or provide the words to it, please comment below.

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

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Posted in Australia, British Children's Songs, Canada, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, England, English, English Children's Songs, English Nursery Rhymes, Finger Plays, Great Britain, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Children's Songs, Swedish Nursery Rhymes, USA | 7 Comments »

The Origins of Some Scandinavian Toe Naming Rhymes

Wednesday, December 13th, 2006

Julie and Beth wrote looking for the origins of two Scandinavian rhymes that are played with little kids while touching their toes. We’re wondering if anyone’s ever heard of these rhymes and perhaps knows what country they’re from and/or anything else about their origins. Here’s what Julie wrote:

I have been searching for the origin of a nursery rhyme that my friend said to her kids. The child has his/her shoes off and starting with the little toe, she names the toes:

Little Pea (little toe)
Peter Lou (next toe)
Oosey Nossey (next toe)
Toosey tossey (next toe)
And a Great Big Oppososso (big toe)

I am not sure of the spelling. However, the University of Wisconsin Children’s Library assures me that this toe rhyme has Scandinavian roots. They said: Scandinavia is known for naming toe rhymes.

Please help me, I have been searching the origin of this toe playing game for years with my friend’s blessing. My friend is Scandinavian and she doesn’t remember where she heard this toe playing game. I assume that she heard it as a child.

Julie

Beth Bookschlepper wrote in looking for the origin of a similar rhyme:

I know this as…

Little Pea,
Penny Rou,
Judy Whistle,
Mary Tossle,
And Big Tom Bumble.

I am also interested in its origins.

If anyone can help, or would like to share other similar rhymes, please comment below.

Thanks!

Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Danish, Danish Nursery Rhymes, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Icelandic, Languages, Norway, Norwegian, Norwegian Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Rhymes by Theme, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Nursery Rhymes, Toe Naming Rhymes | 59 Comments »

St. Knut’s Day means it’s time to Have a Party and Throw out your Christmas Tree!

Thursday, January 12th, 2006

St. Knut’s Day is a holiday celebrated in Sweden, Finland and Norway, on January 13th. The day is called Tjugondag Knut in Sweden, which means 20th day Knut. In Norway it’s called Tyvendedagen, which I believe, is 20th day.

On St. Knut’s Day, they say they “plunder” the Christmas tree. If there are edible ornaments on the tree, they eat them. If there weren’t any on the tree, sometimes they’ll put them there for the kids to take off and eat. It’s an incentive to take off all the other decorations and get rid of the tree. Then kids dance around the tree singing.

In Sweden they sing…

Tjugondag Knut dansas julen ut. (Swedish)

Knut’s 20th day (St. Knut’s Day) dances Christmas away. (English)

Sometimes it’ll be longer…

På Tjugondag Knut dansas julen ut och då plundras och kasseras granen. (Swedish)

At St. Knut’s day, dance Christmas away and then plunder and scrap the spruce tree. (English)

After which, they either throw out the tree, or chop it up and use it as fire wood.

In Norway, they say a similar rhyme…

Sante Knut og jaga jula ut. (Norwegian)

St. Knut chases Christmas away. (English)

Sometimes there are also carnivals for St. Knut’s day.

***

A little history behind the holiday…

King Canute (circa 994 – 1035) was a Viking who was also known as Knut and Knud. He was king of England, Denmark, and for a while Norway and part of Sweden.

Early on, when he took over England, he was merciless to prisoners, he cut off their noses, ears and hands. Later, he repented for what he had done. To make up for his cruelty, he joined the church and tried to create peace and justice in his land. Under his rule, there was peace for 18 years. (Although, he may have been responsible for some political murders. )

One of the laws he made, while he was king, was that the Christmas season would last 20 days, and that no one should fast during that time. Thus the holiday season would end on January 13th. That’s the day that’s come to be known as St. Knut’s Day.

***

If anyone knows any other St. Knut’s Day songs, rhymes or traditions, please comment below.

Happy St. Knut’s Day!

Lisa

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Denmark, Finland, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Norway, Norwegian, Norwegian Nursery Rhymes, St. Knut's Day - Tjugondag Knut, St. Knut's Day Songs, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Children's Songs, Swedish Nursery Rhymes | 5 Comments »

Question about the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Nursery Rhyme “Ride Ride Ranke”

Saturday, December 31st, 2005

Pamela wrote me about a rhyme that I’ve been asked about many times. Here’s what she wrote…

Hello,

I am interested in finding a nursery rhyme in the Danish language which I learned as a child and have passed on to my children as well. I hope you can help me locate this rhyme. It is about an alligator or crocodile sneaking up on someone sitting on a log at the edge of a lake. I am probably not remembering the Danish words correctly, and I don’t speak Danish at all, but it sounds something like this:

A rita, rita, runkin
Demile hans hoose,
Devoon yemoon
Kot on a moose
On little wahoon
Syin on a bankin
Slick upon a slick a sow
Woof! Woof! Woof!

I have probably completely ruined the rhyme with my bad memory, but I am very interested in learning it correctly. The Woof! Woof! Woof! Part is where the alligator eats the person.

Thank you!

If anyone knows this rhyme, many people out there would be grateful for the corrrect words. Please comment below or email me with the correct version!

Thanks!

Lisa

UPDATE: I posted one Swedish version of Rida rida ranka on my Swedish Song Pages, one Danish version of Rida rida ranke, and 2 Norwegian Versions of Rida rida ranke on Mama Lisa’s World’s Norway pages.

More versions in the comments below…

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, Danish, Danish Children's Songs, Danish Nursery Rhymes, Denmark, Languages, Norway, Norwegian, Norwegian Children's Songs, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Rhea Rhea Runkin, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Children's Songs, Swedish Nursery Rhymes | 76 Comments »

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Posts

Can Someone Help with 2 Danish or Swedish Nursery Rhymes? We Have a Recording of Them!

Can Someone Help with a Swedish or English Nursery Rhyme?

The Origins of Some Scandinavian Toe Naming Rhymes

St. Knut’s Day means it’s time to Have a Party and Throw out your Christmas Tree!

Question about the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Nursery Rhyme “Ride Ride Ranke”