Wolverine (Gulo gulo)

[Shadow]

I noticed a quite new article about wolverines. That is in Finnish, so impossible to read for most members here and google translator... well it can be tried of course if interest. Anyway a lot of that article is about reindeer and wolverines in Finland, Sweden and Norway and how reindeer owner gets compensation when reindeers are killed by wolverines.

But there are also some descriptions of old myths about wolverines, it was interesting to see how old and what kind. I put here quotes and rough translations :) Swedish historian Olaug Magnus (1490-1550) wrote about wolverine like this:

"Löydettyään ahtaan paikan puiden välissä se puristautuu siihen, jolloin se pian rajusti tyhjenee. Näin hoikennuttuaan se palaa haaskalle ja täyttää taas vatsansa äärimmilleen, puristautuu jälleen samaan rakoon kuin aikaisemmin, palaa uudelleen haaskalle ja niin edelleen, kunnes tämä on kokonaan syöty."

In english: When wolverine finds a tight place between trees, it squeezes itself between those trees and "empties itself" fiercely. After slim again like that it goes back to carcass and eats so, that belly is as full as possible, then squeezes again between trees and goes back to carcass to eat and again and again until carcass is fully eaten.

"ahmannahkaturkkiin pukeutuva voi syödä miten paljon hyvänsä. Mutta sitä, joka nukkuu ahmannahkavällyjen alla, vaivaa hirvittävä nälkä."

In english: person who wears wolverine fur can eat as much as he/she wants. But if someone sleeps under wolverine fur blanket, he/she is distressed all the time by horrible hunger"

So wolverine reputation has long history :)

These descriptions are in this book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Description_of_the_Northern_Peoples
And this is author:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaus_Magnus

This is newspaper article I just read and where I found those quotes:
https://www.lapinkansa.fi/lappi/ahmalla-on-ianikuinen-maine-pedoista-pahimpana-mutta-miksi-suomi-maksaa-sen-tappamista-poroista-paljon-kalliimmin-kuin-norja-tai-ruotsi-joissa-ahmoja-on-enemman-15958652/ Reply