Norwegian fjord horse on the road to Jostedalen and its glacier

On a stroll in the wild mountains in the western part of Norway, a huge, grey-haired bear of a man spoke up.

The Grouse in the Jostedal in Western Norway

A legend, in short: Rjupa was a girl who survived the Black Plague (its first wave hit Norway in 1349). She was the only survivor in her valley, and had to live alone for a long time until someone from another village found her and married her. Rjupa and her husband became the ancestors of many people along the western coast, we are told.

Rjupa means 'The Grouse', and was a personal name in old times. 'Rype' in Norwegian may also mean '(pretty) girl', like the American slang word "chick".

(Bø 1977)

Key Teachings of the Grey-haired Bear of a Man

One of the descendants of the Jostedal Grouse was a bear of a man. His life lore includes:

"What is good is to search for proper evidence where you can find some, and remain uncommitted to goofy tales meanwhile.

"Good tales are for those alive; they serve the living. If they are good, stories go deep and may represent levels of attainment to aspire to - in this case somewhere along the long Jotunheim mountain range in western Norway.

"We should seek to digest strong meat slowly and add vegetables and dressing as fit, and supplement it with some fruit. Hence, it may be all right to leave the strong meat tales alone for as long as it takes - to digest them and renew one's appetite. Bold stories can be strong meat.

"Good stories can be rewarding, reminding of higher values, or normalcy."

Keys to unravel possibly symbolic parts of tales

'Solid' comes from the Latin sollus, whole. It is good to be mentally solid in the meaing "firm, and not hollowed out, with no great gaps or breaks, og good quality, substantial, sound, reliable, dependable, upstanding, whole (linked to healthy, etc.)."

If some content appears to leak out through "thinking with one's behind", it is termed a psychological projection. The phenomenon is related to being under pressure - authoritan upbringing and a harsh superego (marred conscience) are examples of phenomena that make for such "tails" below the waist, so to speak. Prejudice is not far from it.

The bear's or siren's tail can now be taken as folk-wise images of such subconsciously projected material of one's psyche. Accordingly, it behoves man to be just and avoid projecting prejudice. The more pressured you get, the more need to be solid in the senses above, probably. It helps to be many solid ones too, and to remain aloof from intriguing, meddling fools, as the case may be. So relax at intervals as you can and don't get tense, wearing a conformism mask.

Further, a bear can be taken to mean (signify) this and that as fits . . .

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Bear Harangues

Things are not always as bad as people would have them - sometimes they are even worse

A local farmer near Jotunheimen had a vivid dream where a bird-like figure approached at said: "There lies the peasant Okur asleep, one of our line. He must carry good messages from me to many others all over the globe, but only if he wakes up."

The winged being started to shake him. As the simple farmer Okur woke up from it, he still saw the big bird with a mighty feather gown. The bird spoke comfortingly:

"The bear in the forest was one of your ancestors and one of the naturally inclined cave-dwellers. Hence, sleeping late may not be all bad, and could suit some. Now it is time to bring out his plan. You can caress the good old lore that helps survival in the long run.

Things are not always as bad as others say. Your ancestor bear of a man lived very well as a farmer and shepherd in the forests and fields under Jotunheimen. He liked it there. Some do.

He had a lovely meadow deep in Jostedalen. One day, as he put on a bearskin for a cloak against the cold winds, he said something that reminded listeners of a huge bear standing on his hindlegs, clearing his throat, and perhaps you know what people can make out of that. Now the farmer was instructed to visit a certain cave near the mountain Glattertind, and this is what he said when he came back from his climb:

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The great bear roars and the guts of cattle withers. The bear does not have to be so great to scare cattle either. What is more, snorting will often be quite enough to scare cattle.

Bears were meant to be free. Beware of a vehement bear.

Some are led astray by false ancestry, claiming to descend from birds and beasts of prey, and painting them on their shields and further.

Men and women trample on the heads of the poor animals as on the dust and typically deny justice to the oppressed underlings. In the end it dwarfs man too.

Great oppression of wildlife goes on and not enough is done against it.

Docile animals do not have many means to use strategic cunning against adversaries.

Who gave the birds of prey their claws, and who gave the animals of prey their sets of teeth and intestines, so they could not feed on grass, they too?

Well clothed men and women like to say to servants or waiters: "Bring us some more drinks in bottles!" and think it is okay only if they do not swear. Be not like them. [Cf. 4]

Good animals can have no regard for many artificial ways of living that bring them ruin. God's walrus might subscribe to it as he lands on your beach and thereby proclaims: "There is wailing and gnashing of teeth among humans too."

Do horses run toward rocky crags like humans?

Very cramped urban life is something to grieve over, and not hail foolishly. There is such poverty too among men now.

A beaver valley is likely to fall if people find gold there.

Statistics show that not all who lift up the broom, fall by the broom (gun, thunder-stick).

Flies and mosquitoes once raised a conspiracy against cattle and horses, deer and mouses. Can you get out and teach them to refrain?

If walking about in cities in broad daylight, the wildcats may be spared no longer.

People who live mainly to compete for money, are sources of big problems - count on it.

A giant has a need of giant hind legs.

The mighty hunting bear: did he not bring beavers up from the Sahara?

Gold on the roof of beaver huts make me wish to shake the foolish beavers to lead them into better ways.

Should jesters hide themselves in big caves rather than entertaining topdogs?

Misses, often preying on men, may manage to eat the best fruit of men's toils and troubles and slowly wear them out.

Getting used a lot may not be for one's own good.

Days may be coming when brand new berry bushes and fruit trees will grow in the gardens. Explain how many fine hybrids of plants and trees can yield better fruits and berries and crops, eventually. The idea of sweet rowanberries instead of sour ones is here to tempt you.

Though full of courage, few animals can stand up and fight with long-range success against men with thunder-brooms (rifles, guns).

[The above was queezed out of the Book of Amos at first.]

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Two More Tales

Great Bear Gets Affronted

In the very, very old days beavers had a loafing musk-ox to guide them. The last of these thick-set, wild and shaggy-coated ones was named Batt. He was their calm and steady judge most of the time time, right among them. He saw it first:

"Where there are lots of beavers there is stench."

Now Batt grew old and all the old beavers gathered and came to him in the heart of what is Sweden today and asked him for a new musk-ox leader.

This displeased Batt, but he said: "I will travel northwards and seek counsel with the Great Bear before the very long, dark night falls there."

He reached a rocky shore in time and got his answer:

"Listen to all that the beavers are saying. Silly ones creep and crawl for greater beings; it is often like that. So go and tell them what a huge ox will do to their kin as soon as he comes into power. Say:

"This is what the great musk who will reign over you will do: He will become a puberty monster!

"The musk ox may next take ardent beavers to till his frozen ground in vain and reap as good as nothing. Their teeth may break and fall out.

"So take heart and thrive in this way: go for the best fields and tracts to enjoy. There was never a need that a musk-ox should judge you."

The musk-ox now travelled back to the assembled beavers and told that the Great Bear had said they did not need a musk-ox for their king.

"No!" they cried. "We want our own great ox a lot."

They gave vent to their helplessness in ways that hurt and harmed their future the world over. They said, "A huge and massive ox can go out before us and fight our battles and win."

When Batt heard all their folly, he felt ashamed and went north again, only to hear:

"Since then, beavers have had nightmares.

Who is the beaver if not a symbol of human libido?

Sheepy Mountain Fever

A man up in the Sheepy Mountains somewhere had a great desire to go to the valleys of Portugal with his dancing and talking bear. Full of Portugal longing he said,

"If only I arrive, I will not fail."

"Since you have so good a will," said his bear-comrade, "you will get expert counsel:

"If your desire for somewhere far away still lingers and grows stronger, many vain thoughts may be alleviated in sound peace and delight.

"If you meet with any who seem to be your friends and thereby try to make a leash for you in overmuch kindness, and if swearing persons offer you gifts and attractions, heed them not - for good bears try not to.

"Now, good night," said the bear.