[sully777]

"...There are considerable differences among them; the Swedes being war-like and domineering, the Norwegians being of a feisty, independent nature, the Danes being mellow and laid-back, and the Icelandics--well, no one knows much about the Icelandics, the Nebraska of the North Atlantic."

---

True generalizations.

The Swedes I know seek the high ground, seem aloof until you know them. Once you know them you realize they are not aloof just condescending. Swedish humor is a jaded and sarcastic. Being Irish, I can handle their humor. But what strikes me about their humor is that I'm left waiting for the punchline, or the wry smile to know they were just playing. They never play. Swedes are probably the best carpenters and mechanics out there. Anyone that can make a race car (original Saab rally cars) out of a lawnmower engine has got to be a genius!

The Norwegians I know are independent in a flighty way, like a brother that runs naked in the snow but the brother is 60 years old. The Norges also watch your every move, studying you. Yet, they usually use the information they've gleaned for diplomacy, a good-natured joke, or to help you.

Just a question you might know the answer to. You mention the Danes and the Icelanders but what about the Finlandians, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, and the Baltic Russians (think they're called white russians). Are they not Scandanavians? I know a few Baltics and they seem more like Swedes, only with darker hair.

The only thing I know about Icelandians is the Bjork is the ugliest woman on the island.

[franksolich]

Well, I am not sure about any of these, sir.

We all know for a fact that the gallant Norwegians, the mellow Danes, the avarious Swedes, and the isolated Icelandics are Scandinavian, along of course with the enigmatic Faeroese.

The Finns, I have been told, belong to an entirely different group of people, related somewhat, and somewhat mysteriously, to the Hungarians. Those on the "Norway ping list" were illuminated on the matter by some Latin Free Republican last week, but the explanation was rather long.

Also, the Finnish language bears no resemblence--no resemblence at all--to the Scandinavian languages. Sometimes one is hard-pressed to tell the difference between a Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish postage stamp, but the language on a Finnish postage stamp is unlike anything else one has ever seen in the world, other than Hilarity Clinton in heat.

The Finnish language boogles the eyeballs.

Then there are the Latvians, the Lithuanians, and the Estonians--and I have never been too certain about them; they obviously have partial Scandinavian origins, but one wonders if perhaps, for example, the Lithuanians are a mixed Scandinavian-Polish breed.

That is an interesting question, sir, and I hope that someone on the "Norway ping list" can illuminate both you and I, better than I have.