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Birds in sámi myths

Woodpecker

If you put a plug in the hole where the bird has eggs, it will grab a straw and use it to take the plug away. You then need to find the straw - it will bring you luck. Woodpecker (Hackspett) [Dendrocopos major]

Loon

Arrows made from the beak of this bird always hit their target. Loon (Lom) [Gavia arctica]

Swan

The swan was the Shaman´s helper and the one that told that spring was coming. Swan (Svan) [Cygnus cygnus]

Willow Ptarmigan

When stormy weather with snow and wind is arriving the Willow Ptarmigan will warn you. Then it laughs when the sun goes down. If it only makes a quiet sound there will only be snow and no wind. Willow Ptarmigan (Dalripa) [Lagopus lagopus]

Hazelhen

When God was finished creating all the birds he got scared by the loud sound that the Hazelhen made when it was about to take off and fly. In that time it was as big as a capercaillie. So God took some meat away from it and made it smaller. That meat was handed out to many other birds, that still have a piece of Hazelhen meat on their chest. It´s still a noisy bird even now when it´s smaller, but not as noisy as it used to be. Hazelhen (Järpe) [Bonasa bonasia]

Crane

The crane kept an eye on, and counted, all the birds moving up to the north in the spring. They came from the land called Barbmo where the sun always shined. The crane was called Guorga - king of the birds, and decided about which birds who could stay in the north and which needed to move to other places in the world. Crane (Trana) [Grus grus]

Golden plover

In spring, hearing this bird sing in the morning means bad luck unless you have had something to eat first. Otherwise things will go wrong all year! But just keep someting small to eat (a "bird-bite"), close to where you sleep, and eat it right away - then you are safe. Golden plover (Ljungpipare) [Pluvialis apricaria]

Cuckoo

This is a very shy bird. If you manage to sneak close to the tree where it´s sitting and tie your lasso around the tree without scaring the bird you can expect luck and health. Cuckoo (Gök) [Cuculus canorus]

Siberian Jay

The Siberian Jay was seen as a dear friend and an angel sent from God. All positive energy. Siberian Jay (Lavskrika) [Perisoreus infaustus]

Blue-throat

This beautiful little bird comes from Barbmo. It can sing in hudreds of languages. When the weather is cold it makes dull sounds but when the weather is warm its tounge gets soft and it sounds like a ringing bell. Blue-throat (Blåhake) [Luscinia svecica]

Siberian Tit

This little bird can tell you that someone will pay you a visit. Siberian Tit (Lappmes) [Parus cinctus]

Raven

This is a bird that changes it´s mind. Once it had a frog for dinner it said "I will never eat that again, it tasted bitter". All the sudden it´s eating it again. That´s why you call a promise like that - a promise that won´t be held - a "raven-promise". Raven (Korp) [Corvus corax]

Raven

When the raven sees a pregnant women it wishes for a baby boy because when the child grows up it will bring leftovers from fishes to the dump. Raven (Korp) [Corvus corax]

Crow

When the Crow sees a pregnant women it wishes for a baby girl because when the child grows up it will bring leftovers from food to the dump. Crow (Kråka) [Corvus corone cornix]

Crow

It´s a bad sign if this bird starts to follow a certain person or sit outside a certain tent. It means that death will come. Crow (Kråka) [Corvus corone cornix]

Magpie

If a Magpie comes to your garden, be happy. It means luck. Magpie (Skata) [Pica pica]

Tjäder
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