Swedish Bagpipes
Think that bagpipes are a unique form of Scottish aural torture? Think again: behold the sakpipa, the Swedish bagpipes!
Yes. Pictured at left are "
sakpipasäckpipa," which date from Medieval times. The tradition dwindled down to a single practitioner before undergoing a revival in the modern era. You can even listen to an MP3 recording of that old favorite – "Krigsvisa om danskarna" – about war with Denmark. Note the catchy lyrics:"Armar, tarmar, lår och ben, sig upp i luften svinga,
och hela mänskokroppar med, sig stora flugor flinga…"Which roughly translates as -
"Arms, guts, thighs and bones are flying through the air.
And whole human bodies too, attracting big flies."














