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ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS, 479
ing of his girdle and latchets: his ftriking his knee with the axe; his taking burning
logs from the fire, &c. ; and laitly his proftrating himfelf on the ground like toa dead
man. Itis alfo beyond doubt, that the faid women during the act had muttered to one
another, and that the magician in his trance had began to move hand and foot a little
to their difcourfe, and foon after the office of his fenfes returning, that he had uttered
in a fubdued tone of voice the words Vuolet-Zaabme, and that when at length coming
to himfelf, he had advifed and commanded a victim for the reftoration of the fick man.
All this is fo correét and true as to admit of no doubt; but the remaining part | fub-
mit to the underftandings and belief of the judicious reader.
Paffe Varek or facred mountains will feem wonderful to no one when mentioned on this
oceafion, That there were fuchin this country, honored with divine worfhip, befides
many other places of facrifice is plain from: the idolatrous worthip of the Laplanders,
and from the traces to be met with at this day. I mylelf have been an eye witnefs of
them. That the Pagan Laplanders, and efpecially their minifters, men in{pired, fhould
have in their minds thefe mountains and their inhabiting gods, is a matter eafy to be
believed. And it may be eafily alfo inferred that the magician engaged in the cure of
the fick, fhould have his mind fixed on thefe facred heights, by a certain manner of reafon,
fuiting the thing itfelf. Moreover when the objects that occupy our thoughts when we
are awake, lay hold of them when aifleep, it is no wonder, that the magician in this act,
which was all done in a deep and profound fleep, procured by the brandy he had drunk,
placed beyond the power of all external objects, fhould fee his favorite hills, their gods,
and other objects before his fenfes, and hear them calling for victims for the reitora-
tion of the fick. And as all this is the bufinefs of magic, and the invention of the
devil, it follows, that the wicked fpirit is the contriver and advifer of the councils, and
that he has the greater fhare in directing it.
But this has not been the only practice of medicine among them; that others were
practifed will be manifeft from the following account. A certain Laplander from Por-
fanger bay, by name Mellet Olfen, an honeit man, free from guile, told me a {tory of
two other of his countrymen, that when going to practife medicine, made ufe of the
following method. On the eve of Chriftmas, they flew a young rein-deer, and boiled
the meat, certain {mall pieces of which together with alittle butter and cheefe, and a few
cakes they put in a {mall fkiff fabricated for that ufe. Having prepared, in this manner
a facrifice, they piled up a great heap of wood, on which they placed the faid {kiff,
juft mentioned, with the facrifice itfelf, in order to remain there during the feftival.
When the feaft was over the fkiff was looked for on the pile, but no where found,
while Mellet ferioufly affirmed, that no body knew what had happened or where it was
put; yetthere isno doubt but the facrifices placed in the {kiff, were offered to Joulo-
Gadze, or to the company of Yules. The fame Mellet Olfen related to me a {tory
of another of his countrymen, an inhabitant of the fame bay, that when about to take
fick perfons under his care he was accuftomed to attempt the bufinefs in this way.
Brought in his boat gradually and flowly near the fhore, where there was the moft con-
venient landing, he put in, and getting on the main land, he brought a {tone of no mo-
derate fize to the boat, and {poke to it, after turning it round and round, often in words
which Meltet apologized to me for fuflering to efcape his memory. On his return
home he brought the faid {tone with him, and placed it under his pillow, and often ad-
drefled it, drawn from under his head, in the fame form of words.
Vhe Gan fly is befides numbered among their magic inftruments moft remarkable,
wherever it is known, asan inftrument of injuring. ‘The Laplanders contend that they
were flies, but you would fay that they were evil {pirits, under the name ot flies.
They
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