Jingle Bells, jingle bells, I'll have a pint.

[davywavy]

Reading the paper this morning there was one of the 'Pagan origins of Christmas' pieces which do tend to be used as filler at this time of year. One of this things in it really gave me pause for thought. Apparently, right, in Lapland, warriors and shamans would feed poisonous-but-psychotropic mushrooms (Amanita muscaria) to reindeer. The toxins would be processed by the reindeer metabolism and the psychotropic bits would pass through and come out in their urine, which those wacky Lapps would then drink in order to get high.

There are a lot of questions that this sort of thing begs, but the one which I most want answered is: Whose idea was that, eh? Who first looked at a poisonous mushroom and a reindeer and said "Hey, lads, this might seen a bit odd, but bear with me because I think I've got a great idea".
And, more to the point, why weren't they restrained for their own safety?

Comments

They are Lapps

[lapinenoireuk.livejournal.com]

It's the snow, the endless snow that sends them stark raving loonytunes.

Meself ? I'm sticking to vodka

Re: They are Lapps

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Knud"
"What, Sven?"
"I'm bored."
"Me too."
"Let's drink reindeer wee."
"Okay."

And that's how history happens.

Re: They are Lapps

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be at all surprised really; given that Lapland is in Finland it explains everything, they're all utterly bonkers there.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

A lively booze-distilling tradition + four distinct seasons of which three are winter = a cheerful take on life.

Re: They are Lapps

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

That pretty much sounds like it. Or Knud was bet 200 pine cones to drink reindeer wee. Or it was a bizarre Lapp hazing.

Re: They are Lapps

[applez.livejournal.com]

Now *that* seems altogether more likely to me. Besides wee-drinking probably has a long practice, and might be considered as warm & safer than Mongolian & Masai horse/cow blood-drinking practices.

Only after they enjoyed the psychotropic effect, uncovered the mushroom source, and Knud died from direct ingestion, did they figure on the habitual practice of psychotropic Reindeer wee-drinking. ;-)

Now what I want to figure out is the habit of pipe smoking, and how that came about. Accidental highs from burning bushes at night?

Re: They are Lapps

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Finnish Vodka++

Re: They are Lapps

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Are you sure you still want to drink it? ;o)

Re: They are Lapps

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

The yellow is...er...um...permitted colouring.

Re: They are Lapps

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

Well as long as "filtered through volcanic finnish rock" doesn't mean "pissed out by a half-drunk reindeer".

Re: They are Lapps

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Oh, you know those marketing euphanisms.

Re: They are Lapps

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there's a way you can make "pissed out by a drunken reindeer" sound entirely attractive, indeed even desirable, using marketing speak.

Re: They are Lapps

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

"Contains 100% natural flavourings"
"Distilled in the traditional manner"
"The product of an ancient native recipe"
"The true taste of the arctic"

Re: They are Lapps

[robinbloke.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd rise to the challenge :)

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

Seconded with enthusiasm.

Re: They are Lapps

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Add to that perpetual darkness for half a year.

Re: They are Lapps

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

180 days of night? There's a plot there somewhere...

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

During the long darkness folks just... kill themselves or something. It's the nightless summers that really make people go bonkers.

[elbly.livejournal.com]

There are lots of random things out there that make me wonder what people where thinking when they first tried it... iike using mayonaise as eye cream... and who realised that the internal fluids of a deer made women smell pretty?

But yeah... the idea of drinking my own urine is hideous, but drinking that of someone, let alone someTHING else is just disgusting!

[fonnparr.livejournal.com]

It might explain where the idea of 12 flying reindeer pulling a jolly fat elf on a overloaded sledge came from.

[rhythmaning.livejournal.com]

You have a good point.

Similarly, the most expensive coffee in the world is made from coffee beans that have been eaten, and subsequently excreted, by civets in Asia. And someone must have decided that roasting coffee beans in civet shit was a good idea.