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ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS._ 467
18. Swolo-Aldo, that is rein-deer ifland.
19. Sieide-Niarg, that is the promontory of the oracle.
20. A certain {tone called in Lapland Gameditzh. A certain Laplander from Por-
fanger Bay, himfelf being an eye witnefs, told me, that another Laplander of the
fame place, whofe name was Peter Siverfon, as often as he went out to fifh, haé
a cuftom of calling on the faid ftone Gameditzh and to make offering in the name of
this ftone, and religioufly to have offered it a piece of meat, taken from his provifion
cheft, in hope and expectation of a happy capture.
21. Inthe bay of Kaafiord, near the parifh of Kielvig, is faid to be a certain
mountain, facred to the worfhip of idols.
22. So alfo in a certain ifland called Mageroe a certain facred mountain in the Lap-
land Serve, that is, community, is celebrated by fame.
23. In the gulf of Hvalefund in the parifh of Hammerfeft, is faid to have been
a certain facred mountain called Akkie/fab.
24. A certain place alfo confecrated to religious rites, is faid to have been in the
parifh of Alten.
That there have exifted formerly in Finmark, a ftill greater number of holy places,
though not fufficiently known to me, Ido not mean to deny; but thofe already men-
tioned, abundantly fhew the foul idolatry of the country covered with the fhades of
ignorance.
The religious and fanétified places of the Laplanders, were diftinguifhed by a certain
fingular and unufual form from the reft: for inftance in the facrificial place called
Solfar-Kapper, of which mention has been lately made ; two {tones fharpened to a point
were feen fet upright, and laid near to each other. In the fame place, towards the fea,
where it was ufual to facrifice with {mall pieces of tobacco, the figure of a man is to be
feen with his face towards the fea.
Ona certain promontory in the parifh of Kiollefiord, a ftone of unufual fize is feen,
fo formed by nature, as to exhibit to thofe who fee it from a diftance, the reprefenta-
tion of a temple, adorned with a tower, whence it is named alfo to this day a Lapland
temple. ‘Yhat the Laplanders had formerly facrificed in this place, has not been as yet
diligently examined into by me, nor why they fhould make this a place of facrifice do I
fee any fit reafon, efpecially when the inconvenient and inaccetlible fituation of the
place feems to oppofe it; yet the very name of the place, namely a Lapland temple,
feems to indicate that facrifices were formerly made there. But the poor ignorant in-
habitants had taken into their head, fuperftitioufly that there was fomething divine in
thofe places, which were diftinguifhed from others by a certain unufual form, and that
they ought to be religioufly worfhipped.
But in what a high degree of eftimation thefe mountains were held by the Laplanders,
and how religioufly worfhipped, can be proved by a variety of proofs, fome of which I
fhall adduce. They approached thefe facrificial places clothed in feftive garments,
and there rolled themfelves down at the feet of their idols. ‘They vifited them yearly,
and though they would not offer frefh facrifices every time, yet they would by no
means touch the bones of the animals that were facrificed. ‘They would not dwell in
the Paffe-Varek, or facred mountains, leit they fhould difturb the divinity of the place,
by the cry of infants or any other noife : it was thought impious to fleep when failing
or riding by the Pafe-Vaerre that is any facred mountain, left by this inattention they
fhould feem little to regard their god, either to raife the voice, to kill an animal, though
in the way, to utter the leaft noife, were things forbidden, left in any refpect they
fhould be difagreeable and troublefome to their falfe god. Have they ona fky blue
30 2 garment,
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