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 names its figures for the points of the compass: the North Old Man, who is also the north wind, his wife the South Grandmother, their daughter the East Girl and their son the West Boy. It tells how a boy tricked three brothers out of a magic coat, boots and gun, carried off a girl and her dog from the land of the immortals, fought its people with the help of the North Old Man's household until they had to make peace, and with a dancing cudgel won back from a merchant the gifts the North Old Man had given him.

Translation

The North Grandfather told a certain boy that away in the north there was a land whose people were immortal. Then the boy, too, began to long to go there, to that land. But it was far away from where he was, and he did not know how he was to find his way there.

First he set off for other places to look for good gear, and when he had gone a short way, he found some men who were fighting among themselves over the inheritance of their father, who had died. And these were the three things: a gun, which was such that with it one shot to bits whatever one saw; and there was a coat, and when one put it on, the man could not be seen at all, nor was it known where he might have got to; and there were boots of such a kind that with them one strode as far as one thought. Then the man said to the three brothers who were fighting: "Give me the coat, I will try putting it on, and give me the boots, I will try putting them on my feet, and the gun into my hand as well, and then I shall surely tell you who is to have them."

So they gave him the three things. When he had got the coat on, and had got the two other things as well, the boots and the gun, he vanished, so that the three of them could no longer see at all where he might have got to. He went off with them, and those men stayed there still fighting, and did not even notice that the man had suddenly vanished and carried off the whole inheritance, which by right should have been the three brothers'; but that wicked rogue grabbed the three (the three things), and once he had them in his hands, off he went.

Easy it surely was to take them, once he had vanished! It is no easy thing to snatch a bone from a dog's mouth: what it has got, it carries off. Then the man thought: "If only I were in the land of the immortals now!" And there he was, at once.

When he came there, to the kitchen where the maid was, the maid told the man what they are used to doing there: "Here they are always dancing, and once they have gone round the floor a single time, a year has gone by as well." Then the maid advised him: "If you do not want to dance more than once, you must make yourself out to be sick, and then the doctors will anoint you with such an ointment that you shall never die, not ever; and if they want more dancing, you must not promise."

So when they had anointed him, and he had danced once, he ran off from there, and took the girl, and the dog that the girl had, a dog of such a kind that it would go wherever it might be sent and was to go on an errand. Then he went back with the girl and the dog to the North Old Man. The North Old Man for his part set off for the land of the immortals, because the people of the land of the immortals were his friends.

And when the North Old Man came home again, he told the man who had stolen the girl and the dog: "If you do not take them back, they will make war on you." Then the boy took counsel with the North Old Man: "Won't you set about helping me, now that there is to be war, since alone I may not be able to hold my ground?" Then the North Old Man said: "I have no great heart to hate my best friends, I should have no great heart to make them angry; but go now, go to my wife, who is called 'the South Grandmother'."

So he went there and brought her many greetings from the North Old Man, and said that he had bidden him ask: "Do you mean to go as your old husband's companion, to fight against the people of the land of the immortals?" Then the South Grandmother said: "Then I will go, since your grandfather has wished it!" And the South Grandmother said to the boy besides: "I have a daughter in the east, who is very strong in war."

Then the boy went there and brought her many greetings from her father and her mother, and said that they had said: "You are to come right quickly, with fire-mittens, to fight as a help to them against the people of the kingdom of the immortals." Then she said: "I will surely go there, where my parents are." And the girl said besides: "I have a brother from the west, a very hard warrior, who is called by the name 'Hard West' (the West Boy)."

Then he went there and brought him many greetings from his father and his mother and his sister, and said that he was to come right quickly to fight as a help to them against the people of the land of the immortals. Then all six of them set off to the war, the North Old Man, the South Grandmother, the East Girl, the West Boy, and the boy himself, together with the girl and the dog. Then they went up onto a very high mountain, where the North Old Man had forty cannons in the cliff. And then the people of the land of the immortals began to come to the battlefield, for three whole days, just like mosquitoes.

Then they began to fight. The North Old Man, the South Grandmother, the East Girl and the West Boy sat down together in one place. And then the North Old Man said to the boy: "You must keep firing those cannons, all the time, as many as you can." And when the boy fired, the cannons banged at every firing, however often he managed to fire.

Then the people of the land of the immortals died in such numbers that it is beyond telling. And as fast as they dwindled, others came again in their place. But the North Old Man had a cap: the tighter he pressed it down on his head, the harder the foul weather grew; and such foul weather came that the people of the land of the immortals could hold out no longer. Then they had to make their peace with the boy. And after all they never got the girl back from the boy, nor the dog.

Then the North Old Man began to want wages from the boy; but the boy had no mind to pay. The North Old Man would not so much as hear of not getting his wages, but at first he made no sound at all. Then the boy began to cook, to make broth. Then the North Wind, or the North Old Man, blew the boy's flour clean away, because he had not paid the wages for the war.

Then the boy said to the North Old Man: "If you don't give me back the flour, I'll stop up the North Wind's hole!" Then the North Old Man said to the boy: "Don't stop up the hole! I'll give you a flour-tub of such a kind that the flour in it never runs out."

And when the North Old Man had given the boy such a tub, a certain merchant noticed what kind of tub he had got. So he swapped it for himself, and put his own tub in its place, which looked just the same. When the boy began to cook a second time, the flour had run out.

Then he went to the North Old Man and said: "If you don't give me back my broth-flour, I'll stop up the North Wind's hole!" The North Old Man said to the boy: "Don't stop it up! I'll give you a he-goat that dungs gold coins." Then he gave the boy the he-goat. Then again that same merchant noticed what kind of he-goat he had got, took it and swapped it for himself. When the boy went to the he-goat and said: "He-goat, dung gold coins!" it did not dung.

Then the boy went again to the North Old Man and said: "If you don't give me back the broth-flour and the he-goat, I'll stop up the North Wind's hole!" "Don't stop it up! I'll give you a cudgel of such a kind that when you say: 'Cudgel, up, up and dance!' it will dance just so, wherever it may be; and it is so heavy that when it comes down on a person, it puts him in a sorry plight indeed."

Then again that same merchant noticed it, and swapped it for himself and put it in the cellar. In the morning the boy came to the cudgel which the merchant had put in its place, and shouted: "Cudgel, up and dance!" It did not stir. Then the second time he shouted better.

Then the one that was in the merchant's cellar heard it, and leapt up out of the cellar, just as the cellar hatch flew off; and the cudgel began to dance, and flew onto the merchant's back, and began to dance there, and all but killed the merchant. The merchant had to cry out: "I have taken all your things, the flour-tub and the he-goat and the cudgel!" — and then he gave them all back.

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. 69–72, from the group printed under the 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, and Friis's own correction for p. 70 was applied (aggjat for aggja); slips his list does not mention, among them Davve-agja beside Davve-aggja in the heading, hahha-niekkan for bahha-niekkan, raige beside rajge and čuorvort for čuorvot, are kept as printed, as is dærvuođaid, which his list corrects only in the spelling diervuođaid; and Friis's text has no closing quotation mark after the man's wish to be in the land of the immortals, after the parents' message to their daughter, after the daughter's words about her brother, or after the North Old Man's last threat to stop up the hole (vuorrastutta); and where the North Old Man's speech ends with the name „lulle-akkon.“, only the name's own mark is 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). Davve is the north (glossary Nord). For the other three quarters the glossary reckons about 45 degrees round from ours: lulle south-east (Sydost), nuorta north-eastern (nordøstlig) and orjis or oarjës south (Syd). The 1887 dictionary gives lulle as south-east or south, with lullebiegga the south wind; nuorta as east (oriens) or north-east; and orjis as southern or western (australis, occidentalis), south-western or western. The English gives the four plain quarters, North, South, East and West, so that the four figures make a whole compass and the brother's name, garra fæstan, "Hard West", agrees with his own quarter. Aggja is a grandfather or an old man, akko a grandmother or an old woman, and vuoras an old man; the Sámi calls the North Old Man davve-agja, davve-vuoras and once davve-biegga, "the north wind" (biegga, wind). Fæsta is the west, and the brother's name garra fæstan is given as "Hard West" (garas, garra, hard). Jabmemættom is immortal; a gæula is a coat, a stævel a boot and a bisso a gun; moallo is a scrap, so moallon is "to bits"; lavkit or laukit is to stride; vielljačak are brothers, or brother and sister; bahha-niekkan, which the glossary gives under Niekkan, is a malicious rogue; baj is "surely"; a gjevkan is a kitchen and a biga a maid; lavvit is to be wont; guolbe is the floor; jakke is a year, and nokkat (past nogam), said of time, is to pass, so de jakke nokkage is "a year has gone by as well"; buoccet is to be sick; vuojdet is to anoint and vuojdas an ointment; loupit is to run away; bigjat is to put or to send off; arvalet is to take counsel; dajdet is "perhaps", with an infinitive; cævʒet is to withstand, to hold one's ground; rasket is to have the heart to, and paljo (baljo in the 1887 dictionary) "much"; jelat is best; vašohet is to hate and moaraskattet to make angry; gjivra is strong; dolla-gistai gujm boattet, "to come with fire-mittens", the glossary explains as "to come very quickly"; rika is a kingdom and vanhemak parents; guđas is a group of six; njællje loge is forty; a čuojka is a mosquito; čuoggot is to prick again and again, and čuggit kanona to fire a cannon; bavketet is to bang once, suddenly; happetet is to manage to do something quickly; vajlot is to grow few; a gapper is a cap, čavgabut is "tighter" and dæddet to press; nævre dalke is foul weather; birgit is to cope; soavatet is to bring to terms; sittet is to want; viššat is to care to; jednadet is to make a sound; malestet is to cook and malle broth; bosadet is to keep blowing; vissu vissut is "utterly"; coggat is to stop up and rajge a hole; a litte is a vessel; lonotet is to swap; sæmmalagaš is of the same kind; a bokka is a he-goat and bâjkat to dung (skide); slubbot (printed šlubbot) is a cudgel; lossad is heavy; vuorrastuttet is to put someone in a fix; likkadet is to stir; buörrebut is "better"; ravgat is to fly off; a luka is a hatch; sælge is the back; kjefmanne is a merchant (the 1887 dictionary has kjefman, "Kjøbmand", in its examples under Bagjel and Duökkai); and gosi is "almost". Several readings rest on context. Ærana, in the description of the dog, is read as "on an errand" (glossary Æran, errand), though the 1887 dictionary also has ærrana, from ærranet, to part. Buörre baj læi valdët is read as "easy it surely was to take" (buörre, good), and i læk buörre in the proverb that follows as "it is no easy thing". Aggjat, Friis's corrected form, is read as "your grandfather", the old woman's word to the boy for her husband. Niejda, a girl, is given as "daughter" where the old woman says she has one, since the girl later speaks of her parents; oarjald, which the glossary gives as "from the south" (fra Syd), is given as "from the west", with the plain quarters. Bagjan is read as "up" (bagjen, up above; bajas, upward), so the cudgel's two commands are given as "up, up and dance" and "up and dance"; nugo is "just as" (glossary ligesom).

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: Davve-aggja, lulle-akko, orjis-bardne ja nuorta-niejda

North Sámi text as printed by Friis (1856), pp. 69–72, in his orthography, with Friis's correction for p. 70 applied; line-end hyphens are joined. Friis's text, printed in five paragraphs, is divided here at the same places as the English.

Davve-agja dajai muttom bardnai, atte dobbe davvën læi daggar ædnam, mast legje jabmemættom olbmuk. De dat bardne majd halidišgođi dokko dam ædnami mannat. Mutto dat læi gukkën su lute erit, ige diettam, moft son galgai dokko dæjvat.

Dat vulgi vuostënajn ječča bajkidi occat burid biergasid, ja dego son manai oanehaš gaska, gavnai son moadde olbma, mak legje doarrome gaskanæsëk sin ačesek arbe ald, mi jabmam læi. Ja dak legje dak golbma dingak: okta bisso, mi læi daggar, maina bači buok moallon, maid ojni; ja de læi okta gæula, go dam bagjelassas bijai, de i ojdnum obba olmajge, ige dittum, gosa læǯǯa šaddam; ja de legje daggar stævelak, mai gujm lauki nu gukkas, go jurdëli. De dat olmaj dajai dam golbma vielljači, mak doarrome legje: „Addet munji dam gæula, mon gæččalam bigjat bagjelassam, ja addet daid stævelid, mon gæččalam bigjat juölgasam, ja vela dam bisso mu gitti, galle mon dasto dajam, gi daid galga oaǯǯot.“

De dak adde dasa dam golbma dinga. Dego dam gæula oaǯoi bagjelassas ja oaǯoi vela dam guökte ječča dinga, stævelid ja bisso, de dat javkai, atte æi dak golbma šat obba oajdnamge, gosa læǯǯa šaddam. Dat manai dai gujm, ja duok bacce ejn dasa doarrot, æi fuomašamge, go duot olmaj javkëhi ja doalvoi buok dam arbe, mi dam golbmasi lifči berrim riektavuođa mield; mutto fatti dat hahha-niekkan dam golbmasa (golbma dinga), ja go oaǯoi giettasis, de dat manai.

Buörre baj læi valdët, go gærde javkai! I læk buörre bædnag njalmëst doppit davte! maid læ oǯǯom, de dam doalvo. De dat olmaj jurdëli: „Vare mon dal lifčim dam jabmemættom ædnamëst! Ja de dat læige dallanaga dobbe.

Dego dokko bođi dam gjevkani, gost biga læi, de dat biga mujtali dam olbmai, maid dabe lavijëk dakkat, atte: „Dabe lavijëk alo dansit, ja go oufta gærde bessëk birra guolbe, de jakke nokkage.“ De dat biga nævoi, atte: „Jos don ik halid dansit æmbo go oufta gærde, de galgak ječad dakkat buoccën, ja de doaktarak vuojdëk daggaraš vuojdasin, atte don ik galga jabmët ik goassege, ja jos dak sittëk æmbo dansit, de ik galga loppedët.“

Go dal dak legje vuojdam su, ja son læi dansim oufta gærde, de dat loupi dobbe erit ja valdi dam niejda ja bædnaga, mi læi dam niejdast, ja mi læi daggar, atte manai, jus de gosa vel lifči bigjujuvvum ja galgai ærana. De dat manai oktanaga daina niejdain ja bædnagin ruoktod davve-vuorrasa lusa. Davve-vuorasgis vulgi dam jabmemættom ædnami, dainago dak jabmemættom ædnama olbmuk legje sudnji ustebak.

Ja dego davve-vuoras bođi dobbe ruoktod, de mujtali dam olbmai, gutte niejda ja bædnaga læi suoladam, atte: „Jos don ik doalvo ruoktod, de dakkëk soađe du vuöstai.“ De dat bardne arvali daina davve-vuorrasin, atte: „Ikgos don riemaši munji vækkjën, go dal soatte šadda, dastgo im mon dajde okto cæuʒët?“ De dajai davve-vuoras: „Im mon paljo raske mu jelat ustebidam vašohët, im mon paljo raskaši daid moaraskattët, mutto vuölge dal ja mana muo aka lusa, mi goččujuvvu „lulle-akkon.“

De dat manai dokko ja mujtali dasa ædnag dærvuođaid davve-vuorrasëst, atte dat gočoi jærrat: „Ajgokgo don vuölgët boarës boadnjasad guojbmën soattat jabmemættom ædnama olbmui vuösta?“ De dajai dat lulle-akko: „De mon vuölgam, go jo aggjat læ halidam!“ ja dajai vel lulle-akko dam bardnai: „Must læ nuortan niejda, mi læ oalle gjivra soattat.“

De dat bardne manai dokko ja celki ædnag dærvuođaid ačëst ja ædnëst, atte dak dajaiga: „Don galgak boattët jur' jottelët dolla-gistai gujm soattat daida vækkjën jabmemættom rika olbmui vuösta. De dat dajai: „Dokko mon manam vissasi, gost mu vanhemak læk,“ ja dajai vel dat niejda: „Must læ oarjald okta viellja, mi læ oalle garas soatte-olmaj, mi goččujuvvu nama mield „garra fæstan“ (orjis-bardnën).

De manai dokko ja celki ædnag dærvuođaid ačëst ja ædnëst ja oabast, atte son galga boattët jur' jottelët daida vækkjën soattat jabmemættom ædnam olbmui vuösta. De dak vulge buok dak guđas soattat, davve-vuoras, lulle-akko, nuorta-niejda, orjis-bardne ja ješ dat bardne oktanaga daina niejdain ja bædnagin. De dak manne oalle alla vare ala, gost davve-vuorrasëst legje njællje loge kanonak bavte sist. Ja de ribme jabmemættom ædnama olbmuk boattët golbma bæjve mietta jura dego čuojkak dam soatte-bajkai.

De dak ribme soattat. Davve-vuoras, lulle-akko, nuorta-niejda ja orjis-bardne čokkidëgje oufta sagjai. Ja de davve-vuoras dajai dam bardnai, atte: „Don galgak čuoggot daid kanonaid alohe nu ædnag go væjak.“ Ja dego dat bardne čuggi, de dak kanonak bavkëhëgje juökke čuggima vuöllai, jus de man davja son lifči happeham čuggit.

De dak jabmemættom ædnam olbmuk jabme nu ædnag, atte i læk cælkemëst. Ja de dađemield go dak vajlok, de nubbëk fast sagjai botte. Mutto davve-vuorrasëst læi okta gappër; mađe čaugabut dam dædda oajvai, de dađe garrasebbo nævre dalke šadda; ja de šaddai nu nævre dalke, atte æi šat birgim jabmemættom ædnam olbmuk. De dak fertijëgje soavahët dam bardne. Ja æige dak almake šat oǯǯom dam bardnëst dam niejda, æige bædnag ruoktod.

De dat davve-vuoras riemai dam bardnëst balka sittat; mutto i bardne ajgom maksët. I dat davve-vuoras dam viššam gullatge, atte son i galga oaǯǯot balka, mutto i dat vuostën jednadam maidege. De bardne riemai malestët, dakkat male. De davve-biegga daihe davve-vuoras bosadi dam bardnëst jafoid eri vissu vissut, damditti go i maksam soattam-balka.

De dagja bardne dam davve-vuorrasi, atte: „Jos ik don adde munji jafoid ruoktod, de mon coggalam davve-biegga raige gidda!“ De dajai davve-vuoras dam bardnai: „Ale cogga rajge gidda! Mon addam dudnji daggar jafo-litte, mast æi goassege noga jafok.“

Ja dego davve-vuoras addi dam bardnai daggar litte, de fuomaši muttim kjefmanne, maggar litte dat læ oǯǯom. De lonohi dam aldsis ja bijai ječas litte sagjai, mi læi sæmmalagaš oajdnët. Dego bardne riemai nubbadëst malestët, de legjege jafok nokkam.

De manai davve-vuorrasa lusa ja dajai: „Jos ik adde munji mu malle-jafoid ruoktod, de mon coggam davve-biegga rajge gidda!“ Dajai davve-vuoras bardnai: „Ale cogga! Mon addam dudnji daggar bokka, mi bâjka golle-ruđaid.“ De dat addi bardnai dam bokka. De on fuomaši dat sæmma kjefmanne, maggar bokka dat læ oǯǯom, valdi ja lonohi aldsis. Go bardne manai bokka lusa ja dajai: „Bokka, bâjka golle-ruđaid!“ de i dat bâjkam.

De bardne on manai davve-vuorrasa lusa ja dajai: „Jos ik adde munji malle-jafoid ja bokka ruoktod, de mon coggam davve-biegga rajge gidda!“ — „Ale cogga! Mon addam dudnji daggar šlubboha, atte go don dajak: „Šlubbot, bagjan bajas dansit!“ de dat galga nu dansit, jus de gost lifči; ja dat læ nu lossad, go olbmu ala boatta, de dat jur' vuorrastutta.

De on fuomaši dat sæmma kjefmanne dam ja lonohi dam aldsis ja bijai kellari. De bardne bođi iđđedëst dam šlubboha lusa, maid kjefman læi sagjai bigjam ja čurvi: „Šlubbot, bagjan dansit!“ De dat i likkadam. De nubbe have buörrebut čurvi.

De dat gulai, mi kjefman kellarëst læi ja njujki kellarëst bajas, nugo kellar-luka ravgai erit, ja šlubbot riemai dansit ja ravgai dam kjefman sælge ala ja dansegođi dast ja gosi goddage kjefmanne. Kjefman ferti čuorvort: „Mon læm valdam buok du biergasid, jafo-litte ja bokka ja šlubboha!“ — ja de son addi buok daid ruoktod.

Source Colophon

J. A. Friis (ed.), Lappiske Sprogprøver (Christiania: J. W. Cappelen, 1856), pp. 69–72, with Friis's correction for p. 70 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, ö, ë, č, đ, š, and both ʒ and ǯ, which he distinguishes.

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