The only Sami poem of epic character ever rescued from oblivion. A young man descended from the Sun's Daughter sails beyond the North Star to a land of gold and silver cliffs, where he courts the daughter of a frost-giant with a speech so fine it quickens her blood. His bride escapes her brothers' pursuit by untying three secret knots that command the wind. Their descendants, the Kalla-sons, became the inventors of skis and mighty hunters — and can still be seen in the winter sky as Orion, with his bow the Great Bear and his quarry the stars of Cassiopeia.

§40. Bæive Barnek — Sons of the Sun

The only Sami poem of epic character that has been rescued from oblivion concerns Bæive barnek — the Sons of the Sun. Pastor Fjellner of Sorsele, a born Sami, has the credit of having set it down from the lips of the people. It was previously printed in Læsning for Folket in excerpt, but since it has its most fitting place in a Sami mythology, it is reproduced here as well. It is said to be known from Härjedalen all the way to Jukkasjärvi.

The Sons of the Sun are thought to inhabit bæive bæle — the Sun-side, or Day-side, the southern side — by which the Sami understood the coastal land lying south of the Arctic Circle, whose inhabitants were called the Sons of the Sun or the Sons of the Day. The polar land above it constituted mano-bæle, the Moon-side or Night-side, whose inhabitants were called the Sons of the Moon-side or the Sons of the Night.

Another ancient poem — Bæive manak, "Children of the Sun" — tells how the daughters (nieidak) of the Sun and the Moon had caught and tamed the calves of wild reindeer. But the Moon-girl treated them cruelly and in the end slaughtered them all, so that she was left without a herd; she was therefore taken up to the Moon. Her descendant as well — the trickster of the legends, Askovits — was snatched up there as punishment for his rogueries. The Sun's Daughter, by contrast, kept her reindeer calves, and from them a whole herd grew up. She was the ancestress of the Sons of the Sun, among whom the hero of this poem became — through his giant-bride — the forefather of the Kalla barnek ("Karl-sons," renowned men), who were the inventors of skis and who hunted and tamed the elk. These too the Sami have raised to the starry sky. Orion, which they now call Aaron's Staff, was once known as Kalla bardne — a mighty hunter whose bow was the Great Bear, and whose quarry were the stars of Cassiopeia — the elk he hunted, followed by his dog.

The legendary poem "Sons of the Sun" opens with an introduction suggesting the land's sparse population and the shortage of young people, especially girls, and gives an account of the Sun-son's birth and his bodily and spiritual gifts. This is followed by a description of a distant land — the goal of his journey — which reads thus in Fjellner's Swedish rendering:

A legend has spoken,
A saga has sung:
Beyond the North Star,
West of sun and moon,
Cliffs of gold and silver —
Hard as hearthstones, rough and craggy.*
Gold glows there, silver shines,
The mountains mirror themselves in the sea,
Smiling at their gleaming images.

(Friis's note: the "craggy stones" refers to sinker-stones — stones bound with osiers and fastened with cords to the end of a fishing net, to prevent it from being swept away by the waves.)

Then follows how the Sun-son, on his ship manned by his finest men and favored by the winds and by the "Children of the Sea" (the waves) and by sea-trolls who also drove the vessel along, sailed

before the eastern wind
on past the moon, on past
the sun's glowing ring;

and how those heavenly lights grew gradually small as the North Star, which at last — when the giants' shore was reached after a year's sailing — seemed larger than the sun itself.

On arrival there he was met by the giant's only unmarried daughter, who by firelight was occupied with washing clothes and adorning herself; and who, seeing him, addresses him and asks:

Where do you come from, whom
do you seek? Death's
tablecloth? O Sun-son!
A snare-cord for my father,
a morsel for myself,
a lure-bite for my brothers,
a stew-bone for my brothers-in-law!

(That is: death. Your blood would then become a refreshing drink for my father, and so on.)

In answer, the Sun-son sings:

Sarakka shaped me from my father's
taut tendons; strength in the arms
I suckled with my mother's milk —
my mother's and father's inheritance.
Uksakka mixed the milk,
poured wisdom into my head. —
— I seek a haven in the storm,
a wisdom to tame wrath,
in luck and life and death a companion,
in adversity good counsel,
in prosperity a bridle,
for the heart's sorrows — recompense,
in need and anguish a comfort,
of prey and catch a partner,
of the other world a foreboding,
of us both — a descendant!

This declaration pleases the girl and quickens her blood. She is near to losing her composure, but gives her consent with these words:

Let us mingle our blood,
let us unite our hearts
in need and joy, O son
of my innocent mother!

(That is, her future mother-in-law.)

Then she turns to her father, adding also a prayer to her dead mother:

To you, best father, I confide
my sighing and my longing.
With love's tears I pray
to my mother in the grave
between sand and birch-bark.

(The Sami were sometimes buried in a sandbank; birch-bark was laid above, then stones — especially a large flat slab if one could be found.)

But the father's consent could not be had unless the suitor gave exact proof of his strength; so the old man challenges him to a sort of contest:

Come here, you bold Sun-son,
with your sinewy finger-hook!
Let us lock our hands,
let us pull at our fingers;
let us test it —
whose knuckles are tougher,
whose fists are harder!

The girl, foreseeing that the young man will come up short, holds out an iron anchor whose claws are to serve for the Sun-son's fingers. The old man was blind. When he has tested their strength and found it beyond all expectation, he exclaims:

Yes, by my soul, they are hard —
the Sun-side's finger-tendons,
the Sun-son's claw-fists!

The girl now advises the young man what to offer the old man:

As betrothal-gift, give him
a barrel of whale-oil for mead,
a barrel of tar for sour-drink,
a whole-cloven one as a chew.

(That is, a horse.)

From the powerful brew — the richness of land and sea — the giant grows drunk, seizes the anchor again and strains at it until the sweat pours off him. At last, moved by this, he gives them his blessing and betroths them:

The sense-bereft giant
leads and places them upon
the whale's — the sea-king's — hide;
slits the little finger of each,
mingles the blood together,
places hand in hand,
breast to breast,
ties the kissing-knots together,
clears away the ancient
knots of jealousy,
parts the hands, loosens
the betrothal-knots.

(At betrothal, two knots were tied and later loosened as a sign that conjugal life was now permitted.)

After this follows the wedding feast, after which the giant gives his daughter a dowry:

Golden cliffs by the shore
he had broken off and borne,
silver halls rowed aboard —
the shaggy-haired daughter's,
the curly-locked son's portion —
on the hemp-sail-winged boat.

And he proudly asks his son-in-law:

Does your vessel load worse?
Does the traveling swimmer carry more?

The bride also had brought aboard three chests full of things — which are enumerated — including several sets of three mysterious knots, and more besides.

While all this was taking place at the giant's hall, his sons were away walrus-hunting and whale-fishing; they returned only after the betrothed pair had already left the coast. They miss their sister — "the pride of the house" — and ask their father:

Whose sweat smelled good,
who breathed the scent from his breast,
to whom did you give your hand,
who had man's strength,
performed manly deeds,
who pleases the young girl?

And receive this answer:

The Sun-son, the young sailor.

At once they launched the boat in pursuit of those who had sailed away. A chase pressed to the very limit now began between the pursuers and the fleeing pair. The giant brothers, who are powerful oarsmen, gradually draw near the vessel:

Already the oar-blade's stroke is heard,
the rowlock-creaking draws near —
talk, mumbling, the thunder of waves.

Then the bride unties the first secret knot, and at once

the wind blows into the sails,
drives the ship with speed,
the waves lift high;
and the giants fall behind.

But inflamed with rage, they grip the oars still harder and continue the chase under loud cries, exhortations, and threats, drawing near the vessel once more. The bride asks the bridegroom whether the ship can withstand stronger wind. When he assures her that mast and rigging are strong, she loosens the second knot:

Then the west wind begins to blow,
the sea's daughters rise up,
strain the sails hard. —
The brothers are left from sight.
Blood boils, vengeance thirsts,
final strength is called upon,
blood-sweat is wiped away;
hands stiffen, backs bend crooked.
Fingers harden, grow fixed
like claws driven into the oar.
Heart glows, the boat swims,
the sea's swelling waves are cleft. —
They begin again to catch up.

Again the bride asks whether the ship can bear still more, and looses the third knot, whose consequence is a terrible storm with rain-squalls from the northeast:

The whipped-up storm bent the mast,
shook the flapping sails.
The ship pitched, rolled on its side.
She herself drew back,
lay down at the very keel
and hid behind closed eyes.

The young ones now escape safely. The brothers, at sunrise, climbed a mountain to watch for their sister's course. There they were transformed by the sunlight, and

petrified stone figures —
at Lofoten they are still seen;
the copper boat became a cliff.

(The following five stanzas are known only to the Torneå Lapps.)

— On a bear-skin, on the hide
of a two-year reindeer-doe,
the bride was consecrated,
drawn near to human size.
From her chest an axe
widened the doors,
enlarged the rooms;
she gave birth to Kalla-sons.

The family spread into Sweden
with their unmarried sons.
One branch to the Russian side,
another spread southward
behind the Danes and the Jutes.

Colophon

Source: J. A. Friis, Lappisk Mythologi, Eventyr og Folkesagn (Christiania, 1871), §40, pp. 170–176. The verse fragments are from the original transcription by Pastor Anders Fjellner of Sorsele (born Sami), who recorded the poem from oral tradition; they were published in excerpt in Læsning for Folket and reproduced by Friis in Swedish.

Translation note: The framing prose is translated from Friis's nineteenth-century Norwegian. The verse passages are Fjellner's Swedish renderings of a Sami oral original and are here translated into English from Fjellner's Swedish as reproduced by Friis. This is therefore a mediated translation (Sami oral → Fjellner's Swedish → English); no independent Sami text of these verses survives in the Friis volume. The mediation is attested in the colophon of the source; no prior English translation of either the prose or verse sections is known to exist.

Blood Rule: CLEAN — translated independently from nineteenth-century Norwegian (Friis) and Swedish (Fjellner). No existing English translation consulted.

Good Works Translation — New Tianmu Anglican Church Archive, 2026. Scribal credit: DSS Translator (Session 29, scheduled).

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Source Text

§40. Bæive barnek, Solens Sønner (Friis, 1871)

Det eneste lappiske Digt af episk Indhold, som er bleven reddet fra Forglemmelse, handler om „Bæive barnek," Solens Sønner. Pastor Fjellner i Sorsele, en født Lap, har Fortjenesten af at have optegnet dette fra Folkets Læber. Det findes forhen trykt i „Læsning for Folket," hvor det findes i Uddrag, men, da det har sin mest berettigede Plads i en lappisk Mythologi, hidsættes det ogsaa her. Det skal være kjendt lige fra Herjedalen til Juckasjårvi.

Solens Sønner tænkes beboende bæive bæle, (paa Sol- eller Dagsiden, den søndre Side), hvorved Lapperne forstode det søndenfor Polarkredsen beliggende Kystland, hvis Indbyggere kaldtes Solens eller Dagens Sønner. Det ovenfor den beliggende Polarland udgjorde mano-bæle, (Maane- eller Natsiden), hvis Indbyggere kaldtes Maane- eller Natsidens Sønner. En anden Olddigtuing: „Bæive manak," (Solens Børn), fortæller, at Solens og Maanens nieidak, (Døtre), havde fanget og tæmmet Vildrenens Kalve, men at Maanepigen behandlede dem ilde og tilsidst slagtede dem, saa at hun blev uden Renhjord, hvorpaa hun blev optagen til Maanen, hvorhen ogsaa hendes Afkom, Sagnenes Gjæk, Askovits, til Straf for sine Skjælmsstykker, blev henrykket. Solens Datter derimod beholdt sine Renkalve, hvoraf en Renhjord opvoxte. Hun var Stammoder til Solens Sønner, blandt hvilke Helten i den her omtalte Digtning ved sin Jættebrud blev Stamfader til „Kalla barnek," (Karlesønner, berømte Mænd), hvilke vare Opfindere af Skier, samt gik paa Jagt efter og tæmmede Elsdyr. Ogsaa disse have Lapperne ophøiet til Stjernehimmelen. Orion, som de nu kalde Arons Stav, lied nemlig før „Kalla bardne," en vældig Jæger, hvis Bue var Karlsvognen, og de Stjerner, som høre til Stjernebilledet Cassiopea, vare de Elsdyr, som han, fulgt af sin Hund, jagede efter.

Sagndigtningen „Solens Sønner" begynder med en Indledning, som antyder Landets ringe Befolkning og Mangel paa unge Mennesker, især Piger, samt gjør Rede for Solsønnens Byrd, Legems- og Sjælsevner. Derefter følger en Beskrivelse af et fjernt Land, Maalet for hans Reise, der lyder saaledes i den svenske Oversættelse:

„En sågen har taltit,
En saga har sjungit:
Bortom nordstjernan,
I vester om sol och måne,
Af guid och silfver klippor,
Spishård, krabbstenar* (voro).
Guid der gloder, silfver blanker,
Fjellen i hafvet sig spegla,
Le mot sina glånsande bilder."

(Friis's note: De med Vidier ombundne Stene, der befæstes med Snore til Enden af Fiskegarnet, at det ei skal fores bort af Bølgerne.)

Derefter følger, hvorledes Solsønnen paa sit med hans bedste Karle bemandede Skib, begunstiget af Vindene og af „Havets Børn," (Bølgerne), samt Havtroldene, som ogsaa dreve paa Fartøiet, seilede

„for ostanvind
Fram forbi månen, forbi
Solens glodande ring;"

Og hvorledes disse Himmellys efterhaanden bleve smaa som Nordstjernen, hvilken tilsidst, da Jætternes Strand naaedes efter et Aars Seilads, syntes at være større end Solen. Ved Ankomsten derhen mødtes han af Jættens eneste ugifte Datter, som ved Ildblus var sysselsat med at vaske Klæder og med at forøge sin Yndighed, og som, da hun ser ham, tiltaler ham og spørger:

„Hvadan kommer du, hvem
Soker du? (Soker du) dodens
Bordduk? O sol-son!
Låsk-diyck åt min fader,
Mig sjelf en smak-bit,
Mina broder en lock-mat.
Mina svågrar et kok-kott!"

(Friis's note: D.e. Døden. Dit Blod blev da som en Læskedrik for min Fader o.s.v.)

Til Svar synger Solens Søn:

„Sarakka mig skop ur min faders
Spanstiga senor; krafter i famnen
Med modersmjolken jag sog.
Ett moderne-faderne-arf.
Uksakka blandade mjolken,
Gjot vett i mit hufvud. —
— Jag soker hejd i stormen,
Ett vreden tamjande vett,
I lycka, lif och dod en van,
I motgang goda råd,
I medgang en tygel,
For hjertats sorger ersattning,
I nod och ångest en trost,
Af byte och fangst en smutterska,
Om andra verlden en aning,
Af oss bagge en åttling!"

Denne Forklaring behager Pigen og bringer hendes Blod i hurtigt Omløb. Hun er nær ved at tabe sin Fatning, men giver sit Ja med disse Ord:

„Sammanblandom vårt blod,
Våra hjertan forenom
I nod och lust, O Son
Af min oskyldiga moder!"

(Friis's note: D.e. hendes vordende Svigermoder.)

Derpaa vender hun sig til sin Fader, idet hun derhos ogsaa tilføier en Bøn til sin afdøde Moder:

„Dig, baste fader, fortror jag
Min suck och min långtan.
Med karlekens tår jag beder
Min moder i grafven
Mellan sand och nafver."

(Friis's note: Lapperne begravedes undertiden i en Sandbanke; ovenpaa lagdes Næver, (Birkebark), og derpaa Sten, især en stor, flad Stenblok, om en saadan fandtes.)

Men, da Faderens Samtykke ei kunde erholdes, medmindre Frieren viste nøiagtig Prøve paa sin Styrke, opmuntrer Gubben ham til et Slags Tvekamp:

„Kom hit, du frejdade sol-son,
Med din seniga fingerkrok!
Tojom på våra hånder,
Ryckom på våra fingrar;
(Låtom oss profva),
Hvems knogar (åro) segare,
Hvilkens nåfvar kackare!"

Pigen, der forudser, at Ynglingen vil komme til kort, holder et Jernanker frem, hvis Klør skulle gjælde for Solsønnens Fingre. Gubben var nemlig blind. Da denne har prøvet deres Styrke og fundet dem over al Formodning stærke, udbryder han:

„Jo, minsann aro de hårda
Sol-sidans fingersenor,
Sol-sonens klo-nåfvar!"

Pigen raader nu Ynglingen, hvad han skal byde Gubben:

„Som fastn ing (du gi f ve)
En tran-tunna till mjod,
En tjar-tunna till syre,
En helklofvad som tilltugg."

(Friis's note: D.e. en Hest.)

Af den kraftige Drik, Fedmen fra Land og Vand, bliver Jætten beruset, griber atter i Ankeret og arbeider, saa Sveden hagler ned af ham. Tilsidst, bevæget herved, skjænker han dem sit Bifald og trolover dem:

„synberofvade jatten
Leder och staller dem på
Hvalfiskens, hafskungens, hud;
Uppristar begges lillfinger,
Blandar blodet tillsamman,
(Lagger) hand i hand,
Brost intill brost,
Knyter kyssarne samman,
Undanrodjer fordomda
Svartsjukans knutar,
Skiljer hånderna, loser
(Trolofningens) knutar."

(Friis's note: Ved Trolovelsen knyttedes to Knuder, som siden løstes, til Tegn paa, at ægteskabeligt Samliv nu var tilladt.)

Derefter følger Bryllupsmaaltidet, hvorpaa Jætten giver sin Datter Medgift:

„Gyllne klippor vid stranden
Han låt bryta och båra,
Silfverhallar ro om bord,
— Lurfhåriga dottrens,
Kruslockiga mons lott —
På hampsegelvingade baten."

Og spørger stolt sin Svigerson:

„Lastar din farkost våi-re?
Bår resande simmaren mera?"

Bruden lod ogsaa bringe ombord tre Kister med en Hob Sager, der opregnes, deriblandt flere Tretal af mystiske Knuder m.m. Medens Alt dette tildrog sig hos Jætten, vare hans Sønner fraværende paa Hvalrosjagt og Hvalfangst, men kom tilbage, da de Forlovede vel havde forladt Kysten. De savne da sin Søster, „Husets Pryd," og spørge Faderen:

„Hvems svet smakte vål,
Hvem vådrade oset af barmen,
At hvem råckte du handen,
Hvem hade karla-styrka,
Lekte manliga bragder,
Hvem roar unga flickan?"

og faa til Svar:

„Solsonen, unge seglaren."

Strax satte de Baaden ud paa Jagt efter de Bortseilede. En til det Yderste gaaende Kappestrid fandt nu Sted mellem de Jagende og de Flygtende. Jættebrødrene, der ere stærke Korskarle, nærme sig omsider Fartøiet:

„Redan hores aromas slag,
Nalkes roddtullarnes gnissel.
Tal, mummel, vågornas dån."

Da løser Bruden den første hemmelige Knude, og strax

„Blåser vinden i seglen,
Drifver skeppet med fart,
Lyfter vågorna hogt;
Blifva så jåttarne efter."

Men opflammede af Vreden, gribe de end stærkere fat paa Aarene og fortsætte Jagten under høie Raab, Formaninger og Trudsler og nærme sig atter Fartøiet. Bruden spørger Brudgommen, om Skibet taaler stærkere Vind. Da han forsikrer, at Mast og Taug ere stærke, løser hun den anden Knude:

„Borjar då vestanvind blåsa,
Lyfta upp hafvets dottrar,
Spanna seglen hårdt. —
Broderna lemnas ur sigte.
Blodet kokar, hiimnden torstar,
Yttersta krafter anlitas,
Blodsvetten aftorkas;
Handerna steina, ryggarne krokas.
Fingrarne hardna, gro fast
Som klor, intryckta i åran.
Hjertat gloder, båten simmar,
Hafvets svallvågor klyfvas. —
De borja åter upphinna."

Atter spørger Bruden, om Skibet kan udholde endnu mere, og løser den tredie Knude, hvoraf Følgen bliver et græsseligt Uveir, med Regnskyl fra Nordost:

„Uppvilckte storm bojde masten
Skakade flagtande seglen.
(Skeppet) skuttade, krångde på sidan.
Sjelf drog hon sig undan,
Lade sig nederst vid kolen
Och slutna ogonen gomde."

De Unge undkomme nu lykkeligen. Brødrene klatrede ved Solopgang op paa et Bjerg for at speide efter Søsterens Kurs. Der forvandledes de af Sollyset, og

„Forstenade bildstoder.
Vid Lofoten, ses de ånnu;
Koppar-båten blef klippa.
— På en bjornhud, på skinnet
Af en två-årig renko,
Vigde man bruden
Till menniskostorlek narmad.
Ur hennes kista yxan
Dorrarne vidgade,
Forstorade rummen;
Kalla-soner hon fodde.

Atten gick ut i Sverige
Med skjutne ogifte sonen.
En gren åt den Ryska sidan,
En annan åt soder sig spridde
Bakom Danskar och Jutar."

Kun Torneålapperne kjende de fem sidste Strofer.

Source Colophon

J. A. Friis, Lappisk Mythologi, Eventyr og Folkesagn (Christiania: Alb. Cammermeyer, 1871), §40, pp. 170–176. The Swedish verse passages are Fjellner's transcription of a Sami oral original, reproduced by Friis. OCR sourced from the digitized 1871 edition; minor OCR artifacts retained in source text as found.

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