Saami. Spiritual Culture

The Saami imagined the universe as divided into three worlds: the lower, the middle, and the upper ones. The lower world Tuot-ilmbi ("other world") is the domain of the souls of the dead as well as the malevolent deities Rota (Ruota) - the lord of hell, Yambe-akko - the mother of death, and Paga - an evil angel.

Saams believe that after death, people receive new bodies, and, if they led a righteous life, then they would enjoy the afterlife. The people who have committed many bad deeds will be tormented in hell, the lowest part of the Saami universe. The world of the dead is believed by some to be located in the sky among the stars, a likely influence of Christianity. The middle world is inhabited by people and animals, as well as by many spirits who are the masters of hills, forests, tundra, reindeer moss glades and animals. In order to have luck in their endeavors (fishing, reindeer herding, and hunting), the Saami worshiped local master-spirits and made offerings to them. The half-fish, half-man Akkruva and the spirit in the form of a walrus, who helped in fishing, were especially revered.

When hunting, the Saami turned for help to the forest master-spirit Metz. However, the most important deity was the mistress of the reindeer and reindeer husbandry Luot-khozik. She was a spirit with a human face, walking on two legs, but with a body covered with reindeer fur. An important place was also occupied by the home master-spirit Pyrt, who, according to the Saami beliefs, lived in the hearth. Many Saami still offer coins to nature before fishing or traveling to the tundra.

The Saami had a cult of seids (seits, siyts), that were specific natural objects: rocks, large stones, large stumps, caves and artifacts (idols, for instance). The word seid denoted both a place of worship and the local spirit of the middle world. Such a spirit was believed to be invisible, yet it could take the form of any animal or person. He lives the life of an ordinary person, has his own herd of reindeer, family, and children. The revered object is the abode of the spirit. The Saami made offerings there leaving reindeer heads, smearing the stones with reindeer blood or fish oil.

The upper world is the kingdom of the supreme gods, whose pantheon was very diverse. The main deity was Yumolla or Yimmel-aya, the god of gods, the source of life force of nature, the judge of all living beings. Among the other revered gods there were Peivya or Byaive, the god of the Sun, and Tiermes, the god of thunder. Christianity gave birth to such deities as God the Father (Radien-atche, son of Yumolla), a benevolent deity, and God the Son (Radien-kiedde, son of God the Father), who was responsible for the growth of moss for reindeer in the tundra. God the Father had a spouse Radien-akka, the Mother Goddess, who created souls for newborn people and animals. The North Star (Chuvves tasst) was also revered, and was considered to be an entrance to the upper world.

The shamans (noaidis) could communicate with deities and spirits, traveling between worlds with the help of birds and wild reindeer. They could heal sick people, predict the future, bring back stray reindeer, and practice love magic. They could also harm people with the help of a certain “wind” or “arrow” force, which caused various diseases, mostly fever. The shamans could be either male or female. They wielded a tambourine (rumpu) with a beater made of a reindeer antler, and wore special shamanic clothing.

The Saami beliefs still contain some relics of animal cults, those of the bear and the reindeer, which many Saami groups considered their ancestors. Particularly interesting are the tales about Myandash, a wild reindeer with golden antlers, whom the human Matryona (Myandash-kab) marries. Out of this union, the men-deer (myandash-parn) were born. Similar myths are also associated with the bear.

The Eastern Saami were converted to Orthodoxy in the first half of the 16th century by Reverend Theodoret of Kola, founder of the monastery in Kandalaksha in 1548 Theodoret is also regarded as the first creator of Saami writing; he translated some Christian prayers into the Saami language. At the same time, in the remote lands of the Saami, Christianization was proclaimed by monk Tryphon of Pechenga. Both saints came from the Solovetsky Monastery.

The modern Saami calendar lists the national and the local holidays of the Kola Saami. The national celebrations include Saami National Day, February 6 (celebrated in Russia since 1992) and Day of Adoption of the Saami Flag and the Birthday of Isak Saba, the author of the text of the Saami national anthem (August 15). The Kola Saami also hold the Tall Sir Bear Games, a ritual holiday that has been usually taking place in late autumn-early winter since 1996 in the village of Lovozero; regional Festival of the North (Reindeer Herder's Day), with reindeer sled racing among men and women (held since 1928, since 1934 – in the village of Lovozero); Saami Word Day, which has been held since 1989 as part of the Days of Slavic Literature. Summer Saami Games is a national holiday with festivities, concerts of folklore groups

and competitions in national Saami sports: crossbow shooting, Saami football, jumping over a sled, stone throwing, which has been held annually since 1996 on Lake Popovsky near the village of Lovozero. The Festival of Saami music and the Festival of children's and youth theatrical performances in the Saami language "Moainas lan – the Fairy Tale City" in Olenegorsk, has been held annually since 1996.