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Traditional Sámi spiritual practices and beliefs are based on a type of
animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...
,
polytheism Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, or whet ...
, and what anthropologists may consider
shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
. The religious traditions can vary considerably from region to region within Sápmi. Traditional Sámi religion is generally considered to be Animism. The Sámi belief that all significant natural objects (such as animals, plants, rocks, etc.) possess a soul, and from a polytheistic perspective, traditional Sámi beliefs include a multitude of spirits. Sámi traditional beliefs and practices commonly emphasizes
veneration of the dead The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a afterlife, continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fo ...
and of animal spirits. The relationship with the local animals that sustain the people, such as the
reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...
, are very important to the kin-group.


Deities and animal spirits

Aside from bear worship, there are other animal spirits such as the Haldi who watch over nature. Some Sámi people have a thunder god called Horagalles.
Rana Niejta Rana Niejta and Rana Niejte are variant forms of the Ume Sami name of a goddess in Sami religion, Sami mythology. In Northern Sami she is called Rana Neida and Rana Neide (names in other Sami languages are Rana Nieda, Ruona Neida, Radien-neide and ...
is "the daughter of the green, fertile earth". The symbol of the world tree or pillar, which reaches up to the North Star and is similar to that found in
Finnish mythology Finnish mythology commonly refers of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a Finnish Neopaganism, modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many shared features with Estonian mythology, Estonian and othe ...
, may also be present. Laib Olmai, the forest spirit of some of the Sámi people, is traditionally associated with forest animals, which are regarded as his herds, and he is said to grant either good or bad luck in hunting. His favour was so important that, according to one author, believers said prayers and made offerings to him every morning and every evening.


Sieidis

In the landscape throughout Northern Scandinavia, one can find '' sieidis'', places that have unusual land forms different from the surrounding countryside, and that can be considered to have spiritual significance. Each family or clan has its local spirits, to whom they make offerings for protection and good fortune. The ''Storjunkare'' are described sometimes as stones, having some likeness to a man or an animal, that were set up on a mountain top, or in a cave, or near rivers and lakes. Honor was done to them by spreading fresh twigs under them in winter, and in summer leaves or grass. The ''Storjunkare'' had power over all animals, fish, and birds, and gave luck to those that hunted or fished for them. Reindeer were offered up to them, and every clan and family had its own hill of sacrifice.


Noaidi

A '' noaidi'' is a mediator between the human world and ''saivo'', the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
, on the behalf of the community, usually using a Sámi drum and a domestic flute called a fadno in ceremonies.


Ancestors

One of the most irreconcilable elements of the Sámi's worldview from the missionaries’ perspective was the notion "that the living and the departed were regarded as two halves of the same family." The Sámi regarded the concept as fundamental, while Protestant Christian missionaries absolutely discounted any possibility of the dead having anything to do with the living. Since this belief was not just a religion, but a living dialogue with their ancestors, their society was concomitantly impoverished.


List of deities

The Sami religion differs somewhat between regions and tribes. Although the deities are similar, their names vary between regions. The deities also overlap: in one region, one deity can appear as several separate deities, and in another region, several deities can be united in to just a few. Because of these variations, the deities can be somewhat confused with each other. The main deities of the Sami were as follows: * Áhkká - a group of fertility goddesses, including Maderakka, Sarakka Juksakka and Uksakka * Beaivi - goddess of the sun, mother of human beings. However, in some areas the sun is male * Bieggagallis - husband of the sun goddess, father of human beings * Bieggolmai 'Man of the Winds' - god of the winds * Biejjenniejte - goddess of healing and medicine, daughter of the Sun, Beaivi * Horagalles - god of thunder. His name may mean "
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
-man". He is also called "Grandfather", Bajanolmmai, Dierpmis, Pajonn and Tordöm. * Jahbme akka - the goddess of the dead, and mistress of the underworld and the realm of the dead *
Ipmil ''Ipmil'' means God in the Northern Sami, Northern Sámi language. ''Ipmil'' has been used by Sami people, Sámi Christians for God, the creator and ruler of the universe. According to the Christian doctrine of Trinity, Ipmil consists of ''Áhč ...
'God' - adopted as a native name for the Christian God (see the related Finnish word Jumala), also used for Radien-attje * Lieaibolmmai - god of the hunt and of adult men * Madder-Attje - husband of Maderakka and father of the tribe. While his wife gives newborns their bodies, he gives them their souls. * Mano, Manna, or Aske - god of the moon * Mubpienålmaj - the god of evil, influenced by the Christian Satan * Radien-attje - Creator and high god, the creator of the world and the head divinity. In Sámi religion, he is passive or sleeping and is not often included in religious practice. He created the souls of human beings with his spouse. He was also called Waralden Olmai. * Raedieahkka - wife of the high god Radien-attje. She created the souls of human beings with her spouse. *
Rana Niejta Rana Niejta and Rana Niejte are variant forms of the Ume Sami name of a goddess in Sami religion, Sami mythology. In Northern Sami she is called Rana Neida and Rana Neide (names in other Sami languages are Rana Nieda, Ruona Neida, Radien-neide and ...
- spring goddess, the daughter of Radien-attje and Raedieahkka. ''Rana'', meaning "green" or by extension "fertile", was a popular name for Sámi girls. * Radien-pardne - the son of Radien-attje and Raedieahkka. He acts as the proxy of his passive father, performing his tasks and carrying out his will. * Ruohtta - god of sickness and death. He was depicted riding a horse. * Stallo - feared cannibal giants of the wilderness * Tjaetsieålmaj - "the man of water", god of water, lakes and fishing


See also

* Christianization of the Sámi people *
Finnic mythologies Finnic mythologies are the mythologies of the various Finnic peoples: *Finnish mythology Finnish mythology commonly refers of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a Finnish Neopaganism, modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of ...
* '' Fragments of Lappish Mythology'' *
History of Scandinavia The history of Scandinavia is the history of the geographical region of Scandinavia and Scandinavians, its peoples. The region is located in Northern Europe, and consists of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Finland and Iceland are at times, especial ...
* Indigenous religions of Norway *
Lars Levi Laestadius Lars Levi Laestadius (; 10 January 1800 – 21 February 1861) was a Swedish Sami writer, ecologist, mythologist, and ethnographer as well as a pastor and administrator of the Swedish state Lutheran church in Lapland who founded the Laestadi ...
* Religion among the Sámi people *
Sarnaism Sarnaism is a religious faith of the Indian subcontinent, predominantly followed by indigenous communities of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region across states such as Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. The essence of the Sarn ...
* Siberian Shamanism


References


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Folklore, Boundaries and Audience in The Pathfinder
(a film review by Thomas A. DuBois in ''SamiCulture'') University of Texas

Nordic FAQ

''Folklore.ee''

''Folklore.ee''
"Sieidi"
''Encyclopaedia of Saami Culture'' University of Helsinki
"The Sacred"
''Encyclopaedia of Saami Culture'' University of Helsinki {{DEFAULTSORT:Sami Shamanism Sámi mythology European shamanism