December 18, 2005
Sviesta bļoda ezerā
The riddle “Sviesta bļoda ezerā” (A bowl of butter in a lake) calls on the powers of visualization. Imagine a bowl of yellow butter floating in a blue lake. Now turn your gaze skyward and see the sun in the blue sky.
The riddle is one of many about the sun, which is not surprising given the sun’s important role in Latvian folk culture.
Other riddles speak to the power of the sun, such as “Balta kaza ledu grauž” (A white goat gnaws on ice), which refers to the sun’s warmth melting ice. Some remind us that staring directly at the sun is not wise, such as “Visi mīl, bet nevar ieredzēt” (Everyone loves it, but can’t stand to look at it).
Source: Pēteris Birkerts, comp., Latviešu tautas mīklas (Rīga: Jāņa Rozes apgāds, 1999).
Andris Straumanis is editor of Latvians Online.
The article may be found online at http://latviansonline.com/index.php/riddles/article/1088/
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