“Hymylä”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

In Finnish folklore, Hymylä (variants: Himola, Huikkola, Hyvölä, Hytölä, Hämälä, Hölmölä) is a mysterious place for the banishment of a child who failed in a children's game, usually, the game of riddles.

With a chant, e.g., "Hyys, hyys, Hymylään! kun et sitäkään tiedä" (Off, off, to Hymyla! You don't know anything!) a failed child is banished somewhere outside the children's circle, e.g., outdoors, if the game is indoors. Upon return the child is demanded to tell a story about his trip. Most commonly the story describes some kind of ridiculous, topsy-turvy world. People there stir porridge with an axe and chop firewood with a ladle, etc. Sometimes a trip to Hymylä involves some kind of forfeit: some silly work, trifle money, or suffering. A trip to Hymylä is perceived as a kind of disgrace.^[1]^[2]

The earliest account of the tradition was reported by Cristfried Ganander in his Aenigmata Fennica ("Finnish Riddles") in 1783.^[2]

Over time, places with these names were perceived akin to Gotham, the Three Wise Men were from, a settlement of proverbial fools.^[3]

References

1. ^Suomalaisia Arvoituksia. ("Finnish Riddles") In: Elias Lönnrot, "Maamme kirja. Lukukirja alimmaisille oppilaitoksille Suomessa". ("Our Book", A Reading book for elementary schools in Finland)
2. ^¹"Untying the Knot: On Riddles and Other Enigmatic Modes", Oxford University Press, 1996, {{ISBN|0195356322}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EIweS_YpGTsC&pg=PA26 pp.26-29]
3. ^"The Holmolaiset Built A House", in: Norma J. Livo, Story Medicine: Multicultural Tales of Healing and Transformation, [https://books.google.com/books?id=QOTQYefxgBUC&pg=PA172 p. 172]