a tale from western Tana, from J. A. Friis, Lappiske Sprogprøver (1856)

The jetanas is the giant of the North Sámi tales, huge and strong. Told in western Tana and printed by Jens Andreas Friis in 1856, in Sámi only, this tale tells how a boy who had to serve a giant got the better of him by cunning, lived through the nights on which the giant tried to kill him, and fled with his wages, and what became of the giant and his family when they followed.

Translation

A certain boy set out on his travels, and came to a Giant's place. The Giant set about getting him for his serving-boy, and the boy had to give his promise. Then one day after that the Giant, as was his custom, began to challenge his serving-boy to a contest with him, and said: "Let us two go to the pine wood now!" At first the boy did not want to go; but when the next day came, the two of them went to the pine wood, and when they got there the Giant said: "Let us butt a pine with our heads!"

So they butted, and the serving-boy rammed his head through a pine; for he had been so cunning that he had bored through that pine beforehand, and covered the place over again with bark. But when the Giant butted another pine, only the bark split away. The Giant said: "Now butt a pine again!" And the serving-boy again butted through a pine, which he had also bored in the same way. Then the Giant said to his serving-boy: "Hey, hey! A strong one he is after all, the serving-boy!"

Then the Giant called on his serving-boy: "Let us go now!" They had not gone far before the Giant said: "Let us shout, to see which of us can shout the louder!" Then the Giant shouted, so that crags went tumbling down from the cliff. The serving-boy walked off into a thicket of young birch, began picking out a hoop-pole, and said: "First I mean to bend a hoop around your head, so that your head will not split in two when I shout." Then the Giant said: "Oh, don't shout, my dear serving-boy! My head is fragile!" And then he called on his serving-boy again to set off.

So they set off, and the Giant said to his serving-boy: "Let us throw, to see which is the stronger at throwing! I have a hammer that weighs five vog." Then the serving-boy said: "Let us throw, then!" Then the Giant took the hammer, and the Giant threw the hammer up into the sky, and it could not be made out at all in the depths of the sky. Then the serving-boy took the hammer by the handle, and could only just stand it up on end. Then the serving-boy began to gaze up into the sky.

The Giant said: "What are you looking at, that you don't throw?" The serving-boy said: "I am looking to see which cloud I should throw it into, the cloud that stands still or the cloud that drifts." "Oh, don't throw my hammer, my dear serving-boy! I inherited that hammer from my father! Let us go to the house now!"

When night came, the Giant put his serving-boy to sleep in a house apart; but when the Giant had gone, the serving-boy got out of the bedclothes and went off, fetched some big logs, and put them into his own bedclothes. Then he himself went outside and bored a hole in the wall of the house, and began to peep through the hole. Then in the night the Giant came with a big hammer and began to beat the sheepskin cover, so that the big logs in there boomed. The Giant thought it was the bones being smashed, and went to his own house.

When the Giant had gone, the serving-boy came at once and took the big logs away, and then crept into his bedclothes himself. In the morning the Giant came and said to his serving-boy: "Didn't you dream anything?" The serving-boy said: "I didn't dream anything; it did seem to me once as if a louse were biting."

The next day the Giant again put his serving-boy to sleep. But when the Giant had gone to his house, the serving-boy got out of the bedclothes and went off, fetched big logs a second time and put them into the bedclothes, and then went away himself. Then in the night the Giant came and kindled a fire under the bed, and went away. Then the serving-boy came and put out the fire, but even so half the bed burned, half the hide, half the sheepskin cover. Then he crept in there himself, under that half of the sheepskin cover.

In the morning the Giant came and shouted: "My dear serving-boy, didn't you hear anything?" And the serving-boy shouted back: "I didn't hear anything; it seemed to me once as if a gust of wind were soughing by." Then the Giant said to his serving-boy: "Come now and take your wages; I will not work with you at all!"

So the two of them went, and the serving-boy took a great sack along with him. First the Giant scooped out one scoopful of money, and said to his serving-boy: "Can you still manage to carry more?" The serving-boy said: "Scoop yet another scoopful!" Then the Giant scooped out two scoopfuls, and said to his serving-boy: "Now you must carry it all without lightening it; I will come and see whether you have lightened it."

Then the serving-boy went behind the mountain ridge and lightened it, taking a third away. When the Giant went to see whether he had lightened it, and found that he had lightened the money, he ran back and hurriedly called on his wife, and the two of them ran after him. When they began to catch up, the serving-boy threw a leaf behind him, and a great forest grew up in front of the Giant. Then the Giant ran back to fetch an axe, and he cut a way through the forest and ran after him again.

Then he began to catch up again. The serving-boy grabbed a piece of flint and threw it behind him, and a great cliff rose up, so that the Giant had to run back to fetch a broadaxe. There he took a big broadaxe, and ran after him again. Then he hewed a hole through the cliff, and began to catch up again.

The serving-boy threw a piece of sulphur behind him, and it became a lake. The Giant could not get round it; he had to run back to fetch his wife and his daughter, and then they set off after him again. When they came up to the lake — the serving-boy was sitting on the other side — they began to drink, and drank almost all of it; a little was still left.

Then the old woman said to her daughter: "Hold on to his rump-gut!" Then he tried to drink it all; but then a fox cub came and kept egging her on, carrying on in all sorts of ways, to see whether the girl would burst out laughing. And she burst out laughing, let the gut slip, and all that water gushed out. And they all perished in that water.

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. 35–37, from the group headed Dænodak, which Friis's glossary gives as western Tana. 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 p. 36 were applied (cuvkanek for cuvkkanek, rængas for rægas); two slips his list does not mention, Jatanas and Jettanas for Jetanas, are 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): a rænga is a serving-boy; doarostet is to butt, as a beast butts with its horns; bargadet is to shout or bawl, and jedneb is "louder"; a ladnja-botto is a thicket of young birch, and girdus is a pole for making a barrel hoop (girdo); a balva-ladnja is a cloud, orro vaj jotte, "standing still or drifting"; albme-savdnje is the bottomless depth of the vault of the sky; viekkosaš is "weighing so many vog" (a viekko or vog is eighteen kilograms, as Friis's 1887 dictionary gives it), and a skuvle-sæka is a sack that holds five or six vog; nađđa is the handle of an axe or knife; galda is an unsplit log of firewood; gavnek are bedclothes, and a roavgo is a bed cover of unshorn sheepskins; julket is to resound under heavy blows; a goajvo is a scoop or shovel; a spajto-rajge is a passage hewn through thick forest; a mærës is a big broadaxe; rišša is sulphur; batta is the rump and čoalle the gut; givtastallat is to keep egging someone on, lattit to carry on or play-act, and bokkuset to burst out laughing; nistetet is to let something slip from the hands, and læjkaset to gush out. Äjdo veji ceggit is read as "could only just stand it up on end" (äjdo, "just, exactly"; ceggit, to raise upright). The Giant's cry gälle bat læge rængas apalaš speaks of "his" serving-boy in the third person; the English says "the serving-boy". The Sámi does not name the one who tries to drink up the rest of the lake, and the English says only "he"; su batta-čoale, "his rump-gut", could as well be "her". Two readings rest on context: dovdum, "made out" (from dovddot, to perceive), and časkad, printed without its expected past ending and read as the past of časkadet.

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: Jetanas ja su rænga

North Sámi text as printed by Friis (1856), pp. 35–37, in his orthography, with Friis's corrections for p. 36 applied; line-end hyphens are joined. Friis's single paragraph is divided here at the same places as the English.

Muttom bardne vulgi jottet, ja bođi Jetanasa bajkai. Jatanas bivdegođi su rængan aldsis, ja bardne ferti loppedet. De muttom bæjve dastmaŋŋel hastegođi Jetanas, vuöges mield, dam rængas gilvoi ječaines ja dajai: „Vuolgo moaj dal bæcce-vuovdai!“ Bardne i vuost dattom vuölget, mutto go nubbe bæjve šaddai, de vulgiga bæcce-vuovdai, ja go dokko bođiga, de dagja Jetanas: „Doarostekkusga ojvidæsga bæccai!“

De doarosteiga, ja rænga nordasti ojvin čađa bæce, dainago læi læmaš nu gavvel, atte læi oudalist rajgam dam bæce, ja fast gofčam saje barkoin. Mutto go Jetanas doarosti nubbe bæccai, de dušše barko lajgai erit. Dagja Jetanas: „Doarost dal fast bæccai!“ De rænga fast doarosti čađa bæce, maid son majda læi rajgam sæmma lakkai. De dagja Jetanas rængaines: „Hej hej gul, gälle bat læge rængas apalaš!“

De hasti Jetanas rængas: „Vulgusga dal!“ De æva mannamge gukkas de dagja Jettanas: „Bargadekkusga, guabba jedneb bufta bargadet!“ De bargadi Jetanas nu, atte bavtest nurkek fierralegje. Rænga vaʒʒeli ladnja-bottoi, gæčadišgođi girdus, ja dagja: „Mon gul ajgom vuost du oajve birra girdo sojatet, amas du oajve luoddanet guovdad go mon bargadam.“ De dagja Jetanas: „Ale jo gul, rængačam, bargad, must læ oajve rašše!“ ja de hasti fast rængas vuölget.

De vulgiga, ja dagja Jetanas rængaines: „Suppijekkusga, guabba læ gievrab suppit! Must læ gul viđa-viekosaš væčer.“ De dagja rænga: „Suppijekkusga gul!“ De valdi Jetanas dam væččer ja suppi Jetanas dam væččer albmai, de i obbage dovdum albme-savnjest. De valdi rænga væččer nađđi, ja äjdo veji ceggit. De gæčagođi rænga albmai.

Dagja Jetanas: „Maid gul gæčak, go suppe ik?“ Dagja rænga: „Dam mon gul gæčam, guabba balva-lädnji mon galgam balkestet, orro vaj jotte balva-lädnji.“ — „Ale jo gul, rængačam, suppe mu væččer, mon læm arbim ačestam dam væččer! Vuolgo moaj dal viste lusa!“

Go igja šaddai, de bijai Jetanas rængas sierra vistai nokkat, mutto go Jetanas manai, de eri vaʒʒeli rænga gavni sist, ja vieǯai stuorra galdaid ja bijai ječas gavni sisa. De manai ješ olgus ja rajgai stoppo-sæjne, ja guovlagođi dam rajge (čađa). De bođi Jetanas ikko stuorra væččerin ja huškogođi dam roavgo nu, atte dak stuorra galdak dobbe julkëk. Gadda Jetanas, atte davtek dak cuvkanek, ja manai ječas vistai.

Go Jetanas manai, de rænga dallan bođi ja valdi daid stuorra galdaid erit, ja de čaŋai ješ gavnides sisa. Iđđedest bođi Jetanas ja dagja rængaines: „Ikgo niegadam maidege?“ Dagja rænga: „Im mon niegadam maidege, oroi gul ovti mu mielast dego dikke gasketæmen.“

Nubbe bæjve de fast bijai Jetanas rængas nokkat. Mutto go Jetanas læi mannam vissusis, de rænga eri manai gavni sist, vieǯai stuorra galdaid nubbadašši ja bijai gavni sisa, ja de manai ješ erit. De bođi Jetanas ikko ja buollati dola sænga vuöllai ja manai erit. De rænga bođi ja časkad dam dola, mutto almake buli sængast bæle, duöljest bæle, roavgost bæle. De čaŋai ješ dokko dam roavgo-bæles vuöllai.

Iđđedest bođi Jetanas ja čurvi: „Rængačam, ikgo gullam maidegen?“ De rængage čurvi: „Im mon gullam maidegen, oroi ovti mu mielast, dego biegga-spalle šuvvetæmen.“ De dagja Jetanas rængaines: „Boađe dal gul balkad valdet, im mon gul barga duina maidegen!“

De manaiga, ja valdi rænga skuvle-sæka mieldes. Jetanas gojvi vuost ovta goajvo dievva ruđaid ja dagja rængaines: „Velgo goastadak æmbo guöddet?“ Dagja rænga: „Gojve vela nubbe goajvo!“ De gojvi Jetanas guövte goajvo dievva ja dagja rængaines: „Buok dal galgak guöddet gæpedkætta; mon boađam iskat, lækgo gæpedam.“

De manai rænga varre-čoro duökkai ja gæpedi goalmadasa erit. Go Jetanas manai iskat, lægo gæpedam, ja fätti, ruđaid gæpedam læi, de viekkali ruovtod ja hastesti akas, ja de viekkaleiga doarredet. Go juvsagođiga, de balkesti rænga lasta maŋŋasis, de šaddai stuorra vuovde Jetanas ouda-bællai. De viekkali Jetanas ruovtod avšo vieǯǯat, ja de čuopai spajto-rajge čađa vuovde ja viekkali fast doarredet.

De juvsagođi fast. Doppi rænga didno-stukka, balkesti maŋŋasis, de šaddai stuorra bafte, atte Jetanas ferti ruovtod viekkalet mærrës vieǯǯat. Valdi dobbe stuorra mærrës ja de fast viekkali doarredet. De čuolai rajge bavte čađa ja juvsagođi fast.

Balkesti rænga rišša-stukka maŋŋasis, de šaddai javre. I bæssam Jetanas garvet, ferti ruovtod viekkalet akas ja niejdas vieǯǯat, ja de fast vulge doarredet. Dego botte dam javre duökkai, — rænga nub' bæld čokka — de jukkagotte ja jukke masarak buok, baci vel uccanaš.

De dagja galgo niejdaines: „Doala gul su batta-čoale!“ De gæččali buok jukkat, mutto de bođi rjevan-čivga ja givtastalla, manga lakkai latte, jus dal niejda bokkusæǯǯa. De dat bokkusi, nisteti čoale, ja de dat čacce buokrak læjkasi olgus. De buokrak hævvanegje dam čaccai.

Source Colophon

J. A. Friis (ed.), Lappiske Sprogprøver (Christiania: J. W. Cappelen, 1856), pp. 35–37, with Friis's corrections for p. 36 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 ä, ö, ë, č, đ, š, ʒ, ǯ and ŋ.

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