Annual Cycle of Water in Northern Culture

Abstract

Natural waters have served as transport systems in the Nordic regions and provided a key part of food supply for people. The people’s knowledge accumulated from the waters has been stored in folklore in many sayings, instructions and names, and has also provided inspiration for the art world. Predicting weather and climate has been important, as droughts, famine years and exceptional natural conditions are frightening due to causing misery and accidents. Frost in the growth season, heavy rains, and very large snow accumulation are possible signs of impending disaster. Traditional knowledge about nature can be classified into genuine experiential knowledge, the annual cycle of the sun, connections between calendar dates, reading nature and vernacular religion. Experiential knowledge can be justified by natural science. The annual cycle of the sun is regular and tells us about nature’s adaptation to changing light and thermal conditions, creating the basis for prediction, but fixed weather relations between specific calendar days are unsupported by current knowledge. An attentive nature-traveler learns to read nature and thus deepens their understanding and connection with nature. Such a comprehensive understanding brings historical continuity and is also conducive to promoting the protection of the aquatic environment.