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Blog

Frozen II, The Sámi Culture and Scandinavian Myths

12/26/2019

12 Comments

 
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths

Northuldra and the Sámi

I just saw Frozen II (literally an hour ago) and I had to write about the connections to the Sámi culture and Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish myths and folklore.

Let´s start with the Sámi culture (also known as Sami, Sapmi and Saami. As a Finnish speaker I´d refer a Sámi person as "saamelainen" or "saami" and the language as "saame") I have written a lot about Sami mythology here in myblog. I have Sámi ancestry from the Lapland of Finland and Sweden. 
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
The Sámi´s are native people of Scandinavia. There are about 20 000 people in this world who speak Sámi languages. These days you can find Sámi´s all over the world (and people with Sámi ancestry) but in general most Sámi´s live in the Lapland of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Kuola Peninsula in Russia. This is why, for example in Finland, Lapland is sometimes called as "Saamenmaa" the land of the Sámi. Sámi´s were nomads and reindeer herders and still today many Sámi´s are reindeer herders.  Already in the first Frozen there was Sami influences, because Kristoff´s character was inspired by Saami culture. Kristoff´s outfit is similar to traditional Sami outfits. Different Sámi tribes and regions have their own outfits and designs. The pointy shoes and outfits made of reindeer skin are common (sorry Sven). ​
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
​ There are several Sámi tribes and Sámi languages. Most common Sámi language is northern Sámi, which is sort of universal Sámi language that Sámi´s who speak different Sámi languages use to communicate with each others.

Joik

A joik or yoik also named luohti, vuolle, vuelie, or juoiggus in the Sámi languages, is a traditional form of song in Sámi music performed by the Sámi people. Joiks do not have any words. They are pure sound that captivate emotion. There are different types of joiks. Joiks for love, friendship, family, reindeer's, winter, northern lights..you name it. I was impressed how many new joiks there was in Frozen II and I loved the sound of the shaman drums. 

In Frozen II we meet the Northuldra tribe and they are based on Sámi people. One of the Northuldra´s mentions that they worship the sun. Sámi´s followed a nature based belief system and since in Lapland winters are dark and long they did worship the sun as the giver of all life. 

You´ll be sad and disappointed to know how much discrimination there is towards the Sámi culture in Finland. There has been some progress recently, especially what it comes to cultural appropriation being questioned. I was sitting on the movie theater and some teen age girls were making fun about Northuldra´s/Sámi´s worshiping the sun since they are from Lapland...
This is the Sámi flag. It has a sun in the middle. Sometimes I am genuinely worried about the lack of education of our own history in this country (several Finno-ugric tribes shared a similar belief system). Sun is also often portrayed in the center of Sámi shaman drums. 
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
In autumn 2019 Walt Disney Studios made a historical agreement with the Sámi population of Norway, Finland and Sweden so that the Sámi culture in the film was portrayed with respect and they had Sámi experts with the developing the story and the characters. Frozen II is also translated into Northern Sámi (Jikŋon II). 
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths

Ahto-Hallan, In depths

​The way Ahto-Hallan was described in Frozen it actually reminded me of Finnish and Sámi myths about the land of the dead. I don´t know if that was the intention of the film makers but hear me out;

Ahto-Hallan is in far north, a place where the spirits live, home of magic and that is where Elsa finds the spirits of the people who lived before her.
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
Somehow this connection makes Frozen feel much darker 
Ahto/Ahti is the name of the sea god/spirit of the sea and god of the depths in Finnish mythology (Ahtola is the place where all the merfolk lives). Ahto-halla is Finnish. It refers to "ahtojää" packed ice. Halla is also Finnish, it means frost/frozen. 

In Finnish mythology there is a place called Pohjola (combined from the words pohjoinen- north and pohja-  bottom). Pohjola is the underworld, place where the spirits of the dead live. Pohjola was located in far north in the land of eternal winter. In this old world view, the world was made of three layers. Upper layer (ylinen) was the place where the highest spirits resided, the middle world was the world of the animals and humans, underworld the bottom, was the land of the dead. These worlds were not really seen so much as physical places but different layers of human conscience. 

Sámi myths have lots of elements from Scandinavian and Finnish mythology and vice versa. In some Sámi myths, the land of the dead is called as "Rotaimo" and it can be found from the bottom of a bottomless lake. In Lapland there are lots of lakes that are very deep and have fake bottoms (goes back to Ahto being the spirit of depths). 
Picture

Water horse

In Frozen II Elsa tames a beautiful water horse called The Nokk. The water horse is a common character in Scandinavian folklore equivalent to Scottish Kelpie. In Swedish folklore it is known as bäckahäst/näcken and in Norway as nøkken. 
In the folklore the water horse was usually a large, white and a beautiful horse. It would walk in the shore and lure people to climb on it´s back and then it would drown them. It was possible to tame the majestic horse with tricks but I guess Elsa and the Nokk also have a natural connection since they both have ice magic.
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
btw this is epic af
​Which brings us to the Finnish water horse myth. What it comes to Finnish mythology there is one horse above all others and he is Iku-Tihku. How would I explain his name, Iku comes from the word ikuinen meaning eternal and tihku means dripping water.
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
A freaking eternal ice horse that drips water! I rest my case!

Here is the story of Iku-Tihku. Iku-Tihku was made inside a mountain by trolls. He was made of fire and ice and he was the first horse ever created. Because he was partly made of ice he could not visit the human world during the summer and the warm months because he would melt. He could however, visit the human world during the winter time and because  Iku was partly made of ice, he had the ability to travel between the human world and Pohjola, the north/the underworld and deliver messages from humans to the spirit world. 

Not too different to the way Nokk takes Elsa to Ahto-hallan.

​I am starting to see why so many non-Finnish speakers consider Finnish language as some sort form of elvish.
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths

Stone Giants

​Trolls saw that Iku-Tihku was a mighty creature so they used him as a model to create the first horses, but they were not made from ice and fire but from iron, and they could travel between all the worlds and seasons.

Trolls are not very common in Finnish folkore but you can find LOT´S of trolls from Swedish, Norse and Sámi myths. They often live in mountains and are connected to stones and minerals and they are more than often giants.

Here are some sleeping stone giants from Frozen II
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths
Here is a picture from my family´s summer cabin from northern Finland. Do you see what I see?
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths

Iduna

Mother of Elsa and Anna is Iduna and in Frozen II we find out that she was a northuldra. In Norse mythology Iduna is name  of the goddess of health and rejuvenation. Her symbol is the apple and she is connected to autumn season (have you seen the color palette in Frozen II?). I have heard quite a few Americans complaining that Iduna doesn´t look native. (I must say I have hard time understanding the obsession some Americans have with race).

What does a native look like? 

I think the most straight forward explanation is the fact that when the first Frozen movie was made, makers were not planning to do a  sequel and didn´t though of Iduna´s backstory then.


But even if they did, despite of the fact that Scandinavian countries and Sámi´s have a sad and violent history, there has been many mixed marriages between Sámi´s Finns/Swedes/and Norwegians and you can come across  all kinds of looking Sámi´s. There is variety in hair color, skin color and eye color. The the way people look can also vary in different areas. Lapland is a wide place, my friends. Our genetic make up is always a mixture.
Frozen 2 Sami culture and the scandinavian myths

Seita

Last but not least THE SEITA.

​Seita´s are stone formations and ancient worshiping places. The Sámi´s went to the seita to leave gifts for the gods, make requests and meditate. Stone formations are common all over the world (Stone Henge probably being the most well-known one).

​Why stones?

They are ancient, and the higher they are, the closer they are to the sky and the spirits. 
​If you'd like to participate in constructive online conversations about this essay, please do leave comments and share in your social media networks.

'Northern Lights' Canvas Print by Niina Niskanen

Magical and mysterious northern lights. Being born in northern Finland northern lights always have a special place in my heart. / Based on my original painting. / © Niina Niskanen * Millions of unique designs by independent artists. Find your thing.

12 Comments
Cheryl Nobens
12/27/2019 02:57:22 am

Fascinating, Niina!

Reply
Niina Niskanen link
12/27/2019 01:02:43 pm

Thanks Cheryl!

Reply
Charity G
12/28/2019 12:04:47 am

Thank you so much for sharing! I love learning of different cultures and their stories! Now I have a new appreciation for the movie!

Reply
Niina Niskanen link
12/28/2019 12:52:50 pm

Awesome!

Reply
Rebecca
12/28/2019 08:25:43 pm

Niina, thank you so much for this review! I was already excited to see the new Frozen, and this makes me even more intrigued. The photo from your family's summer home is so whimsical, I love it!

Blessings!

Reply
Niina Niskanen link
12/28/2019 08:48:21 pm

Thanks! I loved the movie. I am sure you will like it.

Reply
Ashley Mose
1/9/2020 07:46:46 pm

I thought it was strange that the Northuldra were "people of the sun" yet those born in the forest had never seen the sky!

Reply
Niina Niskanen link
1/10/2020 02:09:40 pm

The way I saw it tribe lived in sort of a time loop and it was only when Elsa and Anna broke the spell the young people of the tribe were able to see the actual/real sky :)

Reply
Elyce
3/18/2020 05:47:09 pm

Love this historic viewpoint. I’m watching Frozen 2 with my daughter and we’re in awe. We been to Sweden and it’s beautiful and majestic. I think there’s so much green over there that it feels elvish and druidsy. I’m American and I’m sorry that we’re so stupid about race. It’s crazy over here and I’m black so I’ve definitely got a unique viewpoint. This was a beautiful movie and I’m glad Disney did their home work because sometimes they miss the mark.

Reply
Niina Niskanen link
4/10/2020 11:25:37 pm

Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment Elyce. Finns have had some wacky race theories in the past as well but thank goodness the younger generations are not that biased. Yes, kudos for Disney, research done well and it shows!

Reply
Chaz M
7/21/2020 07:13:13 pm

These are some fantastic background details and observations on some of the real world parallels shown in the movie, thanks for putting this together!

Our three year old daughter has become a huge Frozen fan, so I’ve watched both movies quite regularly the last several months. One intricate movie detail that I suspect has some deeper meaning but has me puzzled is the manuscript in the “unknown language” that Anna and Elsa find on their parent’s ship in Frozen 2. It looks like it potentially pictorially depicts some sort of mythological story, I’m curious if it parallels any stories from Sámi/Norse/Scandinavian folklore. Some of the symbols used also pop up in the movie (ex: the symbols for the air, fire, water, and earth elements) and some are obvious (fish, reindeer, sun, etc.), but there’s a lot that doesn’t seem to be related to anything else in the movie. It doesn’t appear as though the internet community has tried to decipher it either; I couldn’t find any other threads or webpages exploring it. If you could take a look at it and post/respond with any thoughts or ideas, I’d be very interested to know your interpretation. Thanks in advance!

Reply
Emily Falke
10/21/2020 08:05:28 pm

My daughter has been wanting to watch Frozen 2 again lately so I was googling the origin of Ahtohallan and found this post. Thank you for sharing! The Sami and Scandinavian history & folklore sound fascinating. Are there any books on the subject you could recommend?

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    Niina

    Pronounced as Nee-na.
    ​
    Artist, illustrator, writer, watercolorist and a folklorist. Gryffinclaw. Comes from Finland. Likes cats, tea and period dramas. 

    If it´s canon and it´s
    ​Little Women it´s good.
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