IES JUAN ANTONIO FERNANDEZ - GRONG VIDEREGAENDE SKOLE

Comenius Project Melilla - Grong

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Sami Folklore

The fable about the island "Suolu"

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In the old days there lived a noaidi woman in Varanger whom they called Alda Ahkku. She wanted the people in the Varanger fjord to be well off. On the Russian side of the border she knew about some islands called Ainaisuollok. On these islands there was an abundance of angelica, seal, eggs and down.

In the Varanger fjord they had an island called Varjavuonsuolu, or Suolu, outside the church village of Nesseby. This island was not nearly as rich as Ainaisuollok. One day the noaidi woman decided to move Ainaisuollok. Varjavuonsuolu she would move to where Ainaisuollok were.

The noaidi woman climbed up on a mountain outside Juvravuonna further out in the Varanger fjord. She left her dog sitting at the land head Davvenjárga so that it would see when the islands came floating over from Russia. Up in the hillside Alda Ahkku started to joik, that is a kind of singing, and do her noaidi arts, some call it to gande. Ainaisuollok started shaking and moved slowly. The birds took off from the island and there was screaming and loud noise.

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The noaidi

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noaidi (north sámi)
noajdde (lule sámi)
nåejttie (south sámi)
n?jjd (skolt sámi)
niojte (ter sámi)
noojd/nuojd (kildin sámi)

The noaidi acted as an intermediary between the people in his group (siida) and higher powers. Some of the noaidis went into a trance to communicate with the gods and spirits.

This could be achieved by chanting a joik and beating a drum, or by using other aids. Some drank fish entrails, lye or aquavit to come into a trance.  

Once in a state of trance the noaidi could send his free soul off to travel to other places or to other worlds. If a person in the siida became seriously ill, the noaidi had to bring the soul back from the realm of the dead, or find out what had to be offered to make the person well again.  

It was often the noaidi who performed the biggest offerings. He or she could also obtain news of those who were far off, foretell the future and find things which had been lost. The noaidi was also responsible for making sure that everyone in the siida behaved like good Sámi. Some noaidis were able to harm people and a few were so strong that they could use their powers to kill.

 

Sami story

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Once upon a time there was a nåide called Nahkoergøørnje. He had a special leading reindeer, it was nice and white and could run faster than the wind. That’s why it was called Biegke-Giemhpe (fast as the wind).

 

No matter how fast the wolf ran, the reindeer was faster. There wasn’t a single wolf that was faster than Biegke-Giemhpe.

Biegke-Giemhpe was a staajne. Not  quite a cow and not a reindeer bull, and larger than a cow and smaller than a reindeer bull. It was the same with its antlers.

 

Before, the reindeer had rounded bones in the leg joints. In addition, Biegke-Giemhpe had two small strong bones in both front legs. That’s why it could run over all mountains and was never tired.

 

After that all reindeers have had legs like that, with two small bones on both front legs just like Biegke-Giemhpe had. These bones are called tjiehtjere-måarah

 

Humans have ever since carried these bones as charmes. They say that tjiehtjere-måarah gives power and protects the one who carries tjiehtjere-måara.

 

Nåide = wizard

Staajne = A gender neutral reindeer

 

A fight between noaids

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The highest noaid is the flying noaid, and his body lies still while he flies.

There were two boys and one girl in Karesuando, and they were all flying noaids. A woman is stronger than a man when she is a flying noaid. One day one of the boys wanted to propose to the girl. The two boys were friends. The boy didn’t marry the girl, he ended up fooling her. The girl was angry and ganded (cursed) the boy, he died and the other boy was left alone.

The girl and the other boy met on church grounds. The boy said that she had ganded his friend and exclaimed: “To split the marrow of the wild reindeer’s bone made you feel good.”

The girl answered: - “I will split the marrow of the other wild reindeer’s bone too today.”

Then they had already started to gand each other. The boy could not help himself. He flew out of his body and out to the sea. The girl flew after him, and the boy dove down into the sea.

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The birches on the graves of the two that used to love each other

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Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy. They had been friends from childhood and had grown up together. They were attracted to each other, they were in love and agreed to marry. But all their parents were alive and the boy’s father did not want them to get married. He didn’t allow the boy to marry the girl, but the boy refused to be parted from her, and the girl refused to be parted from the boy.

 

They then decided that if they could not get married, they had to die together, and agreed to kill themselves. One day they went into the mountains to a lake and tied themselves together with the roots of a tree and then jumped into the lake. People started missing them and went looking for them. They searched the lake and found the girl and the boy tied together with their arms wrapped around each other. The people took them out of the water, cut them apart and brought them to the farm. Coffins were made for them and the girl’s father asked the boy’s father:

Should we not bury them in the same grave? But the boy’s father replied:

No, we shall not. The girl’s father said:

I think we should bury them in the same grave, because I can see that they have loved each other since they were tied together. But the boy’s father became angry and said:

You will bury your daughter on one side of the church, and I will bury my son on the northern side of the church. Then they had to bury them like that.

 

Last Updated on Friday, 11 June 2010 17:30 Read more...
 


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