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ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS. 483
For a hufband to lie with his wife under occafional vifits of illnefs, was accounted
wicked ; neither was he permitted to touch her cloaths under fuch a fituation. It was
alfo interdicted to her, while under this illnefs, to walk over the foot of the hufband,
which was ftretched out, as he fat on the ground ; nor was it permitted her either to
go over his gun, that was on the ground, or to climb to the top of the hut, or to tread
on that part of the fhore where the fifhermen ufually expofed their fithes, or to milk the
kine. When they recovered, they ufually wafhed their heads in water from the caul-
dlron ; which when done, they took care that the cauldron fhould be cleanfed with bran,
aud that a cake fhould be afterwards made in it, which women alone were permitted to
eat of.
A woman when with child looks to acertain ftar which is next to the moon, ’judging
from its nearnefs or remotenefs, whether the young fhe carries in her womb fhould
yield to fate, or be born under a happy omen.
To put a handle to an axe in the houfe of a lying-in woman wasimpious. The Lap-
Janders cautioufly provided again{t any thing twifted or knotty in the garments of a
perfon under fuch a fituation, led by a vain imagination that fuch knots would render
the birth of the woman more difficult. The garments with which fhe was cloathed
when in her labour fhe foon put afide, never to put on or wear again. She was kept
to that part of the hut where fhe lay-in; nor was fhe permitted to change until fhe rofe
in a ftate of health.
The Lapland women, for the moft part, fuckle their own children, fome two years
and upwards. They were of opinion, during their ignorance, that the children would
enjoy a greater degree of felicity the greater number of fafts, they were fuckled from
the teat.
It was cuftomary with the Laplanders to name their children according to their dreams.
Befides the names common to the Laplanders with the reft of the people of Norway,
and given them by the prieft at the time of their-baptifm, as Nicholas, Olaus, Peter, &c.
which according to the genius of the Lapland language are differently written and pro«
nounced ; as Anders in the Lapland founds Anda, or Adda; Svend, that is, Sveno, Spein;
Jens, that is, Janus, Junthe ; Jofeph, Juks ; Lars, that is, Laurentius, Lalla ; Nicolaus,
Nikke, &c. Some had names given them froma kind of baptifmal fount at home; as
Utze Beivatzh, that is, Little Sun; Quive, Mielze, Akkie, Guia, Nokke, and others
of this clafs. For it has beena cuftom formerly, which is even retained to this
day, of which I have been an eye-witnefs, that infants, from the day of their birth
to a confirmed age, fhould be daily wafhed in a warm cauldron ; which practice, as it is
undertaken folely for their health and ftrength of body, has nothing hurtful in it. If
the child is to have any other name than its firft genuine one, that is given in the firft
wafhing, when the navel-ftring is loofed from it, in this form of words: De mon baafam
duu dam Nabmi N. N. ja dam nabmi bunurift kalkak aellet, 1 wath thee in the name of
N.N., in which you will thrive. During this time fome one name either of the afore-
faid, or taken from its anceftors, is given to the infant : the holy water was boiled toge-
ther with the bark of the alder-tree, and fprinkled on the infant. When afterwards the
child falls ill, or cries more than it fhould, it is imputed to no other caufe than becaufe a
juft and genuine name was not given it ; and alfo afferted, that there was an anceftor by
whofe name he could be more properly and fitly called. A new wafhing wasundertaken,
when a new name was acquired, taken from one of his anceftors ; and this is the reafon
why you meet with Laplanders frequently that have two or three names, one of which
is given in baptifm, the reft in private wafhings, But it would be an eafy matter to
prove by inftances that there are Laplanders who, befides the family name given by 144
322 prie
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