English Cartoon and Comic Characters in Norway
I loved Disney cartoons, Marvel and DC comics when growing up. Mickey, Donald, Spider-man and Batman were household names. Since being in Norway I’ve had to learn new names for my favourite characters but somehow they don’t seem the same. A lot of the character names are the same in Norway as used in the English-speaking world but there are some names that leaves me wondering what the ‘name-maker’ was thinking.
Mickey Mouse is Mikke Mus. Donald Duck is Donald Duck. Pluto is Pluto. And Minnie Mouse is Minni Mus. But Goofy is Langbein, which means ‘long leg’ because Goofy is… tall and lanky. Huey, Dewey and Louie are Ole, Dole and Doffen. Daisy Duck is Dolly Duck (but ‘duck’ in Norwegian is and.) And Big Pete is Svartepetter meaning ‘Black Peter’. Uncle Scrooge is Skrue which means ‘screw’. Cinderella is Askepott which means ‘ash-pot’. Snow White is Snøhvit – a direct translation. Sleeping Beauty is Tornerose which means ‘thorn rose’.
In comics Batman is Batman but he used to be called Lynvingen which means ‘lightningwing’. Spider-man is Edderkoppen which means ‘the spider’. There are also a couple of superheroes that are loosely based of Norse mythology – Thor and Thor Girl:
Soon there will be a movie out on the Marvel character Thor. Living in Norway, I’m thinking I’m a little more excited about it than I normally would be!
Subscribe
RSS
Decorating Easter eggs is a big tradition in Norway.
To visit the mountain during the Midnight Sun is a real treat.
Reindeer is synonymous with Sami culture and life but the Norsemen have certainly cottoned onto the goodness of reindeer cuisine. This rustic meal is perfect for cold Winter nights and packs you with energy for the next day of playing in the snow.
The bunad is a traditional Norwegian costume worn by both men and women. It can either come from established rural traditions or have a more modern design inspired by historical patterns and cuts.
Norwegians love their mountainous nature so much they spend whatever time they can in it – for recreation, fitness, hunting or just family time.
In the case of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and such fairytales, even the “original” English names are translations. These stories are really old
____________________
from L-Jay:
These stories weren’t popularized until Disney even though many stories are German fables. The Little Mermaid is actually Danish. There are many instances where Norway already had a name for something but then later the English name becomes more popular to use. You can see this in every day Norwegian language too. ‘Vær så snil’ means please in Norwegian but kids here are starting to use ‘please’ instead (probably because it is quicker to say.)
Just for interest: The only fable from Norway that is fairly popular is the Three Billy Goats Gruff.
I’ve noticed this, too. Winnie the Pooh is Ole Brum here. Seems funny since “Winnie the Pooh” really doesn’t mean anything specific in English anyway!
I also found it interesting that Donald Duck seems to be by far the most popular of the original Disney characters (Donald Duck comics appear by the shelf-full, but not Mickey Mouse). Donald seems to have found his own fan club here
____________________
from L-Jay:
I’ve noticed that too in Norway. And Norwegians love to say that in Finland Donald Duck was banned because he didn’t wear pants – which is a myth, of course. I’ve heard this from three different Norwegians…lol.
And Tigger is Tigergutt (Tiger Boy) instead of ‘Tigger’ which means ‘begger’ in Norwegian.