Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1999, Page 130

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THE BROTHER OF THE SNAKE AND FISH AS KINGS
ter, 1991: 15). Individual large smelt (Os-
merus eperlanus) have sometimes been
called norskungar in Sweden (Schultze,
1778: 74).
In the Replot parish in Finland, the ruff
(Gymnocephalus cernuus) has been called
king of the fish (fiskarnas konung). Ac-
cording to a fable, its smartness surpassed
even that of the large salmon in a competi-
tion for this title (SLS 215). Similar stories
are known about other fish species in other
parts of Europe as well. In France, the stre-
ber (Aspro streber) was called roi poisson
since it was regarded as the king of the fish.
In Italy, the carp (Cyprinus carpio) was
known as regina (Riegler, 1936-37: 845).
The salmon was known as kongen in the
Troms area of Norway because it was re-
garded as the chief among the fish (Sol-
heim, 1940: 51).
The King of Herring
From the Baltic coast of Sweden, it is said
that catching in a net the so-called strom-
mingskungen, a large Baltic herring (Clu-
pea harengus) with a reddish head, brought
tremendous luck. However, it should be
put back into the sea. One should be very
careful and immediately release it again
(Topelius, 1987: 106). The strommings-
kung rarely occurred among the Baltic her-
ring, according to a folk life record from
the island of Moja in the Uppland archipel-
ago. Its colour was rose and violet. Its ap-
pearance was a sign of a good herring yield
in the forthcoming year in the area (ULMA
28 891).
Also the herring shoals off the West
Coast of Sweden were led by a sillkung,
which was said to be a huge, reddish her-
ring. It was considered bad luck to kill a
sillkung, according to a record by A.V.
Ljungman (1879: 283). There is also a
record from Denmark: ‘The herring are
said to have a king and head, like the bee,
which might not be larger than the other
herring, but carries on its head a red sign
similar to a crown, and is decorated all over
with scales filled with crowns, from the
head to the tail’, according to a description
in Danish from 1762 (Brøndegaard, 1985:
207). The red or light red sildekonge was
always swimming in the top position of the
shoal triangle, and if the herring king was
caught, the net would be filled. One should
eat this individual yourself, otherwise there
would be no catch at all during the next sea-
son, according to a record from Horsens in
Denmark.
Ethnobiologist V.J. Brøndegaard writes
that during the years of religious reforma-
tion in the 16th century, unusual herring
could be interpreted in religious terms. On
21 November 1587, two unusual herring
were caught in Bohuslán and they were
called kings of the herring. The largest of
them had on its head ‘... red scales, which
rise as a crown’. On both specimens signs
or figures were seen, which were interpret-
ed as Latin letters. The larger of the two
herring was sent to Copenhagen for exami-
nation. It was transferred to Haderslevhus
where King Frederic II resided. This her-
ring with its signs terrified the King and he
was convinced that this was a prediction
that the Queen would soon die. The King
himself passed away a few months later in
April 1588.