Sámi Shamanism

In the animism of the Sámi of Sápmi, every notable thing in nature, from animals to rocks, was thought to have a soul. Beliefs varied from region to region. Common figures were Beaivi, the sun goddess and mother of humans, the thunder god Horagalles, and Jahbme-akka, mistress of the dead. Families offered reindeer at sieidis, unusual stones or landforms that were holy places, and the noaidi, or shaman, went into trance with a reindeer-hide drum to reach saivo, the underworld.

Catholic missionaries arrived in the thirteenth century. Pressure grew after the Reformation, when many drums were burned or confiscated in the 1600s and 1700s.