a close up of a embroidered object on a cloth

AUGOKO

The invisibly woven Bulgarian-Swedish threads

What is AUGOKO?

An experiment, a trilingual exploration of the hidden connections between two seemingly very different cultures - the calm, yet raw Swedish forests, full of magical beings and earthly flavours, and the chaotic untamed beauty of the Bulgarian soul, rich with liveliness and age-old endurance.

We seek to discover these connections and immerse you in the vividness of the contrasts, while purposefully blurring the lines between these two endless springs of mythology, luminaries, traditions, memories, tastes, faces and experiences. Are we so different after all?

Let us uncover the invisibly woven threads.
Articles published end of each month.

To the blog

AUGO = OKO

In Swedish, the word for eye - "öga" - has its roots back in Proto-Germanic and Gothic, where it appears as augō (𐌰𐌿𐌲𐍉). Like many of its Scandinavian phonetical siblings, its journey through time has been shaped by dramatic phonetic shifts, gradually softening and rounding itself into the gentle, almost whispered sound we hear today.

Its Bulgarian counterpart - "око" - comes from Proto-Slavic origins, carrying its typical strikingly direct and compact Slavic sound structure. The word has remained almost unchanged across the Slavic world - simple, sturdy, immediately familiar.

Despite centuries of separation, migrations, and inevitable linguistic drift, both words share a far older ancestor, emerging from the same Proto-Indo-European root, *h₃ekʷ - “to see”.

öga = око

True cognates - bound visually, phonetically, and historically - quietly affirming the underlying truth of AUGOKO.

Difference does not divide us as much as it reveals how deeply interwoven we already are.

Join Our Journey

Articles published end of each month.

AUGOKO

What is AUGOKO?

AUGO = OKO

Join Our Journey

Stay