Explanations this good are hard to come by
Feb 26th, 2008 by lavonardo
Saw an odd tagline for a new book recently:
PIHLAJANORSU - Ilmiö, jonka nähtyään on syytä viettää päihteetön loppuelämä.
Didn’t think much of it, apart from being reduced close to hysterics in public places several times while puzzling over the nearly flawless composition of the sentence.
Certainly didn’t think that such a creature (rowan elephant) actually existed.
Turns out that the joke was on me - the eponymous book is actually a variant of the almighty Meaning of Liff, where place names are given new meanings as everyday things and feelings. This book uses animals as the source, and a creature called pihlajanorsu does exist. Though sadly it’s not a rare domestic pachyderm species, but a big butterfly instead.