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

Told in North Sámi at Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino) and printed by Jens Andreas Friis in 1856, in Sámi only, this tale begins with a man named Rolmannë who hears a voice beneath a stone and sends a strong serving-boy, the Haljo Boy, down into the dwelling under it. The boy keeps for himself the three things he finds there: with a flask of oil that makes whatever one thinks of come to pass he wins a manor and a king's daughter, loses both when the flask is sold behind his back, and is carried back over the sea by a great bird, which is where Friis's text ends.

Translation

There was once a man whose name was Rolmannë. Once, when he was out walking in the wilds and sat down on a flat stone, he heard a voice there. Then he tried to tear the stone loose, so that he might get to see what it was that was making itself heard there; but he could not manage it.

Now he knew of an old goodwife who had a son, by name the strong "Haljo Boy". So he went there to the old goodwife to ask for the boy as a serving-boy for himself (for he knew that he was strong), so that he could take him to the stone and set him to tear the stone loose from the ground. He went and asked for the boy, and got him for his serving-boy.

When he came there to the stone together with his serving-boy, he bade him tear the stone loose. The serving-boy took hold and tore it loose. Then the two of them saw that there was a hole under the stone, down under the earth, and that down there was a house, and in the house a shelf, and on the shelf three things: a flask, a pouch and a brass ring.

Then he bade his serving-boy let himself down through the hole. The serving-boy went down there, and then he bade him further: "Take the three things and bring them to me." The serving-boy took them and climbed back up with them. As he came up, the master said: "Now give them to me!" But he did not give them. Then the master grew angry and shoved him back down through the hole, and he went crashing down again into the room.

But there was yet another hole, from that house into another room, and he fell in a single plunge right into the other room. Then a person came to him and scolded him: "Why have you come here?" The serving-boy saw his master up above, and began to weep and to lay the blame on his master, and said: "It was that wicked one yonder who shoved me here." "Why did he shove you here?" Then he showed the three things which the master had sent him to fetch from the house, and he said to the person: "Because I did not give them to him, he shoved me here again."

Then the person said: "You must not give them to him, for they are good things." Then the boy asked: "Well, what does one do with them, then?" And the person told him: "In that flask there is a good oil, which is such that if one glances into it and thinks of anything, it comes to pass." But about the two other things the person explained nothing, and said only: "Those things too are good for something, each in its own time: put them away, and keep them safe! But now climb up into that upper room, open the flask, glance into the oil, and think what you want!"

So he climbed up, opened the flask, and thought of his master, who was up there at the hole keeping watch over him: that he should die "before I have got up, so that he can never again shove me down, and so that I may get free of this service, to which I was so rash as to promise myself." And that master of his died, and he climbed up and away out of the house under the earth. Then again he opened his flask and thought that there should come to be for him such a manor, near the king's manor, as would shine with gold and silver; and so it came to be.

Now the king had a beautiful daughter, and he took a liking to her. And the king gave him his daughter for a wife. But when after that he had grown as rich as he himself wished, and had taken servants, he set off himself to wander among other villages, and forgot the oil flask on the shelf in the room.

Then his master's brother came, who was called "the Other Rolmannë", and set about buying the oil flask from his household, or rather from his servants. And they sold the good oil flask; and that Rolmannë opened the flask the moment he got outside, and thought: "Would that the manor were moved far away to another land, so that the master is left behind, and so that I may have his manor and his beautiful wife!" And so it came to be.

But when the master himself came home to the place where the manor should have been, and saw that it had vanished, he understood that they had now sold the good oil. And then he went to his father-in-law; but his father-in-law had already seen that his manor had vanished, and said to him in hatred: "Where have you made away with your manor and my daughter, you deceiver? If you do not soon fetch them before my eyes, then you yourself shall be done away with from this place!"

Then he took fright and fled to the wilds, and wandered alone in the wilds, and fell into gloom, and pondered: "What counsel is there now?" But he still had the two other things safe with him; and he took the ring, put it on his forefinger, jumped up and thought: "If only there were some counsel for me!" At once he caught sight of a person coming. The person came to him and said: "What are you weeping and grieving for?"

And he answered and said: "I have lost my manor! Do you not know some counsel for me, how I might find my manor?" "I know no counsel, to be sure; but I have a great bird, and if you could manage to trick it, it could surely find your manor." Then he said: "Let us two go there; perhaps I can trick the bird into being my helper in the search." So the two of them went, and he managed to trick the bird, and the bird said to him: "Now get up on my back!"

When he had got up, the bird set off flying over the sea, and flew for a very long time, almost two days and nights. Then the bird began to complain: "Now I am growing tired, and we two shall fall into the sea! (The sea was below them the whole way through their journey.) Can your manor not be seen yet?" And the man said: "No!"

Then the bird flew on toward the manor, and so it reached the shore across the sea; and when the boy now caught sight of his manor, the bird said: "Now get down off my back!" So he got down, and he thanked the bird for having carried him. But the bird said: "Do not thank me, but thank God with all your heart, who has made me and given me strength!"

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. 62–64, from the group printed under the heading and running head Goudogæjno (Kautokeino). Friis printed it in Sámi only. The text was transcribed from the page images of the New York Public Library copy. Friis's list of misprints has no corrections for these pages; gačai, "fell", which that list corrects to gaččai on a later page, is kept as printed here, and so is a speech that has no closing quotation mark after occamvækkjën. Friis's own bracketed glosses (æmëd beside æmë, læi beside lëi, læiga beside legje, and su, "him") are kept in the Sámi and folded into the English. 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): mæcce is outlying land, the wilds, and ballat mæccai is to take fright and flee to the woods; jedna is a voice, and jednadet to make oneself heard; gajkot and gajkit are to tear loose, and gajkihet to have something torn loose; an æmed is the mistress of a household; nabmalassi is "by name, namely", and gjievras is strong; a rænga is a serving-boy; an ildo is a shelf, a lasko a flask, a fæsko a pouch, and a rieggës a brass ring; rajge is a hole, and as a postposition "through", so dam rajgë rajgë ulos is "down through the hole"; luojtadet is to let oneself down, and ulos is "down"; slabmat is to tumble down with a crash, and hojgat to shove; manno is speed, a going, and ovta manost "in one go", from which ouftak mano gidda is read as "in a single plunge right into"; sivahallat is to scold, to lay the blame on; bagjen is "up above"; likse is fish-oil or lamp-oil (Friis: "Tran, Lyse"), so the flask holds a good oil, into which one glances and thinks; ajmoin adnet is to keep safe, and vurkit to put away; fabtit is to watch over; under mæddet Friis's glossary quotes the boy's own words, masa læm mæddam loppedet, "to which I have rashly promised myself"; a gardën is a farmstead with its buildings, a manor, a garden, and lâkkâ is "near"; likot is to like; a sidda is a Sámi village or dwelling place; a joavko is the people bound to someone, a household, and oastalet is to bargain, to buy; rakadattet is to get rid of, to "do with"; bætolaš is deceitful, and vašše hatred; akked is weary and dejected; the čuvde is the forefinger, and naketet is to stick something on; fillit is to trick or beguile, sattet to be able, and vækkje help; čielge is the back; a jandur is a day and a night; biekkot is to complain; fjevridet is to carry; and sivnedet is first "to create", then "to bless", and the English says "made me". Several readings rest on context. Dahan in Dot bahha dahan is read as dat with the particle -han, "indeed" (1887, Han, enclitic), and given as "it was he"; datai is read as dat with -ai, "also" (glossary Aj, "also"); dajke is taken as the glossary's dajhe, "or"; juonën ajgësak mield is read from juoga, "something" (predicative juonën), and ajge, "time", as "good for something, each in its own time"; jurdašaddai is taken as a lingering form of jurdašet, to think at leisure, "pondered"; ojdnu as "can be seen" (1887, vuoidnot, to be seen); and šaddai akkëd vuöllai as "fell into gloom". The one who meets the boy in the house under the earth is only olmuš, "a person", and so is the helper with the bird; the English keeps "the person" and supplies it where the Sámi says only son. Son likoi sudnji could as well be "she liked him" as "he liked her"; the English says "he took a liking to her". When the bird reaches the shore the Sámi says only son, and the English says "it". The Sámi calls the hero rænga, serving-boy, bardnë, boy, and once olmaj, man, and the English follows it.

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.

🌲

Source Text: Rolmannë ja Haljo-bardnë

North Sámi text as printed by Friis (1856), pp. 62–64, in his orthography; Friis's list of misprints has no corrections for these pages, and line-end hyphens are joined. Friis's single paragraph is divided here at the same places as the English.

De læi okta olmaj, man namma læi Rolmannë. Go son muttomin læi vaʒʒeme mæčëst ja čokkidi oufta duolba gæđgë ala, de gulai son dobbe jena. De viggai gajkot dam gæđgë, vaj son bæssa gæččat, mi dobbe jednada, mutto i son nagadam.

De diđi son oufta boarës æmë (æmëd), mast læi okta bardnë, nabmalassi gjievras „Haljo-bardnë.“ De vulgi son dokko dam boarës æmë lusa bivdët dam bardnë aldsis rængan, (dastgo son diđi, dat læ gjivra), vaj son bæssa doalvot (su) dam gæđgë lusa ja bigjat gajkihët dam gæđgë erit ædnamëst. De manai son ja bivdi dam bardnë ja oaǯoi rængan.

Dego bođi oktan rængainës dokko dam gæđgë lusa, de gočoi gajkit dam gæđgë. Rænga valdi ja gajkihi. De soaj ojniga, atte læi rajgë dam gæđgë vuold ædnam vuöllai, ja atte dobbe læ viesso, ja dam viesost læ ildo, ja dam ildo alde læk golbma dinka: lasko ja fæsko ja rieggës.

De gočoi son rængas luojtadët dam rajgë rajgë ulos. De rænga manai dokko, ja de gočoi vel: „Valde dam golbma dinka ja buvte munji.“ Rænga valdi ja goarbmoi fast bajas dai gujm. Dego son bođi bajas, de isëd celki: „Adde dal munji daid!“ Mutto de i son addam. De suttai isëd, hoigadi su fast dam rajgë rajgë ulos, ja de son slamai fast ulos dam vissui.

Mutto de lëi (læi) rajgë ejn dam viesost nubbe vissui, ja de son gačai ouftak mano gidda nubbe lâdnji. De bođi olmuš su lusa ja sivahalla su: „Manne don læk boattam dejki?“ Rænga ojni isëdës bagjën ja riemai čierrot ja sivahallat dam isëdës ja celki: „Dot bahha dahan hojgadi mu dejki.“ — „Manne dat hojgadi du dejki?“ De čajehi son dam golbma dinka, maid isëd læi bigjam su vieǯǯat dam viesost, ja celki son dam olbmui: „Dainago im addam daid sudnji, de son hojgadi mu fast dejki.“

De celki dat olmuš: „Ik don galga daid addët sudnji, dastgo dat læk buorët dinkat.“ De jærai bardnë: „No, maid dalle dai gujm dakka?“ De son mujtali sudnji: „Dam lasko siste læ okta buörrë liksë, mi læ daggar, go dasa gæčasta ja jurdëla maidegen, de dat šadda.“ Mutto dain guöfte ærra dinkain i čilgim son maidegen, mutto celki dušše: „Buorët læk datai dinkat juonën ajgësak mield, vurke ja ane ajmoin! Mutto goarbmo dal bajas duom bajeb lâdnji, rapa lasko gæčast dam liksai ja jurdël, maid datok!“

De son goarbmoi, rapai lasko ja jurdëli dam isëdës, mi dobbe læi rajgë ald fabtemen su, atte dat galgaši jabmët „oudal go mon læm ollem bajas, amas šat nordadët muo vuölas, vaj bæsam erit dam rængavuođast, masa læm mæddam loppedët.“ Ja dat sù isëd jami, ja son goarbmoi bajas erit dam ædnam-vuölës viesost. De fastajn rapai son laskos ja jurdëli, sudnji galgaši šaddat daggar gardën, gonagasa gardëm lâkkâ, mi galga čuovgat gollën ja silban; ja dat šaddai.

Mutto de læi gonagasast okta čabba niejda, ja son likoi sudnji. Ja gonagas addi dam niejdas sudnji akkan. Mutto go son dast maŋŋël šaddai nu riggës, go ješ datoi ja valdi balvalegjid, de son vulgi ješ vagjolët ærra sidai mield ja vajaldatti dam liksë-lasko ildo ala vissui.

De bođi su isëda viellja, mi goččujuvvui „Nubbe Rolmannë“ ja riemai oastalët su joavkost dajke nabmalassi su balvalegjin liksë-lasko. De si vuvde dam buörë liksë-lasko, ja de dat Rolmannë rapai dam lasko dakkaviddi go son bæsai olgo-bællai ja jurdëli: „Vare dat gardën lifči sirdujuvvum gukkas nubbe ædnami, vaj dat isëd bacca erit, ja vaj mon bæsam adnët su gardëma ja su čabba nisson!“ Ja dat šaddai nu.

Mutto go isëd ješ bođi ruoktod dam bajkai, gost gardën galgai læmaš, ja ojni, atte dat læi jaukam, de son arvedi, atte de læk dal vuovdam dam buörë liksë. Ja de manai son vuopas lusa, mutto vuoppa læi jo oajdnam, atte su gardën læi jaukam, ja celki sudnji vašëst: „Gosa don læk, bætolaš, rakadattam gardëmad ja mu niejda? Jos ik vieǯa farga mu čalmid oudi, de galgat don ješaj jaukaduvvut dam bajkëst erit!“

De son ballai mæccai, vagjoli okto mecin ja šaddai akkëd vuöllai ja jurdašaddai: „Mi dal læ rađđën?“ De sušt legje (læiga) dat guökte ærra dinkat ajmoin, ja son valdi dam riegga, nakëhi dam čuvdai, njujki bajas ja jurdëli: „Vare lifči juoga munji rađđën!“ Dakkaviddi ajcai son boatteme oufta olbmu. Dat bođi su lusa ja celki: „Maid don čierot ja akkadušat?“

De son vastëdi ja celki: „Mon læm lappam gardëmam! Ikgo don dieđaši munji rađë, movte mon galgašim gardëmam gaudnat?“ — „Im mon dieđe galle maidege rađid, mutto muste læ okta stuorra loddë, jos don dam satašit fillit, de dat væjaši galle gaudnat du gardëma.“ De son celki: „Vuolgo moaj dokko, dajdam mon sattët fillit dam loddë aldsim occamvækkjën. De soaj vulgiga, ja son sati fillit dam loddë, ja loddë celki sudnji: „Mana dal muo čielgë ala!“

Go son manai, de loddë vulgi girdët abë mield ja girdi huj gukke ajgë farga guökte jandura. De riemai loddë biekkot: „De mon vajbam ja moaj gačče merri! (mærra læi vuölde čađa obba sodno matkë). Igo vel ojdnu du gardën?“ De olmaj celki: „I!“

De girdi loddë ajn gardëma guvlui ja de olli son gaddai dam abë rasta, ja go bardnë dal ajcai gardëmës, de celki loddë: „Mana dal erit muo čielgë ald!“ De son manai, ja giti son loddë dam oudast, go su læi fjevridam. Mutto loddë celki: „Ale muo gite, mutto gite Ibmela obba vajmostad, gutte muo læ sivnedam ja addam munji famoid!“

Source Colophon

J. A. Friis (ed.), Lappiske Sprogprøver (Christiania: J. W. Cappelen, 1856), pp. 62–64; Friis's list of misprints has no corrections for these pages. 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, ö, ë, č, đ, š, ŋ, a grave-accented ù, and both ʒ and ǯ, which he distinguishes.

🌲