Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 29, 1918.djvu/195

 Some Mythical Tales of the Lapps 185

Njavvis-ene ; because she thought that her herd would thrive better with the help of the boy. " I shall soon be much richer than you," she said, boastfully. " I shall kill lots of reindeer."

It happened one spring-time that there was a very great flood. Njavvis-ene was without any food. Her foster- daughter was hungry, and cried for something to eat. Then Njavvis-ene put a pot of water on the fire, and placed in it some dry bones, and a piece of bark, which she pretended to cook, in order to deceive the girl. The boy learned of his old playmate's sad plight, and took a piece of meat from Attjis-ene, went to Njavvis-ene's hut, climbed up on to the roof, and let the piece of meat down by a string into the pot. Njavvis-ene saw the boy's reflection in the water that was in the pot, lifted up her eyes and said, " Hullo ! my son ! " " What } " said he. " Am I your son .'' " She answered : " Follow me to a spring of water, and we will look at our reflections." They did so. The boy exclaimed, " Yes, indeed, my mother ! " and embraced her. Then she told him how when young he had been fraudulently obtained and forcibly taken away by Attjis-ene. He said, " It is right that those who steal men should die ! " So he went home and killed Attjis-ene. While she was dying, she seized him round the thigh, squeezed him so hard that the sinews of the hip were strained, and said :

"Though I helped to tame reindeer, I am slain ungratefully by thee ; But one heritage I leave thy race ; — When among kinsmen far removed Some one's hip aches, and is tortured with cramp, It is I who squeeze the sinews."

Therefore the Laplanders say to this day, when they feel cramping pains, " Attjis-ene suonab tuorela,'' " Attjis- ene is pulling the sinew."

Yet no blessing came with Attjis-ene's herd, from which she expected so much profit ; for her evil influence extended