Lalli and the Axe

Jan 20, 2023

Lalli, a legendary figure in Finnish folklore, is notorious for his tragic confrontation with Bishop Henry in 1156, which ended in murder on a frozen lake. The discussion unpacks the mythology surrounding both characters, revealing how Lalli's legacy intertwines with themes of resistance and deceit. Surprisingly, they also delve into the odd fate of a pseudo-saint who met his end by choking on a chicken bone. The episode also highlights quirky superstitions and notable Finns, making it a delightful mix of history and folklore.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

The Legend of Bishop Henry and Lalli: Folklore and Resistance

02:59 • 4min

The Quirky Legacy of a Pseudo-Saint

06:51 • 2min

Superstitions and Notable Finns

09:01 • 3min

According to Finnish legend, a peasant farmer named Lalli murdered the Christian missionary Bishop Henry on the ice of lake Köyliönjärvi on January 20, 1156, dispatching him with an axe blow to the head.

It is fair to say things didn’t go terribly well for Lalli after that. He met a gruesome fate that takes various forms depending on the tale you read, but in general Lalli takes the bishop's mitre to wear and when he tries to remove it, it tears his scalp off. The bishop, meanwhile, fared rather better posthumously, going on to become Saint Henry.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss which bits of the tale are true; explain why the real villain of the story is Lalli’s wife; and discover that the 11th greatest Finn was a four-time Olympic gold medalist, who is also known for his later ill-advised careers as a singer and stripper.

Further Reading:

• ‘The axe of Lalli and the cap of St. Henry – a view from Finland’ (Routledge, 2020): https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429053726-3_26/axe-lalli-cap-st-henry-view-finland-miikka-tamminen

• ‘The Murder of Saint Henry, Crusader Bishop of Finland’ (Éditions de la Sorbonne, 2016): https://books.openedition.org/psorbonne/33154?lang=en#:~:text=The%20so%2Dcalled%20'First%20Finnish,and%20its%20motive%20was%20revenge

• ‘Murdering Bishop Henry – Finland's First Martyr’ (Finnish Mythology with Antti Palosaari, 2022):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDJrsEvwmHI

#Medieval #Strange #Finland

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

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