_Of some remains of Paganism in_ Lapland _at this time._
By the present State of Religion in _Lapland_, it cannot be doubted but
all possible means were used by their pious Kings and Priests, for the
extirpating of superstition and its evil consequences: nevertheless
there remain some reliques thereof to employ their farther care and
endeavour, many gross errours prevailing among them, which renders the
reality of their conversion suspicious, as if they were still in love
with the erroneous opinions of their Ancestors, especially some of the
_Norwegian Laplanders_, whose Idolatry sufficiently demonstrates that
all their pretences to Christianity are but fictitious. But tho it were
impiety to believe this of all, since experience shews us the contrary;
yet it cannot be denied, but that many of them profess Christianity
rather out of dissimulation then any real affection. One chief reason
why they so stifly adhere to their superstition and impiety, proceeds
from the miscarriage of their Priests, who either take no care of
instructing the People, or vilify their doctrine by the sordidness of
their lives; whilst under a pretence of propagating the Gospell, they
endeavor only to advance their own revennues. This the _Laplanders_,
before none of the richest, could not bare; to see themselves opprest
and disabled by the exactions of the Priests. The truth of this _Olaus
Magnus_ strives to confute, calling it an impious and false assertion,
but he brings nothing to prove the truth of what he saies, nor answers
_Ziegler_, by telling a fair story, of the industry and liberality of
some in the Southern parts: and particularly that his brother _Joannes_
came to the utmost border of _Jemptia_, and gave a large Alms to the
poor people there, and at his own great charge set up a Salt-work.
A farther cause of the little improvement of Christianity, is the
vastness of the Country, some of the Inhabitants living above 200 miles
from the Christian Churches. But tho this cause is now in some degree
removed by having Churches more frequently, yet that inconvenience
still remains; because they are yet very far distant, particularly in
_Lapponia Luhlensis_, as we have already mentioned. There are other
causes of this unhappy effect, which more particularly reflect upon
the Natives. As their strong inclination to superstition, which hath
bin formerly mentioned, and the occasions thereof intimated. To this
we may add the high estimation they have of their Predecessors, whom
they think more wise then to have bin ignorant of what God they ought
to adore, or the manner of his worship: wherefore out of reverence to
them they will not recede from their opinions, least they should seem
to reprove them of ignorance or impiety. Lastly, this happens upon the
account of inveterate Custom, which at all times is hardly forgot,
especially where it prevails as a Law. This is it that darkens their
understanding, and renders it incapable of discerning between true and
false. For these and some other reasons there remain severall tracks of
Superstition and Idolatry, w^{ch} require no small time to be wore out;
as we see in severall of the meaner sort, nor only in _Swedland_, but
in _Germany_, _France_, and other Countries, where there is found much of
the old superstition, tho in other things they are orthodox enough.
Amongst the _Laplanders_ these opinions may be reduced to two heads,
for they are superstitious and paganish, or Magical and Diabolical. Of
the first sort some of their superstitions are only vain and fabulous,
others very impious and heathenish. As first of all their distinctions
between white and black daies. Of the later sort they account the
Feasts of _S. Katharine_ and _S. Mark_, whom they call _Cantepaive_,
and _S. Clement_, upon which daies they abstain from all business, and
chiefly from hunting. And of this they give two reasons; first, because
they say if they should hunt on any of those daies, their bows and
arrows would be broken, and they should forfeit their good success in
that sport all the year. In like manner they esteem the first day of
Christmas to be unlucky, insomuch that Masters of families go not out
of their Cottages, not so much as to Church, but send their Children
and Servants, for fear of I know not what spirits and dæmons, which
they suppose to wander about the air in great Companies upon that day;
and that they must first be appeased by certain Sacrifices, which we
shall mention hereafter. This superstition, I suppose, sprang from a
misinterpretation of the story which they heard from their Priest,
how a great host of Angels came down from Heaven upon our Saviours
Nativity, and frighted the Shepheards. They are likewise great
observers of Omens, and amongst others they guess at the success of
the day from the first beast they meet in the morning. They forbid the
woman to go out of that door thro which the man went a hunting, as
thinking the way would be improsperous if a woman trod the same steps.
And herein they are only superstitious but in what follows, they are
impious and heathenish. As first they go to Church not out of any
devotion, but compulsion. Next they stick at several Principles of
the Christian Religion, especially the resurrection of the dead, the
union of the body and soul, and the immortality of the soul. For they
fancy to themselves that men and beasts go the same way; and will
not be perswaded that there is any life after this. Whereupon one
_Georgius_, a Laplandish Priest, desired upon his death bed that he
might be buried amongst the _Laplanders_, that at the last day when he
should rise together with them, they might find his doctrine of the
resurrection true. Notwithstanding they believe that something of a man
remains after he is dead, but they know not what it is; which was the
very opinion of the Heathens, who therefore feign’d their Manes to be
somewhat that did remain after their death. A third impiety they are
guilty of, is joining their own feign’d gods with God and Christ, and
paying them equall reverence and worship, as if God and the Devil had
made an agreement together to share their devotions between them.
Those of _Lapponia Pithensis_ and _Luhlensis_ have their greater and
lesser Gods; the greater to whom they pay especial worship are, _Thor_,
_Storjunkaren_, and the _Sun_. _Damianus à Goes_ writes that they worship
the Fire and Statues of stone: but those Statues are only the Images of
_Storjunkaren_, and the Fire is only an embleme of the Sun; for that
they worshipped Fire it self for a God, is very false, as appears from
_Tornæus_, who made particular enquiry into that thing. The same may
be said of _Peucer_, who taking his mistake from the wooden Image of
_Thor_, reports that they worship wood. So that there are only three,
and that among the _Pithenses_ and _Luhlenses_; for the _Tornenses_
and _Kiemenses_ knew nothing of them, but in their stead under one
common name worshipped a Deity, whom they called _Seita_, whereof
every family and almost every person had one. Nevertheless there was
one chief Idoll to which all the neighbourhood paid devotion. But tho
this word _Seita_ denotes any God among the _Laplanders_, yet may we
suppose that under that name, especially as it signifies the publick
Idoll, they worshipped the same, which the _Luhlenses_ call _Tiermes_,
or _Aijeke_ (i. e.) thunderer, or father, by others named _Thor_. And
by the private Idols they mean’t him, who by the _Luhlenses_ is called
_Storjunkare_, making the difference to consist not in the Gods but
their names. The _Tornenses_ rather using a generall appellation, and
calling them all _Seitas_, whereas the _Luhlenses_ call the greater
_Termes_ or _Aijeke_, and the lesser _Storjunkar_. And if one attend
to their manner of worshipping these Gods, they will appear to be the
same. Besides these greater, the _Pithenses_, _Luhlenses_, and their
neighbours have some inferior Gods, as the _Tornenses_ likewise have,
tho they worship them all under one name, excepting only that which
they call _Wiru Accha_, signifying a _Livonian_ old woman, which
_Olaus Petr._ with some alteration calls _Viresaka_. This was only the
bare trunk of a tree, and is now wholly rotten. But who the inferior
Gods were, or to what end they were worshipped, there is no mention
made; but we may guess from what we find observable among the other
_Laplanders_. First under that name they worshipped the ghosts of
departed persons, but especially of their kindred, for they thought
there was some divinity in them, and that they were able to do harm:
just such as the _Romans_ fancied their Manes to be; therefore it was
that they offered Sacrifice to them, of which more hereafter. Besides
these Manes they worship other Spectres and Demons, which they say
wander about Rocks, Woods, Rivers and Lakes, such as the _Romans_
describe their _Fauni_, _Sylvani_, and _Tritons_ to be. The third sort
dreaded by them are _Genii_, whether good or bad, which they suppose
to fly in the air about Christmas, as we intimated before; these they
call _Juhlii_ from the word _Juhl_, denoting at present the Nativity
of Christ; but formerly the new year. And these are the Gods which the
_Laplanders_ jointly adore with God and our Saviour; of which we shall
now speak particularly, and of their respective worship.