MovieChat Forums > Jungfrukällan (1960) Discussion > Anyone speak swedish??

Anyone speak swedish??

posted 18 years ago by mpg138
13 replies | jump to latest

This question has probably been asked numerous times, but is there a literal translation to English of the title of this film: Jungfrukällan? If so, what is it?

[–] Sasse4000 18 years ago

Well, I speak Swedish and my own translation of the title Jungfrukällan must be: Virginwell. I am not sure, please correct me any swede.

[–] mpg138 18 years ago

Thank you Sasse4000.

[–] Lets_talk_about_that 18 years ago

Yes, I've always heard of the film "The Virgin Spring," and I thought "spring" reffered to the season -- springtime. But I just saw the film and now I realize that it refers to a natural spring of water.

[–] Devans00 14 years ago

tourmalyn
Yes, I've always heard of the film "The Virgin Spring," and I thought "spring" reffered to the season -- springtime. But I just saw the film and now I realize that it refers to a natural spring of water.

I'm with you tourmalyn. I've been a movie fan most of my life and I've heard of this movie since at least the last 20 years. I'm amazed that It's taken me to see the film to get the title. That feat has to be like someone hearing the twist of the Sixth Sense until 20 years after they've heard the film existed.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] the_hours 18 years ago

Actually, virgin spring is the correct translation of the title.

[–] Sasse4000 18 years ago

Yes, you are right. Well and spring both mean "källa".

[–] the_hours 18 years ago

I agree.

[–] tishobj 18 years ago

Källa means "source" in the first place. But it can also mean a source of water, i.e. a spring of water.

[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 12 years ago

While it can mean either well or spring, things like this are typically translated into a word that best matches the word and context of it in its original language, which in this case would be "spring". I don't know Swedish, but I did learn a bit about linguistic anthro in college, and it only makes sense.

[–] Luca_Toni_Almeida 11 years ago

"Well" is an incorrect translation. A water well ("brunn" in Swedish) is an artificial excavation. A spring (or "källa") is a natural source of water. The Virgin Spring is both the literal and most poetic translation of the title.

In the original medieval ballad which Bergman based the movie on, three sisters are murdered in the woods. It's called "Töres döttrar in Wänge" (Töre's daughters in Wänge). Two of the lines go like this:

De högg deras huven mot björkestock
Där runno tre klara källor opp

... which roughly translates to:

"They cut their heads off against a birch log
[at a place] where three springs originated"

Bergman took this image and transformed it to a spring protruding from the ground where they find Karin's body instead. In both cases we're dealing with springs and not wells.

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 12 years ago

It either means 'The Virgin Spring' or 'The Virgin Well' as "källa" means "well" or "spring" just as in English "well" traditionally can mean the same thing as a "spring" though it is more common now for the usual man-made thing that people throw coins into thus wasting their hard earned money.

The individual parts of the word are "young-miss-spring-the".

"The game's afoot!"

[–] AgentSniff 11 years ago

The Virgin Spring or The Virgin Whell is a pretty straight translation, but you can replace "virgin" with "maiden". Jungfru in Swedish means both "virgin" and "maiden". Jung (young) fru (lady) - young lady.

[–] magnuspetersson72 10 years ago

I am Swedish, and The Virgin Spring is a 100% literal translation of "Jungfrukällan". Notice how many words becomes one in Swedish.

Jungfru (Virgin)
Källa (Spring)
N ("the")

Jungfrukällan