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Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds
Just Knud Qvigstad (Author), Isak Saba (Author), Barbara Sjoholm (Translated by)
9781517916749
Hardback, published 30 June 2026
480 pages, 24 b&w illustrations
21 x 15.2 x 3.8 cm, 0.68 kg
"Beautifully written, the introduction to Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds captivates the reader from the very beginning with poetic descriptions of the Sámi landscape, the historical context and thematic characteristics of the storytelling tradition in Sápmi, and an exploration of the relationship between Just Knud Qvigstad and Isak Saba. This book is a valuable collection of Sámi stories." - Line Esborg, Head of Norwegian Folklore Archives, University of Oslo "For decades, these stories have provided contemporary Sámi literature with drama, detail, and inspiration. This collection is a treasure trove for every writer and reader to explore, and it's a gift to the English language that these folktales are now translated." - Elin Anna Labba, author of The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow: The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sámi "Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds is invaluable to anyone even remotely curious about the Sámi. The deeper you dig into this collection, the more satisfying it gets. Often mysterious and magical, sometimes scary, occasionally funny, the tales are always captivating. They are told with an immediacy and sense of the storyteller's voice that does more than entertain, it passes on insights into Sámi culture not readily found anywhere else. Including extensive historical information, translator Barbara Sjoholm's introduction is worth its weight in gold." - Lise Lunge-Larsen, author of Seven Ways to Trick a Troll
The most comprehensive collection of Sámi folktales ever translated into English From the vast region of Northern Sápmi comes Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds, the most extensive compilation of Sámi narratives recorded from Sámi storytellers ever published in English translation. Comprising more than 300 folktales and legends from Northern Norway, including many from the coastal Sámi and the Skolt Sámi of Eastern Finnmark, this volume illuminates an oral storytelling tradition and shares narratives told by fishers, farmers, reindeer herders, lay preachers, and teachers from the interior plateaus and valleys to the Arctic fjords. Originally recorded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by the Norwegian philologist Just Knud Qvigstad and the Sámi politician and folklorist Isak Saba, this collection spans centuries of storytelling in multiple genres, from migratory fairytales with kings and princesses to legends of ghosts and the Devil to fables with talking animals. A young lad from a poor family embarks on a quest through the wilderness to find treasure, receiving help from a wise female elder along his path. A Sámi boy falls in love with a háldi girl from another world, and they find a way to marry. A man carries sickness out of a village and stops the plague from spreading. Cunning foxes outsmart bears and humans alike. The villainous Chudes are tricked, foiled in their plans to steal from and kill the Sámi. People are turned into wolves, able to turn back only if they don't taste the blood of a reindeer or if they are given cooked food. The ogre Stállu appears again and again, terrorizing the community until he's outwitted or subdued. Rávgas, undead creatures of the sea, drag themselves out of the depths to lure others to their demise. With historical context that reveals the cultural resilience of the Sámi people, Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds honors these traditional narratives, often overlooked in other folktale anthologies from the Nordic countries. Translator Barbara Sjoholm's insightful introduction describes Qvigstad's and Saba's backgrounds and their work in gathering and translating these essential texts, and she introduces Sámi storytellers Johan Aikio, Efraim Pedersen, and Elen Utsi, who contributed dozens of stories. An unprecedented trove of Sámi narratives, this expansive collection brings most of these tales to English readers for the first time, marking a major contribution to Indigenous folk literature and enhancing a broader understanding of Sámi and Nordic cultures. Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.
Contents Introduction by Barbara Sjoholm Translator's Note The Far World Journey to the Bread Mountain Journey to the Silver Mountain A Poor Lad Seeks Work and Becomes Rich Soria Moria Castle The Ship Captain and the Pagan King The Mouse in the Box Seven with One Blow Lavde-Dánel Ánde Buhara Spruce Twister and Steel Squeezer What the Lad Imagines, Happens The Sister Who Deceived Her Brother Sisseløna The Lad and the Fox Free the King's Son The Girl Who Jumped in the Sea The Golden Duck Gunnâfiruš The Lad Who Fled with the Troll Woman's Daughter and Became the King's Son-in-Law The Poor Man Who Wanted to Christen His Child Olšlubbo the Strong The Boy and the Horse Flee the Troll The Man Who Saved the King's Daughters from the Trolls The Swineherd The Lad Who Stole a Troll's Hat, a Bird, and a Horse and Married the Princess Biehttár Boccomanni Biehttár Boccomanni Courts the King's Daughter The King's Daughter and the Robbers The Fisher Lad and the Mermaid The Boy Who Was Promised to the Mermaid The Sea King and the Land King The Brothers Who Wanted to Find Themselves Sweethearts The Shape-Shifting Wolf The Three Princes and the Three Flying Princesses The King's Son in the Shape of a Troll The Gilded Castle Land of Youth The Wolf with Hairless Paws The Merchant's Son, the Cat, the Dog, and the King's Daughter The Two Brothers, the King's Daughters, and Riddereavva The Clever Mason and the Silver Billy Goat The Near World The Dead Lover Who Led a Bride to the Other World The Birches on the Graves of Two Who Had Loved Each Other You Threw Me Out Yesterday, and I'm Throwing You Out Today The Lazy, Dirty Girl Idjajár Vulles Treasure Hunters The Man Who Bought an Itch The Stupid Wife The Man Who Married with a Plan to Keep His Wife Childless The Bear and the Skolt Woman Who Fished The Werewolf Is Given Dried Jerky The Black Death Smallpox Is Overpowered The Plague The Magic Iron The Robbers in Trollvik The Murder on Varto Ánddá Vulle Kills His Enemy The Murderers in Aklavik Gáppes Ánte Animals The Human Soul as a Blowfly The Man and the Bear The Bear Shows the Lion a Human Being The Fox and the Bear The Fox Frightens the Bear and the Lion The Fox Frightens the Wild Animals The Fox and the Goat Kids The Size of the Eyes Matters Less Than the Amount of Courage The Fox Is a Portent of Death The Dog's Wages The Dog Who Saved Folk from the Plague How Lice Were Created The Boy and the Louse The Frog Mother Animals Have Ancestral Mothers How the Wild Reindeer Was Created Why the Hazel Grouse Is So Small How the Wolf Was Created Why the Loon's Feet Are Set So Far Back The Virgin Mary Travels to Visit Elisabeth The Salmon and the Coalfish The Old Salmon Gives Advice to the Young Salmon How a Spider Saved a Man's Life Barbmoriket The Snake The Guodden The Giant Bird Enemies The Chudes in Notozero The Pathfinder Goes over Einavadde The Chudes and the Pathfinder The Chudes Are Fooled The Brothers at Tunes The Chudes Starve or Drown Vuollát Máhtte and the Russians The Russians Are Outwitted The Fork Bragging Gets Punished The Chudes Are Defeated by a Loon's Beak Thunder and the Chudes The Man and the Russian Chudes Lávrukaš and the Russian Chudes Lávrukaš The Sámi Hide Underground Two Sisters and the Chudes The Son of Skogerøya-Ivar The Russian Chudes Noaidis and Noaidi Skills The Boy Who Married His Mother Two Mountain Sámi in Olden Days The Kettle Boils Without Fire Two Wild Reindeer Hunters The Thieves' Profit A Jekt Is Joiked Home from Bergen In the Past, the Skolt Sámi Could Turn Themselves into Animals Stuorra-Gánda The Wild Reindeer on Akkoberget Rikkis Piera People as Wolves An Eater-Noaidi Noaidi Láinit To Make a Stállu with Noaidi Skills Hánno Ándarus Káre Ovllá Noaidi Kolpa Jákko Pontius Jákko Pontius Understands the Language of Birds Vuollá Jovnna Noaidi Náhkkul Noaidi Guhtor Noaidi Linke-Oallá Noaidi Johan Kåven The Battle of the Noaidis The Noaidis Duel They Still Practice Noaidi Skills in Karelia The Man Who Stole a Skolt Noaidi's Money How Pieraš Ánde Learned Noaidi Skills An Eater-Noaidi Must Be Buried The Church and the Devil The Pastor in the Barrel The Poor Man and the Stingy and Immoral Pastor The Hungry Pastor and the Sexton The Visit to the Other World The Pastor Raises a Storm Against the Enemy The Pastor, the Sexton, and the Dead A Judgment from God The Holy Riffan Beaivvi-Vuolát Destroys the Sieidi The Sacrifice Stone The Devil in the Guise of Duommás Piera The Man Who Ferried the Devil over the River The Devil Flays a Wicked Man The Lad Who Was the Fire Stoker for the Devil Two Brothers Go Trading Kári Even the Devil Can't Hold Out Against an Unkind Woman The False Coins and the Day Laborer The Man Who Had Promised Himself to the Devil The Servant Lad, the Devil, and Bishop Mattias Kastrim The Drunken Cobbler Stállus The Boy and the Stállu Stállu on the Island The Christmas Stállus Stállu Is Set on Folk Válbure-Sárrá and Stállu Stállu Steals a Girl Stállu Is Tricked by a Girl Stállu Looks for a Companion Stállu Goes Courting Stállu and Ruobba Budulávra Beavvá Stállu as a Cannibal A Man Is Killed by Stállu Stállu and the Mountain Sámi Stállu and the Troll Rievssot Riimmagállis Beaivvi Ándarus and the Merchant Stállu and Luhtatáhkku Old Stállu and His Wife Stállu and Luhtatáhkku Are Killed Hidden Folk How the Neiden Skolt Sámi Became Few and Poor The Chakkalaggas Catching a Chakkalagga Háldis as Neighbors Háldis Are Generous with Livestock A Govette Borrows Tobacco Háldis Warn the Neighbor Woman of Danger in the Barn Háldis Ask for the Barn to Be Moved Háldis in Gåsedalen Háldis in Frakkfjord Háldi Cow The Lad and the Háldi Girl The Man and the Háldi Girl Čoavva and the Govette Girls Anna and the Govettes The Underground People Marriage to a Háldi Girl A Háldi Girl as a Bride Riches Follow the Ulda Bride Two Sámi Lads Become Herders for a Háldi Man and Marry His Daughters A Háldi Wants Reindeer Herders The Lad Who Had Been with the Háldis and a Háldi Girl A Háldi Lad Is Baptized and Married to a Girl Marriage with a Háldi Girl Háldis Give Their Son-in-Law Another Chance A Háldi Girl Is with a Lad at Night A Háldi Woman Vanishes Meeting with the Háldis Háldis Take a Baby from a Mother's Womb The Lad Who Remained with the Háldis Midwife to the Háldis A Girl in Service to a Háldi Woman Háldis Show the Way The Hidden Children of Adam Uldas Offer Comfort Two Fishermen Come to a Háldi Farm The Two Fishermen and the Háldis Háldis Go Fishing in Finnmark Three Fishermen The Man Who Remained with the Sea Háldis Fishing with the Sea Háldis Sea Háldis in Bergen The Sea Háldi and the Fisherman A Battle Between Háldis and Rávgas Creatures from the Sea The Boy on a Fishhook Stiika-Piera Huvvá Hanno Otters and Sea Háldis A Sea Troll Stops the Boat A Sea Troll Is Set on a Man The Diver and the Sea Troll A Sea Troll Tries to Abduct a Girl A Sea Troll Halts Fishing on Holy Days Knife in a Man Rávga Death's Sailor The Rávga Wants His Cap Back A Rávga The Rávga in the Cowshed The Rávga Warns of Shipwreck North Wind and Drizzle Meeting with a Rávga Boat A Battle Between Rávgas and the Dead A Battle with a Rávga The Rávga Cries Out A Short Tale About a Rávga The Rávgas Ask for a Room for the Night The Rávga Takes Revenge The Rávgas on Moholmen Meeting with a Sea Corpse Omens and Hauntings Omen of Death The Porpoise Is a Portent of Death Reindeer Signal Death The Man Is Afraid of Stállu Coming Harbingers of Illness Warning in the Countryside The Cuckoo and the Two Women Cutting Angelica The Halibut Portends a Shipwreck The Fiery Horse in the Dark The Ghosts Who Hunted the Woodcutter The Ghost in the Barn The Grouse Hunter's Vision The Otter Hunters Are Scared Off Those Who Lie in Wait for Furbearers Often See Ghosts Shouting in the Forest The Sheriff Is Frightened Green Flame on the Sea At Sea You Often Hear a Bit of Everything An Apparition The Invisible Often Live in Goahtis in the Wilderness When Elle-Biera Hánsa Was Frightened Children See Something Strange Roiguš The Wilderness Requires Quiet A Strange Man Driving a Sled in the Countryside A Beggar Woman Is Abducted by Ghosts A Marvelous Reindeer Meeting with a Revenant Conversation with a Dead Woman An Old Woman Walks Again The Dead Come to the Wedding A Ghost Wakes a Man So He Doesn't Freeze to Death Robbed of the Life Force A Haunted Churchyard No One Should Sleep on Old Graves Ptarmigan Are Messengers from the Dead A Dead Man Fetches His Bride A Wraith The Dead Walk Again The Murdered Walk Again The Dead Lament A Man Listens to a Conversation Among the Dead Corpses from the Sea You Shouldn't Take Your Life No Matter How Great Your Sorrow A Dead Wife Returns The Dead Wife Is Scared Off The King of Skjervøy The Corpse of a Mountain Sámi Is Carried to the Grave The Sea Corpse Wants to Be Buried The Sea Corpse Wants to Be Returned to the Sea A Haunting in the Mortuary After the Shipwreck, a Haunting Poltergeists The Epper The Epper Kills An Epper Steals the Life Force The Epper Is Baptized A Dead Woman Wishes to Be Baptized The Ghost of Steindalsbukta Selected Place-Names and Glossary Translator's Notes Selected Bibliography