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incapable of discerning between true and false. For these and some other
reasons there remain severall tracks of Superstition and Idolatry, wch require
no small time to be wore out; as we see in severall of the meaner sort, not
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 demons, which
they suppofe 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 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 foul. 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,
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