an account from Vadsø on the Varangerfjord, from J. A. Friis, Lappiske Sprogprøver (1856)
Not a tale but an account of custom: how the Eastern Sámi, the Orthodox Skolt Sámi of the Russian borderlands, made a marriage over three days. It was told by a mountain Sámi at Vadsø on the Varangerfjord and printed by Jens Andreas Friis in 1856, in Sámi only. A dram of the wooer's wine, once drunk, binds the bride's parents; the bride weeps and fights the girls who dress her; and she comes to her new home under a veil, struck three times with a loaf of bread.
Translation
When the suitor and his parents, and his wooing-men and wooing-women, come to their gathering-place, the settlement where the bride lives, then the girl's father, mother and kin lead the wooing-men's draught reindeer right up to the door of the house, and only there do they unharness the reindeer and take off the collars, the girths, the halters and the bells.
When the wooing-men come to the bride's room or house, and slip in through the doorway, they give their noses to the bride's father: with their noses they greet the father, the mother, the bride's brothers and the bride. Among them the way of greeting is this: they press their noses against each other's noses, and bow three times. Then the wooing-men ask: "Have we leave to say something?" And those answer: "You have indeed!" Then they give thanks for that and bow three times, because these good words are the first they receive.
Then the wooing-men fetch wine, Russian wine, which they have brought with them, first a bottle that holds three pægel, and they give the girl's father, mother and brothers three drams each. And before they drink, they bow three times and touch their foreheads, shoulders and breasts with three fingers. And when those have drunk, the wooing-men give thanks (spaseb) and say: "Many thanks!"
And this, that the girl's parents have drunk the drams, is so binding for them to hear and to see, that the girl's parents can no longer hold their daughter back from marrying once they have drunk the drams, because by doing so they have already promised her. But if they do not accept the wooer's dram, then they have no mind to give their daughter in marriage. That was the first day.
When the second day comes, they prepare a feast, a drinking-party, in the house where the suitor is staying. The wooing-men and wooing-women first call three times at the girl's father's house and bow again and again, and say to the father and the mother by name: "Come, the two of you, to the wooing-tent!" And the two answer: "Many thanks!" The wooing-men bow again and again, and go off again to prepare the feast. Then they come a second time and call the father and mother by name again, and when the two say "Many thanks", they bow again and again. Then they come a third time to summon them. Only then do the girl's father, mother, brothers and sisters go to eat and drink in the wooing-tent.
— But the bride does not go to the feast: she stays in a corner of her father's house, and sits bowed over and weeps as long as they are there drinking. — When they arrive there, they bow, and give their noses to the wooing-men and wooing-women and to the young man and the young man's father and mother. When they have finished bowing, the young man's parents bid the girl's father and his wife sit down in the middle, at the back of the tent, and they themselves go to the two sides of the table, the men on one side, the women on the other. But the suitor's parents stand by the door and bow again and again.
Then the wooer takes a bottle that holds three pægel, and two drams, and pours wine into the drams, and carries them to the bride's father and mother, right up under their noses. The two first bow three times, and then take them and drink. The wooer bows three times again. Then the wooer pours into the drams once more, and sets them under the noses of two of the bride's brothers. Those two drink. Then again he pours both drams full, and so it goes round in this way three times.
When they have finished drinking and eating, they stand up on both sides of the table and give their hands together, each to his fellow, and then they kiss each other, each his fellow; on both sides they press cheek to cheek. Then the suitor's kin ask: "At what time shall we gather in the girl's father's tent?" And the girl's father says at what time they are to gather at his house to receive the girl. That was the second day.
When the third day comes, the girl's father prepares a drinking-feast in his house, and begins to summon all the kin of his own side to his house. And the girls gather at the bride's side to weep together with the bride, and they put a cloth over her eyes, over the bride's head. And the bride weeps under that covering cloth. At the same time the suitor gathers all his kin in his house, as many as he has. Then they set out, the suitor's kin and the suitor himself as well, for the girl's father's house.
When they come there, two boys stand before the door. They say to the first boy: "Let us in!" And he says: "Give money, and you may come in!" They give five or six skillings, and the boy lets them in. When they have come past the door of the porch, again a second boy stands before the inner door. They say: "Let us in!" And he demands: "Give money, and you may come in; you shall not come in before you have given money!" They give him money, and the boy lets them in.
When they come in, the kin of the girl's father stand up, and three of them walk towards the guests, and they send them all out of doors. Out of doors they go, and disappear out there for quite a long while, and they scoop snow onto their shoulders and onto their heads and over all their bodies, so that their whole bodies are covered in snow, and then they come in again. By then the boys are no longer at the door. When they come in, the suitor's kin say: "We cannot keep warm outside; the snowstorm is hard." And the girl's father says: "Out of doors with you!" And out of doors they drive off again. Again they scoop snow onto their shoulders in the same way as they did the time before. But when they come in a second time, the girl's father again commands: "Out with you!" And out of doors they drive off again, and a third time they scoop snow onto their shoulders in the same way, and then they say: "Once we get inside now, we will not go out again for nothing."
When they now come in, the girl's father and his kin at last bid them: "Walk over there now, to the back of the tent, and sit down!" They walk over, and begin to bow to the girl's father, mother and all the kin, every single one, as many as there are. Then the wooer of the girl's side begins to make ready two drams, and pours wine into the drams, and begins to give them drink. First he sets one under the nose of the young man's father, and under the noses of the mother and the young man's wooer. Then afterwards he begins to give to the kin of his own side in the same way. And they drink and eat the whole length of that day, for as long as the day lasts; but the bride weeps at the door end, and the other girls weep in the same way.
When they come to the end of drinking and eating, they bow, press their noses together and their cheeks, for now they have agreed fully, and they have drunk in agreement. Then the suitor goes to sit a little while beside the bride, and looks under the cloth at her face. When he has sat there a short while, he gets up again and goes away. Again in the same way the suitor's father and mother, and the wooing-men and wooing-women. Then they stand up and say to the girl's father: "Have we now received the girl from you?" And he answers: "You have received her indeed; now do as you will: whether you roast her eyes in the fire or treat her otherwise, however you will, my power no longer reaches my daughter."
Then the girls begin to dress the bride in her driving-clothes; they take off the clothes she wore in her father's house. And the bride weeps, and the other girls can in no way get the clothes on her. She grabs, kicks, leaps about, and strikes the other girls with her fists while they are dressing her. Then some of them take hold of her and press down her hands and feet, and others shove the clothes onto her. When at last they manage to get the clothes on her, they put the veil over her head, and under that veil she must travel the whole way until she comes to the suitor's home, whether she goes driving or walking.
When the other girls have got the clothes on her, two girls take the bride by the hands, one on each side, and lead her to the driving-sledge. And some take the blanket and all the bride's belongings and carry them to the sledge. They seat the bride in the driving-sledge and begin to lash her fast in the sledge. Then they lay the bride's belongings in the sledge, and the blanket over the bride's feet right up to her lap. And in the prow of the sledge, or in the bride's lap, they also put a Russian bread, because when they come to the suitor's home, they unlash the sledge and take the bread from the sledge's prow and raise the bride up, and the two girls, one at each hand, lead the bride to the suitor's house.
Then the suitor's mother takes the bread in her hand and walks behind her, and before the bride steps in through the doorway, the suitor's mother strikes the bride three times on the backside with the bread, and says: "Now you shall become the mistress of the bread!" As the bride goes in, she at once throws the bread in after her. Then the bride takes the bread in her hand and puts it on the table. But the bride is still under the veil when she steps into the suitor's tent, and she stays a week under the veil. And whoever wants to see her eyes must give money. When, at the end of the week, the two go to the priest, only then do they take the veil off.
Colophon
Translated from the North Sámi of Lappiske Sprogprøver: en Samling af lappiske Eventyr, Ordsprog og Gaader, edited by J. A. Friis (Christiania: J. W. Cappelen, 1856), pp. 28–32, where it stands under the heading Čacce-suolo (Vadsø) as Nuortalaš Sami soagŋo-vierok, "the wooing customs of the Eastern Sámi" (Friis's glossary gives nuortalaš Samek as "the north-eastern Lapps, or the so-called Skolt Finns"), "told by a mountain Sámi of Vadsø" (mujtaluvvum čacce-sullu bagje-âlmast). Friis printed it in Sámi only. The text was transcribed from the page images of the New York Public Library copy, and Friis's own corrections for pp. 29–30 were applied (âlmaidi, čokkanet, gieđaidæsek, olgo-rajge in the father's command, boaššo-gæččai); the next line's olgo rajge, which his list does not name, is kept as printed.
Words were checked in the Sámi–Norwegian glossary that Friis printed at the back of the same book, and in his larger Ordbog over det lappiske Sprog (1887). Vikkat is to lead (a Skolt word, Friis notes), so the hosts lead the guests' reindeer to the door. The wooing party is the soagŋo-âlmak, "wooing-men", the spokesmen of a wooing, and the soagŋo-gappagak, "wooing-women". The markan is "a place where several families live together". At the door the hosts take from the draught reindeer (hergid) the gæsas, the hide collar to which the trace is fixed, the ogotas, the girth, the bagge, the halter, and the golkka, the harness bells. Guests greet by giving their noses (njunesak äddëk) and bow (gobmerdet; gobmardallat, "bow again and again"); the bride left at home gobmol, sits bent forward. Bæjlalaš is "holding a pægel", a Norwegian measure of about a quarter litre, so golm bæjlasaš boattal, like viđa-viekosaš "weighing five vog" in another tale, is a bottle that holds three pægel; a cærke is a dram. Spaseb and spasebuššat are the Russian "thanks" and "to thank", which Friis glosses in brackets with the Sámi gitos and gitet; the English keeps spaseb once. Boft is "by means of": by drinking, the parents have promised. A jugalmas or jugalm is a drinking-party. Ællet is to stay a short while at a place, so the wooers "call" three times. The cloth over the bride's eyes is mosko, "close, covered"; the bæjta-line is a veil. Bivvat is to keep warm and borga a snowstorm; nuvta is "without more ado", so the guests will not go out again "for nothing". Soavat is "in agreement". The father's appe is his strength or power, and adnet ærresën is to treat her "otherwise" (æres, "other"). The bride njujkod, leaps about; the girls hojgek, shove, the clothes onto her, and sättëk, manage at last. The rano is a blanket; the girls garrat, lash her fast, and bardet, lay her things in order, in the sledge. The ruošša-lajbe is Friis's Russebrød, "Russian bread". The groom's mother strikes the bride on the bätti, the backside (båtta), and names her lajbe-æmed, "mistress of the bread" (æmed, "mistress of a household"); dadevitta is "at once", and balkestet is to throw.
Some readings rest on context. Elike, between stoppo ("room") and barta ("house"), is in neither of Friis's dictionaries; it is read as "or". Vitta gut' skilling is read as "five or six skillings" (gutta, six). Golmas is "a set of three" (1887), here "three of them", and oudald is "towards, to meet"; vuöjetet is "drive out" (1887), and vuogjalet is "drive off". Where Friis prints læ (læk), a singular verb with the plural beside it, the English gives the sense once. Who throws the bread in after the bride is not named; the English keeps "she".
No complete English translation of Friis's collection is known to us.
© 2026 Tianmu Anglican Church. This English translation is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0: you may share and adapt it for non-commercial use with credit to the Good Works Library, tianmu.org. The source text keeps its own terms. For other uses, see Rights and Reuse.
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Source Text: Nuortalaš Sami soagŋo-vierok
North Sámi text as printed by Friis (1856), pp. 28–32, under the place heading Čacce-suolo and with his note that it was told by a mountain Sámi of Vadsø, in his orthography, with Friis's corrections for pp. 29–30 applied; line-end hyphens are joined. Friis's five paragraphs are divided further here, at the same places as the English.
Dego irge ja su vanhemak ja su soagŋo-âlmak ja su soagŋo-gappagak bottëk sin čoakkem-sagjai, dam markani, gost moarse læ, de dok, dam niejda ačče, ædne ja fuölkek vikkëk lajdit soagŋo-âlmai hergid gidda barta uvsa njalbmai, ja de æska dast lujtëk hergid, gæsaid, ogotasaid, bagid ja golkaid.
Dego soagŋo-âlmak dam moarse stoppoi elike bärti bottëk, ja go uvse-rajge čagŋalek sisa, de si moarse aččai njunesak äddëk, njunegujm buörastattek ače, ædne, moarse vielljaid ja moarse. Sist læ daggar buörastattem-vuökke, njunesak dæddelek guojmesak njunnai, ja gobmärdëk golma gærde. De jærralek soagŋo-âlmak: „Læ-go mist loppe sardnot maidege?“ De dok fastedek: „Læ galle!“ De si gitek dam oudast ja gobmärdëk golma gærde, go si daid burid sanid oǯǯuk vuostasak.
De viǯǯëk soagŋo-âlmak vine, ruošša vine, maid si læk mieldesek buktam dobbe, vuost golm bæjlasaš boattal, ja de äddëk niejda aččai, ædnai, vielljaidi, gæsag golma cærke. De si gobmärdëk, oudal go jukkek, golma gærde, ja čuggijek golmain suormain galloi, oalgai ja raddai. Ja de soagŋo-âlmak spasebuššek (gitek), go dok læk jukkam ja celkëk: „Ædnag spaseb (gitos)!“
Ja dat, ätte niejda vanhemak jukkam læk cærke, dat læ sigjidi nu nannos gullat ja oajdnet, ätte niejda vanhemak æi buvte šat caggat niejdasak najtalæmest, maŋŋel go si cærke læk jukkam, damditti go si dam boft jo læk loppedam. Mutto go si æi vuöstaivalde soagŋo-âlbma cærke, de sist i læk miella niejdasak najtet. De læi vuostas bæjve.
Dego nubbe bæjve šadda, de si rakadek hæjaid, jugalmasa, dokko dam bärti, gost irge assamen læ. Soagŋo-âlmak ja soagŋo-gappagak vuost golma gærde ellëk niejda ače bartast ja gobmardällëk, ja nama mæld celkëk aččai ja ædnai: „Boattet galgabække soagŋo-goattai!“ De dok fastedæva: „Gito ædnag!“ De soagŋo-âlmak gobmardällëk ja vulgëk fast rakadet hæjaid. De bottëk si fast nubbe gærde ja de oppet ravkek nama mæld ače ja ædne, ja go dok cælkeb gito ædnag, de si gobmardällëk. De bottëk goalmadašši goččot. De æska vulgëk niejda ačče, ædne, vielljak ja oabak borrat ja jukkat soagŋo-goattai.
— Mutto moarse i vuölge hæjaidi, mutto bacca ačes barta čikki, ja gobmol ja čierro nu gukka go si dobbe jukkamen leǯǯëk. — De si, go dokko bottëk, de gobmärdëk, njunesak äddëk soagŋo-âlmaidi ja soagŋo-gappagidi ja bardnai ja barne aččai ja ædnai. Dego si gobmardallamest læk gærgam, de goččuk barne vanhemak niejda ače oktan galgoines čokkanet gasko, boaššo-gæččai, ja de ječčasak männëk guökte bællai bævde, âlmak nub' bællai, nissonak nub' bællai. Mutto irge vanhemak čuǯǯuk uskën ja gobmardällëk.
De soagŋo-âlmaj valda golm bæjlasaš boattal ja guökte cærke, ja læjko vine dai cerki sisa. De doalvo dam moarse ače ja ædne njune oudi. De dak vuost golma gærde gobmärdæva ja de valdeb ja jugestæva. De soagŋo-âlmaj oppet gobmärd golma gærde. De læjko fast oppet soagŋo-âlmaj dai cerki sisa ja guödda moarse viellja guökta njune oudi. De jugestæva dok. De oppet læjko gugtui cerkid dievva, ja de birra manna dam lakkai golma gærde.
Go si læk gærgam jukkamest ja borramest, de si guökte bællai bævde čuoǯǯastek ja addalek gieđaidæsek okti, gotteg guojbmasis, ja de cumaställëk gotteg guojmes, guökte bællai niera dæddelek si. De jerrëk irge fuölkek: „Man ajgai galgap niejda ače goattai čoakkanet?“ De niejda ačče cælka, man ajgai si galgek čoakkanet su bärti niejda oaǯǯom ditti. De læi nubbe bæjve.
Dego goalmad bæjve šadda, de niejda ačče rakad jugalm bartasis, ja goččogoatta ječas bæle fulkid buok su bartasis. Ja niejdak čoakkanek moarse lusa čierrot oktan moarsin, ja bigjëk line čalmi ala, bagjel oajve moarsai. De čierro moarse dam mosko line vuold. De dam sæmma ajge irge čoakke bartasis fulkides buok nu ædnag go leǯǯëk sust. De vulgëk si, irge fuölkek ja irge ješ majda niejda ače bärti.
Dego si bottëk dokko, de læva guökte ganda uvsa oudast. De dägjëk algo-gandain: „Luojte min sisa!“ De dat cælka: „Addet ruđa, de bæssabækket sisa!“ De dok äddëk vitta gut' skilling, ja de luojta dat ganda sisa. Dego bottëk fæskar uvsa duökkai, de fast nubbe ganda siskeb uvsa oudast orro. De celkëk: „Luojte min sisa!“ De dot ravkal: „Addet ruđa, de bæssabækket sisa, ækket bæsa, oudal go ruđa lækket addam!“ De äddëk ruđa dok, ja de luojta dat ganda sin sisa.
Dego bottëk sisa, de niejda ače fuölkek čuoǯǯastek ja vaʒʒelek golmas dai oudald, ja de goččostek olgo-rajge buokaid. De dok olgo-rajge männëk ja javkek dobbe olgon viekka gukkarak, ja gojvuk muottagid olgidæsek ala ja ojvidæsek ala ja buok rubmašæsek ala, atte læ muottan buok sin rumaš, ja de bottëk fast sisa. Dalle æva æmbo læk gandak uvsa oudast. Dego bottëk sisa, de celkëk irge fuölkek: „Æp bivvam olgon, borga-albme læ garas.“ De niejda ačče cælka: „Vuojetækket olgo-rajge!“ De dok vuogjalek olgo rajge fastajn. De oppet gojvuk muottagid olgidæsek ala sæmma lakkai go oudeb have læk dakkam. Mutto dego nubbe gærde fast sisa bottëk, de oppet goččo niejda ačče: „Vuogjalækket olgus!“ De dok vuogjalek oppet olgo-rajge ja gojvuk goalmad gærde oppet sæmma lakkai muottagid olgidæsek ala, ja de celkëk: „Go dal čagŋalæǯǯap sisa, de æmbo æp vuölge olgus nuvta.“
Dego dal bottëk sisa, de goččuk niejda ačče ja su fuölkek vimag: „Vaʒʒet dal dokko boaššo-gæččai ja čokkanækket!“ De dok vaʒʒek ja gobmardallagottëk niejda ače, ædne ja fulkid buokaid, juökke ovta nu ædnag go leǯǯëk si. De niejda bæle soagŋo-âlmaj riebma rakadet guökte cærke ja læjko vine dai cerki sisa, ja jugatišgoatta sin. Vuost guödda barne ače njune oudi, ja ædne ja barne soagŋo-âlmai njune oudi. De maŋeb have ječas bæle fulkidi addegoatta sæmma lakkai. De jukkek ja borrek dam bæjve gæče mield nu gukke go læ bæjve, mutto moarse čierro uske-gæčest ja ærra niejdak sæmma lakkai čirruk.
Dego gærgagottëk jukkamest ja borramest, de si gobmärdëk, njunidæsek okti dæddelek ja nieraidæsek, damditti atte de læ (læk) si dal soappam ollasi, ja de læ (læk) si soavat jukkam. De irge manna moarse baldi čokkanastet, ja gæčča line vuold muođoid. Dego oanekässi čokkanastam læ dast, de fast čuöǯǯel eri. Oppet sæmma lakkai irge ačče ja ædne ja soagŋo-âlmak ja gappagak. De si čuöǯǯelek ja dägjëk niejda ačin: „De læp mi dal niejda dust oǯǯum?“ De dot fasted: „Lækket galle oǯǯum, de dal dakket, gosa datošækket, dëgo dolast basset čälmid, dëgo adnet ærresën, mannën di datošækket, de mu appe dal æmbo i ole mu nijdi.“
De niejdak rakadišgottëk moarsai vuögjem-biktasid bägjeli; daid biktasid eri nullëk, maigujm ače bartast læi. De moarse čierro, ja ærra niejdak æi buvte biktasid bägjeli moktege garvotet. Dot valda, čievčad, njujkod, čorbma daid ærra niejdaid, go dok garvotæmen læk. De valdek muttomak, deddëk gieđaid julgid, ja de muttomak biktasid hojgek bägjeli. Dego si vimag sättëk biktasid bägjeli, de bigjëk bæjta-line oajve ala, ja dam bæjta-line vuold son galga jottet nu gukka go dam irge bajkai bođiš, daj son læǯǯa vuögjemen, daj vaʒʒemen.
De ærra niejdak, go biktasid oǯǯuk bägjeli, de valdeb guöfte niejda guabbag moarse gitti, ja de vuölgeb lajdet vuögjem-gærres lusa. Ja de muttomak valdek rano ja buok moarse galvoid ja dolvuk gærres lusa. De čokketek moarse vuögjem-gærresi ja garragottëk gærresi. De bärdëk gærres sisa moarse galvo ja rano moarse julgi ala gidda aske ragjai. De dam gærres njunnai, daihe moarse askai, vel bigjek ruošša-lajbe, damditti go si dokko bottëk irge bajkai, de si nullëk gærres, ja dam lajbe gærres njunest valdek ja moarse čuoǯǯaldättëk, ja de valdeb guöftes guabbage gieđast lajdet moarse irge bärti.
De irge ædne lajbe valda gitti, ja de vuolga vaʒʒet maŋŋest, ja de, oudal go uksa-rajge sisa moarse čagŋal, de irge ædne golma gærde časka dain lajbin moarse bätti, ja cælka: „Don galgak dal šaddat lajbe-æmedën!“ Go moarse sisa manna, de son dam lajbe dadevitta balkest maŋŋeld sisa. De moarse valda dam lajbe giettasis ja bigja dam bævde ala. Mutto moarse ajn læ bæjta-line vuold go irge goattai čagŋa, ja son orro vakko dam bæjta-line vuold. Ja gutte ajgo su čälmid oajdnet, de dat ferte ruđa addet. Dego vakko gæčest papa lusa mannab, de æsk valdek dam bæjta-line erit.
Source Colophon
J. A. Friis (ed.), Lappiske Sprogprøver (Christiania: J. W. Cappelen, 1856), pp. 28–32, with Friis's corrections for pp. 29–30 from his list of misprints. Public domain. Transcribed from the page images of the New York Public Library copy, digitized by Google (Internet Archive identifier lappiskesprogpr00friigoog); a former owner's handwritten marks in that copy are not part of the text. Friis's letters are kept as printed, including â, ä, ö, ë, č, đ, š, ŋ, and both ʒ and ǯ, which he distinguishes.
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