Home Sweet Home(s)

I think maybe this entry will be of interest mostly to etymology buffs? Niklas (here’s a picture of him and his sister) got this tattoo to show his roots — Swedish one half, Hungarian on the other. The text on the top is Hungarian and the Swedish is on the bottom — the reason I thought it was interesting is that I’ve always identified “Home Sweet Home” as a uniquely American expression, so it’s really a mix of three cultures, one of them unintended?

niklas-home-sweet-home.jpg

22 thoughts on “Home Sweet Home(s)

  1. thats great ink that will be relevant until it gets eaten off by worms hopefully many many years to come.

    not to mention hes a cutie, took a sec to figure out which was him, and which was his sister. *shrugs*

  2. thats great ink that will be relevant until it gets eaten off by worms hopefully many many years to come.

    not to mention hes a cutie, took a sec to figure out which was him, and which was his sister. *shrugs*

  3. i never understood the bruise-esque “shadows” people add to tattoos :\ nice concept though

  4. i never understood the bruise-esque “shadows” people add to tattoos :\ nice concept though

  5. Quite unintended I’d say, “Hem ljuva hem” has been an expression for at the very least the last century, if not longer, in Sweden. Don’t know about Hungary though.

  6. Quite unintended I’d say, “Hem ljuva hem” has been an expression for at the very least the last century, if not longer, in Sweden. Don’t know about Hungary though.

  7. I ( I’m Niklas ) just thought that practically every contry had at least a similiar expression.. but here in Sweden it’s not an unusual expression 🙂

    Gyuozu – aaa, magyar vagy 😉

  8. I ( I’m Niklas ) just thought that practically every contry had at least a similiar expression.. but here in Sweden it’s not an unusual expression 🙂

    Gyuozu – aaa, magyar vagy 😉

  9. Hem Ljuva Hem is certainly a long standing phrase. The word “Ljuva” or “Ljuv” (the root word) isn’t used especially much except in old language or in a few phrases. It’s certainly understood, just not especially common. It also has a different vibe then “Sweet” as well as also not having the other meanings such as Sweet tasting, Sweet personality wise, Sweet as in cute, etc. The remaining meaning leans much more toward “lovely” or “beautiful” or “beloved” (reflected in the Danish form). If either phrase (the Swedish or English) were to be translated to the other without both being classic one-liners they’d likely be different then the other. Since they are, however, it makes sense to use the matching one when translating as they’re used in the same meaning (“Home Lovely Home” would sound mangled and mistranslated).

  10. Hem Ljuva Hem is certainly a long standing phrase. The word “Ljuva” or “Ljuv” (the root word) isn’t used especially much except in old language or in a few phrases. It’s certainly understood, just not especially common. It also has a different vibe then “Sweet” as well as also not having the other meanings such as Sweet tasting, Sweet personality wise, Sweet as in cute, etc. The remaining meaning leans much more toward “lovely” or “beautiful” or “beloved” (reflected in the Danish form). If either phrase (the Swedish or English) were to be translated to the other without both being classic one-liners they’d likely be different then the other. Since they are, however, it makes sense to use the matching one when translating as they’re used in the same meaning (“Home Lovely Home” would sound mangled and mistranslated).

  11. nice tattoo! 🙂
    szép tetoválás!

    greets from hungary!

    ja, és a testvéred is egy szép teremtés! 😉

  12. nice tattoo! 🙂
    szép tetoválás!

    greets from hungary!

    ja, és a testvéred is egy szép teremtés! 😉

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