One word in Finnish, strictly connected to sauna, is löyly. Steam vapor, also called löyly [ˈløyly], was created by splashing water on the heated rocks. In many languages related to Finnish, a word corresponding to löyly is found. The same approximate meaning is used across the Finnic languages such as in Estonianleil. Originally this word meant "spirit" or "life", as in e.g. Hungarian lélek and Khanty lil, which both mean soul, pointing to the sauna's old, spiritual essence. There still exists an old Finnish saying, "saunassa ollaan kuin kirkossa," – one should behave in the sauna as in church.
The same meaning of "spirit" is also used in Latvian.
Saunatonttu, literally translated the sauna elf, is a little gnome or tutelary spirit that was believed to live in the sauna. He was always treated with respect, otherwise he might cause much trouble for people. It was customary to warm up the sauna just for the tonttu every now and then, or to leave some food outside for him. It is said that he warned the people if a fire was threatening the sauna, or punished people who behaved improperly in it – for example slept, or played games, argued, were generally noisy or behaved otherwise "immorally" there. Such creatures are believed to exist in different cultures. The Russian banya has an entirely corresponding character called a bannik.
In Thailand, women spend hours in a makeshift sauna tent during a month following child birth. The steam is typically infused with several herbs. It is believed that the sauna helps the new mother's body return to its normal condition more quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment