# Danish: Gå fanden i vold



## Billebob

A Swedish friend of mine asked me if I could provide a translation of the term "gå fanden i vold" that he picked up from the Gasolin' song "Hvad gør vi nu, lille du" that he quite enjoyed but always were puzzled about.

My response was "get the hell out of here" which produced a few odd seconds of silence, before he understood that this was my answer to his question and not my reaction to it =) The term itself lives on in current Danish although somewhat archaic, but the part about "gå [someone] i vold" had me wondering. Does Norwegian and Swedish, or maybe even Icelandic, have similar connections?

BB


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## TomTrussel

In Norwegian we used "[insert motional verb] pokker i vold" with the same meaning. Because the movement involved, I always assumed "pokker" to be a geographical term rather than a someone, but I've never really thought much about it. 
As with Danish, I'd say it's a slightly archaic phrase, but still heard.

TT


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## Donnerstag

My Danish-Icelandic dictionary translates "gå fanden i vold" as "fara til helvítis" (go to hell) or "fara til fjandans" (go to the devil). So is that translation not correct?


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## Billebob

Donnerstag said:


> My Danish-Icelandic dictionary translates "gå fanden i vold" as "fara til helvítis" (go to hell) or "fara til fjandans" (go to the devil). So is that translation not correct?



"Go to hell" og "Get the hell out (of here)" are the implied meanings of the expression for sure. I'm not surprised that the English term translates back into the Nordic languages. I'm sure even the Finnish have a similar phrase. 

What i was going for was more in term of the original meaning of the term, which still escapes me a bit, how do you, and why would you "gå ... i vold" ? And i was curious to see if the other languages had a similar connection or deviation hereof that might shed light on the original meaning and its offset.

BB


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## TomTrussel

I'm not sure, but I have a feeling the norwegian curse word "pokker" is related to the disease "kopper" German Pocken, English pox.  As for the the "i vold" part, in norwegian, to be in someones "vold" means that this someone have complete control of whatever happens to you. To be at someones mercy if you like. So "gå fanden i vold" would be to wish someone to be at the devils mercy.


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## Billebob

Answering myself here, after having dug a bit more, the phrase (seems kind of obvious now) means "at hengive sig (selv) i fandens vold", e.g. to submit yourself to the wraith/power of the devil. Kind of strange how "i fandens vold" becomes "fanden i vold".

BB


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## Billebob

Spot on TT.. Beat me to it by a few seconds =)


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## frugihoyi

Always nice learning new ways to tell people off in Danish


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## sendintheclowns

...and the flip side of that is the old expression "Gud i vold", which is a kind of blessing, wishing you God's protection. 

"Pokker" is indeed related to "pox" meaning disease, such as small pox or "great pox" (i.e. syphylis), but how it came to mean "the devil", I am not sure. Any ideas?


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## Billebob

sendintheclowns said:


> ...and the flip side of that is the old expression "Gud i vold", which is a kind of blessing, wishing you God's protection.
> 
> "Pokker" is indeed related to "pox" meaning disease, such as small pox or "great pox" (i.e. syphylis), but how it came to mean "the devil", I am not sure. Any ideas?



As with "fanden i vold", "pokker i vold" would (with a little reassembly) turn into "i pokkerens vold", e.g. "in the wraith/power/faith of the pox" or shorter, "I wish you had the pox" ..

BB


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## sdr083

"Langt  pokker i vold" just means far, far away to me, though it may be a  slightly vulgar way of saying it ("han kasta ballen langt pokker i  vold..."). 
"Dra til helvete", on the other hand, is something you would  say to someone you are really angry with.

Never realized "pokker" had anything to do with "pox". The stuff I learn on WordReference ...


Just out of curiosity: Does the adjective _fandenivoldsk _(devil-may-care) exist in Danish?


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## Billebob

sdr083 said:


> "Langt  pokker i vold" just means far, far away to me, though it may be a  slightly vulgar way of saying it ("han kasta ballen langt pokker i  vold...").
> "Dra til helvete", on the other hand, is something you would  say to someone you are really angry with.



Hvis man er i fandens vold, er man vel implict hos fanden, i helvede .. så det er jo (forhåbentligt) også langt væk =)



sdr083 said:


> Just out of curiosity: Does the adjective _fandenivoldsk _(devil-may-care) exist in Danish?



Ja det gør det. Siges om en person der "ikke lægger kort imellem og går lige til sagen". Fandt iøvrigt en sjov oversigt over danske og svenske edder og forbandelser. Lidt ærgerligt der ikke er en norsk med, men den ville givetvis være lige så lang, eller længere end den danske =) 

BB


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## TomTrussel

Billebob said:


> Fandt iøvrigt en sjov oversigt over danske og svenske edder og forbandelser. Lidt ærgerligt der ikke er en norsk med, men den ville givetvis være lige så lang, eller længere end den danske =)
> 
> BB



Legg listen til i "sticky" tråden med annbefalte oppslagsverk  Og den norske ville bli omtrent som den danske, men det ville bli ihvertfall 6-7 av dem, og den for Nordnorske dialekter ville bli like lang som de øvrige tilsammen  

Edit: Fant ganske fort en liste over 8500 norske banneord, uten at jeg kan gå god for innholdet.

TT


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## Havfruen

sdr083 said:


> Just out of curiosity: Does the adjective _fandenivoldsk _(devil-may-care) exist in Danish?


Ja, der står i ordbogen fandenivoldsk  og fandenivoldskhed.

Skønt der er ingen muligheder for trådrating, jeg mener denne er oplysende. 
Tusind tak BB og TT for anbefalingerne af e-resurser. Nu findes der inspiration til tusindvis af nye tråde.


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