Introduction To Sámi Shamanism

Many Saami deities were viewed as invisible forces of nature rather than being personified as humans. There are several names for various deities because there are numerous Saami dialects. The thunder god was known by many names, including Horagállis, Hovregállis, ijjh, Dearpmes, Tiermes, Bájan, and ddjá. Then there was the Windman the ruler of winds. He was worshipped by the reindeer herders because he eased their job. One of the most important gods was Radien, the god of the community and the guardian of morality.

In the Sámi mythology, the goddesses are often related to birth, life and death, and the surrounding nature. Máttaráhkká is the goddess of the earth. The mother earth and the giver of life. Máttaráhkká gave the breath of life and soul to the child with the help of Radien. Sárahkka, Juksáhkka, and Uksákká were her three daughters.

Animals had several symbols for the Sámi. A swan was related to a man and it was able to communicate with the spirits that lived in the underworld. Same with the Loon, the great northern diver. Birds were divine messengers between the living and the dead. Bear's original home was in the starry sky, in the constellation of Ursa Major. Moose origins were also celestial. The Moose hold the sun in its antlers when running in the Milky Way.

The Goddess of the sun was called Beiwe. She was the beloved goddess of the Sámi. Beiwe was the creator of life. In winter she was honoured by sacrificing white reindeer to her. In the summer people made sun wheels and colourful ribbons and attached them to trees in her honour. During the winter she was greatly missed. The Sámi saw a direct connection between people´s moods when the sun was gone for several months and they did their best to help those who felt depressed during the darkest months. Beiwe´s counterpart was Mánnu, the Moon. Mánnu was a suspicious character, for it appeared to the skies within the night when nature was asleep.

Man has not always wanted to become fully an animal, but to have certain aspects of an animal. To do this they either dressed up as an animal or wore animal amulets. In some cultures, animal flesh was eaten or sacrificed to gain these powers. In the middle ages, people who were accused of practicing witchcraft were told about their ability to turn into animals.

The Sámi began to assess their prosperity in terms of the number of reindeer in the 16th century, which was a significant change in their culture. People ran out of food. There were no animals to hunt and fish in the lakes. People discovered that reindeer were more productive when they followed the reindeer's natural cycle. Herders began to accompany reindeer to their breeding grounds and areas where they gave birth. This alteration deepened the Sámi's bond with the reindeer.

Northern Lights have captured people´s imagination since the beginning of time. Australian Aboriginals do not see northern lights but southern lights, Aurora Australis. For the aboriginals, Aurora Australis represents their beloved deities and spirit dancing in the celestial sky. Sámi in Lapland also had superstitions about whistling. If they would whistle, the lights would come down from the skies, chase them and burn their hair. Because of this still today many Sámi tests their powers by whistling to the northern lights.

Sámi shaman drum was also called a "deer" and a "horse" because the drum helped the shaman on their journey to the spirit world. Sámi shaman drums are unique because unlike in many other cultures, Sámi drums are fully covered with patterns. The world tree for the Sámi was a great Alder tree. Alder tree bark was boiled and the liquid was used to dip arrows and as paint to paint the pictures to the shaman drums. This liquid was red like blood, giving the shaman drum a direct connection to the world tree and the circle of life. Often the base of the shaman drum was carved from the alder tree.

Disney´s Frozen II movie was developed together with representatives from Sámi nations. In this section, you will learn about some of the inspirations behind the movie that come from Finnish, Sámi, and Scandinavian lore. Stories such as the water horse, Seita, and stone giants. The main theme of the Frozen movies is a joik called "Vuelie" and it was composed by a Norwegian Sámi composer Frode Fjellheim. Northuldra tribe in the movie were inspired by the Sámi people.

There were all kinds of magical beings in the beliefs of the Sámi. They were known as Háldi (Norwegian) and Haltija (Finnish). These beings were invisible and they lived everywhere in nature and took different forms. Gufihtar was a Háldi similar looking to humans, but smaller and it lived underground. Máddu was the protector spirit of fish and animals. A fish Máddu was usually the oldest and the largest fish in the lake.

In this session you will learn basic shamanic practices from visualization to breathing and grounding. These are simple practices that can give you an idea what kind of tools the shaman used. Many of these practices like the tree visualisation can be used as a simple grounding/meditation technique.