The Bear in Sami and Old Norse Religion

The religious importance of the bear in Sami and Old Norse Religion. Bibliography by the end of this video.

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Pendants shown on this video:

Face pendant Borre style 850 AD
Borre style pendant ca. 850-900 ad
Odin pendant ca. 900-1000 ad
Frey Pendant early 7th century

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Credits/Music:

#Sami #Vikings #Bear

[Kwodlibet]

Thank you Arith! Btw, a Russian friend gave me 3 simple tips that may be useful to you, or your viewers, if you ever happen to be in any area with significant bear population:
1. Attach tiny bells to your clothing! - Their sound warns nearby bears that you are approaching and they won't startle and charge.
2. Carry a can of Pepper Spray with you at all times! - In the unlikely event that a bear does charge you, spray it towards the animal as their noses are very sensitive.
3. Inspect bear droppings to know what kinds of bears are nearby! - Bear droppings are easy to recognize as they often contain tiny bells and smell strongly of pepper.


Hope that helps ;)

[Kai_kmk]

Thank you for interesting video. In Finnish language there are over 1000 nicknames for bear. Bear was respected spirit and deity. The real name of it was not allowed to speak out loud. Bear hunting was a sacred ritual. When a bear was killed a feast (Karhunpeijaiset) for the bear was held. The skull of the bear was set to a best place on the table. Poems were sang to it asking forgiveness for the hunters and to make sure that the would reincarnate back to the forest. After the feast bear's skull was lifted up to a breath tree closer to it's original home.

[air]

I'm Chinese. I've never been abroad. But in the summer of 2018, someone suddenly taught me runes in my dream, and from that moment, my life changed forever. I've been watching your videos these days, and fortunately, I'm really starting to learn the old stuff with a new identity. Maybe I used to be a shaman and I had a man's body and a woman's soul, or I could be an Seiðr. And I came here as a foreigner to learn about Norse shaman and runes, and I was a totally embarrassed existence, and I really felt the pressure. Thank you for your teaching and sharing.

[whatevahman]

I have to say, as far as religion and culture goes, what I like about the Sámi is the idea and apparent truth that life permeates everything, that all of it is sacred and we ought to revere it. Thank you for making this video Arith Härger. Secondly, I like your coat and beard.

[johnlomax]

I got so much out of this. Thank you for Illuminating our collective northern European memories. John Lomax

[_thatkat]

This was the exact video I needed today, strength & health of the bear to you, Arith

[thewhiteboar]

In an Swedish book I read it said that you didn't become a Bärsärk. You was born as one. And some of the characteristics and behaviors described elsewhere it sounds like people with a type of "diagnosis". As we say nowadays. Some diagnosis would be a plus in those days. I have one of them. And something that I've seen in more place than one is that it was a type of "special force". I'm part Sami as well but have not studied it that much. But my grandmother told me about when they came and burned their drums "trolltrummor" the Christians called them. That was in the 1800s iirc. My oldest book is from 1895 that was passed down by relatives to me. Great video! Have ignited something again. I have been spirituality numb etc for a number of reasons.

[Westmannia]

"Peijaiset (in dialectal forms peijahaiset,  peijaat or peijaajaiset) is a Finnish concept, dating to pre-Christian times, denoting a memorial feast that was held in the honour of a slain animal, particularly the bear, the animal most sacred to ancient Finns. In modern-day usage, it often refers to the celebrations following a successful elk hunt or a feast at the end of a hunting season. It may also be used in a figurative sense, denoting any memorial held for things that have come to an end ("peijaiset" over e.g. bankrupt companies). Traditionally, it referred to wakes for humans and animals, but also other celebrations, depending on the region in question.
Karhunpeijaiset are a celebration held for the soul of a bear after a bear hunt. Traditionally, a bear was never "hunted"; it was merely brought down. A single man could claim to have hunted and killed a bear, but when the entire community was involved, the bear was simply said to have died. The bear's spirit had to be told that it had simply fallen into a pit or that it had otherwise killed itself by accident, not by the hunters: this was done to appease the bear's spirit so that it would not be offended and possibly enact some kind of revenge upon the hunters. The ceremony was always a much more elaborate affair than what the most influential member of the community would have merited. In eastern Finland it would have copious mourners and wailers, and the people would address the bear as a relative, or the son of a god. Its flesh was not eaten — that would have been cannibalism — or, if it was, an elaborate show was made to symbolically render the meat into that of another animal, e.g. venison. The bear's head was usually mounted on the top of a young tree, or on a pike, so as to help the bear's spirit climb up into the stars, where it was believed bears' souls had come from. Carrion-eaters would then eat it, leaving only the skull, which would then become an object of veneration. A courtyard would also be cleared around the skull. Traditionally, only bears were honoured thus."

[teresafigueiredo]

Rethinking concepts is important, it must be part of the growth and evolution of mentalities, to save the Planet we must appeal to everyone's conscience,
Well there Mr. Arith excellent video, excellent demonstration of concepts! Thanks. Health!

[roseyork]

I appreciate how much you focus on historical evidence and differentiate that from neo-pagan revivalism!

[KristenKras]

Bear came to me years ago in a dream beckoning me to follow Her, She was calling me to motherhood. I had to step forward and leave behind my old ways. Sad but yet rewarding. She is in my ancestry, I also have Finnish and Scandinavian DNA as well as Celtic, I didn't know until recent years. I am also drawn to Wolf and Raven/Crow. I am a sort of outsider, I have a child with autism, he is similar. Sad but humans can really be cruel and unaccepting.

[torstenscott]

Thanks for the distinction between the Sammi and the Norse regarding bears. Personally, growing up in the Rockies, I've always seen the bear as the king of the forest.

[ronakane]

Take care Arith as my mom would, "you have sick eyes", this was her way of saying your not sick yet but you will be soon, I greatly appreciate your candor and the high quality content of your channel. Be well. Best of everything to you and yours.

[kalteisen]

Awesome video. I learned a lot on my morning commute to work just then!

[rosegoi]

Speaking of praising Bears, Artio the bear Goddess in the celtic culture of the Le tene, if i'm not geographically wrong lol.

[sppdallas]

I’ve been watching you for several years now, always loving the information that you present and the manner in which it is presented . I know it’s tricky when you start trying to endorse or recommend other artisans of the same genre. So I appreciate the trust factor when you do recommend something. Always great job

[alaskabornheathen]

Great video. This interpretation of Berserkir and Ulfhednar being criminals makes a bit of sense to me. Every year one of my favorite radio programs does an episode about Krampus. While talking about Krampus he also speaks a little about Mountain people in older times in Europe that wore the skins of bears and came down to attack villages. Maybe they wore Bear hides, but maybe like you said they were banished criminals that preyed upon innocent people in the harsher times of the year. Hope your cough isn’t anything serious. Take care sir.

[LordGrotesk]

Another excellent informational video, Professor! Thank you!

😺✌💪

[wakinyanredwolf]

Thank you for the wonderful video. I will say that both the bear and wolf are sacred to me, but that's because of personal experiences and interactions with them while grieving the loss of my mother and dealing with trauma from wounds I received downrange and a post military life.
I find it fascinating to see how the ancient cultures regarded both and I believe that your interpretation is quite accurate and makes sense from the Old Norse worldview.
The facts don't make them less sacred to me in my personal relationship with them, but merely gives me another viewpoint from an ancient people's perspective.
Thank you!

[marcrhodes-taylor]

please take care arith, i hope that the cough is just that, nothing more. another highly informative video. this has told me a lot. i am a bit of a film person, in that sense your explanation has clarified a few things for me. i was wondering why the bear in midsommar was so important. this is just a story of course not history, but with this information it makes a lot more sense. there is of course the thirteenth warrior, where bears play an important role. and then there is beorn in the lord of the rings; tolkien must have known something about bear lore.