Peeps at Many Lands: Sweden

by William Liddle; Mrs. William Liddle

There is another dancing game called Skära Hafre (Reaping Oats). In this they tell in word and gesture how the farmer sows the seed, cuts the grain, binds it into sheaves, and threshes it.

Another favourite game is Enke-leken (The Widower’s Game). This is played in the open air, as a rule, by children and young people. They stand in pairs, a boy and girl, in a long row, one pair behind the other. There is an odd one who represents the widower. He stands in front with his back to the rest, so that he cannot see them. When he calls, “Enke-leken, enke-leken, sista paret ut” (The widower game, last pair out), this pair separate and run forward in a wide circle. The widower runs forward at the same time with a view to catching the girl, but as he is not allowed to look backward, he does not know on which side she may come. Very often the pair change places, and the widower comes in contact with the boy instead of the girl. If he succeed, however, in catching the girl, the other boy takes his place; if not, he has to try again. The pair that has just been out join the ranks at the front.

In all these games there is never seen any roughness, and the players gain a great deal of health and pleasure in a very simple and natural way.

Then there are what one might call the manly sports. The Swedes have ever excelled in these. The old Viking warriors are spoken of in the old legends as being often engaged in feats of strength and skill with the sword and javelin, bow and arrow, in jumping and wrestling, and other favourite sports. They have handed down this trait to the present generation. Nowadays the Swedes practise curling, football, acquired from other countries, and a system of gymnastics invented by a Swede, which is being used by nearly every nation in the world.

The summer sports are very much the same as found in other countries, but it is in winter sports that most interest is taken.

There is the national sport of skating. The Swedes excel all others in the rapidity and gracefulness of their skating. This is owing to the large number of lakes and rivers, and the severe winters, when the boys and girls have every opportunity of learning to skate. But see! What are these boys going to do? They have a pair of skates and a piece of canvas rolled upon poles. They are skate-sailors. They stretch the canvas on the poles, and putting the cross-bar over the shoulder, have a sail which enables them to go before the wind or tack as they wish, just as the sailor does at sea. They can sometimes go at the rate of forty miles an hour with great ease. They present a most beautiful sight as the white sails flit here and there over the ice, and gleam in the rays of the winter’s sun. Sometimes you see ice-yachts gliding over the frozen water guided by a powerful rudder.

There is also tobogganing. Wherever there is a hill, you see a large number of boys and girls enjoying themselves. Down the slope they come at a rapid rate on a little sledge, which the owner guides with his foot used as a rudder behind. Sometimes, in the public parks, there are specially prepared ice-courses, which require great skill to ride on, or the consequences may be serious.

The most popular and a very useful form of sport is skiing. The skis are two long pieces of thin wood, which are fastened to the boots. By means of these the peasant can travel very quickly from one farm to another, when there is sufficient depth of snow. As a sport it is most exhilarating, but it must be acquired when one is young. Hear those shouts from the woods! Some young men and women have come from the town. They have gone up the slope in a zigzag manner, and along the crest of the hill. Now they are coming down, slowly at first, then faster and faster. See how gracefully they glide with feet placed closely together. They have ever to be on the lookout, for they have often to sweep round a bush, bend under an overhanging branch, or jump a precipice. Those who are able to ski can take many short cuts, as they do not need to keep to the roads, but can often go to their destination as the crow flies. The speed is very great. Very many of the soldiers are trained regularly to go on skis.

A common form of sport is for ski-runners, gliding on their skis, to be drawn along by a horse. They hold on to a rope attached to the traces, and as there is little weight on the horse, a speed of ten miles an hour can be kept up for long distances. Sometimes eight or ten soldiers may be seen moving quickly along the road by means of ropes attached to the saddle of a mounted soldier.

The Lapps are the best ski-runners in the world. They are all trained from their very early days to travel by this means. A Lapp, under favourable conditions, can travel 162 miles in twenty-four hours.