Mythology Of The Sámi

By Fairychamber

Step into a magical journey to learn about Sámi mythology and folklore. Be amazed by these beautiful stories, the worship of the reindeer spirit, the northern lights, the deer that holds the sun in its antlers and gods and goddesses that brought the light, thunder and snow with them. The Sàmi are the indigenous people of Scandinavia. Residing in four countries. Lapland of Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Learn about the connections between Sámi and Scandinavian mythology and Disney's Frozen II, which was made in collaboration with the representatives from Sámi nations. We will also dive into gender roles, motherhood and ancestral beliefs. Are you interested in myths and legends from Lapland? This book is for everyone who are interested to learn about the mythology of the Sámi and the history of the Sámi spirituality. You can also expect guidance for personal shamanic practice and how to implement practices shared in this book in your every day life. There is also a section about Shaman drums and Shaman drum patterns in Scandinavia. Illustrated with enchanting paintings from the author, the mythology of the Sámi is a treasure for anyone who loves to step into the world of magical folktales.

Niina Niskanen is a Finnish artist and folklorist known by her online name "Fairychamber". Niina is a YouTuber and a podcaster and she is known for her vivid illustrations and storytelling. One of her speciality is to research the portrayal of mythology and folkore in pop culture.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fairychamber
• Release date: Feb 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223612902

Book preview

Mythology of

the Sámi

Content

Foreword

Part 1 Gods and Goddesses

Sun and the moon

Gods of Lapland

Goddesses of the Sámi

Northern Lights

Part II Animal Spirits

Shapeshifting

Animal Symbolism

Part III Magical Creatures

Staalo

Fairies, Gnomes and Spirits

Part IV Shamanism, history and practice

Shaman drum patterns in Scandinavia

Shamanic practice

Part V Sámi mythology in Pop Culture

Frozen II and Sámi culture

Digital Nomads Podcast

Content

List of Sámi deities and spirits

Drum patterns

Sources

Request

About the artist

Forewords

I began to study Sámi mythology in the autumn of 2015. The reason why I remember this time very vividly was that I was recovering from surgery at the time and I was looking for something new to keep myself occupied. I have been studying Finnish mythology since I was a teenager. When we study mythologies we often come across very similar storytelling patterns.

Certain characters pop up, in entirely different types of cultures. Some of these creatures are for example nightmare spirit, that presses the person's chest while they are sleeping. I have not come across a culture, that would not have this creature in their myths. It exists in every culture from the Arabian peninsula to China, South America and Lapland. Then we have magical creatures like fairies and mermaids, which take different forms and appear in all cultures. Sometimes the pattern breaks. In most cultures, the sun is seen as male and the moon as female. In the Northern hemisphere, this is the opposite. In these stories, the sun is a female and moon is a male. In Lapland the sun goddess was Beiwe. In Norse mythology, she was known as Sunna. In Baltic countries her name was Sáule. In many mythologies, the moon is a trickster or a cheating husband.

I have often wondered why this is. Why in these countries the sun is a woman? I have concluded, that because of the long winter months, the summer was a time of plenty and who was better to symbolize plentifulness than a loving, nurturing goddess who brought warmth and growth with her. After studying Finnish mythology for many years, I was curious to find out more about the earliest myths in Finland and how these early myths affected Finnish folklore. The first inhabitants of Finland were the Sámi and the mythology of the Sámi is part of proto-Uralic myths.

Uralic refers to the Ural mountains in Russia, which is believed to be the original home of the Sámi, the Finns, and other people who spoke the Finno-Ugric and Samoyed languages. The proto-Uralic mythology is the base of both Finnish and Sámi mythologies. I am from northern Finland and the northern lights usually appear green where I come from.

I have heard that this has something to do with the closeness of the sea.

The first Sámi story that I heard as a child was the story of a Firefox and I have loved the story ever since. Another story that has always captured my imagination is the story of moose or a deer who carried the sun in its antlers. The myths of the Sámi give explanations for the birth of the universe and the cosmos. Their way of life is still today encouraging, for they haven't forgotten their relationship with nature. This book is a collection of articles I have written about the Sámi culture and mythology over the years. To the end of this book, I have included articles and podcast interviews I´ve done about the connection between Disneyś Frozen II and the Sámi and Scandinavian myths. They have received lots of attention and interest ever since I posted about them for the first time. I hope you enjoy learning these myths as much as I have.

Niina

Part I

Gods and

Goddesses

Sun and the Moon in Sámi Mythology

and Folklore

Living in balance with nature

In these modern times, you can find Sámi in all kinds of professions but back in the day majority of the Sámi were fishermen, hunters and above all reindeer herders. The nomadic lifestyle was a natural way of life for many Sámi. They knew all about the constellations, movements of the sun, moon, stars and the northern lights. Sámi stories and folk tales were told orally from one generation to another. A few hundred years ago in Finland, Sweden and Norway, pagan beliefs of the Sámi were suppressed and many Sámi converted to Christianity. Because of this, slowly the old stories vanished. Now we have only fragments left of the Sámi myths and legends.

Beiwe the sun goddess

There are many different Sámi languages, and the written form of the names varies. Sun was called Beiwe/Beaivi. In the Sámi culture deities were not always personified. Often deities were seen as invisible spirits living inside rocks, rivers, stars, northern lights and such. Beiwe was one of the most important deities in the Sámi culture because, during winter in Lapland, the sun does not come out at all. The darkness lasts several months and even though snow reflects the moonlight, darkness still had its effects on the mental health and well-being of the people. Sun was greatly missed during the long winter months. When the sun was in its human form it was called Beaivvi Nieida the sun maiden. Beaivvi Nieida was connected to spring and fertility. Her sacred animal was the white reindeer. During summer solstice people made sun wheels from twigs, flowers and leaves and hung them into the trees. Beiwe was connected to the fertility of the earth and well being of plants, flowers and animals.

There was a custom to sacrifice white animals to Beaivvi Nieda in the midwinter ritual to welcome back the sun. If there were no white animals available, animals who had white ribbons attached to their ears were sacrificed. Another tradition that was part of the ritual was to light fires that represented the sun. There was a custom to sprinkle fat on the door edges, which the sun would eat and become stronger before turning back to the sky after its long rest. Animal sacrifices were only made during winter. Otherwise, that would have been impolite because flames might have been shining brighter than the sun itself.

Gifts for the sun

In the Lapland of Sweden, there was a