2016-08-22
Please enjoy this teaser for my upcoming YouTube interview series "Discovering The Swedish Bigfoot"! Remember to click the CC button for English subtitles!
2016-07-12
Giants, Bigfoot tree structures and Sami primitive dwellings
The Sami people – also known as the Laplanders, are the indigenous people of an area that reaches across four nations- Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.This big land area is called Sápmi. The Sami people are one of the oldest indigenous groups in Europe. Of a total of about 80 000 Sami, about 20 000 live in Sweden, of which about 4700 are reindeer herders. There are different groups of Sami. Here in this country there are both South Sami, North Sami and Forest Sami of which the South Sami is the biggest group. These people have their own specific culture and customs, languages and religious belief system and traditions which is most unique for their own group of people. Today many of the Sami people have left for the cities and are living traditional modern lives but still many of them are living the lives in the old traditional way. To live in the old traditional way involves primarily focus on reindeer herding, hunting, fishing, handicrafts and nowadays also some tourism. Rights to reindeer herding may only be exercised by Sami who is a member of the Sami community, according to the Swedish constitution. Today the Sami uses modern vehicles in their reindeer herding such as snowmobile, four-wheeler and helicopter. When herders today move their reindeer they no longer live in their old traditional temporary dwellings as they used to do, but in houses located in the winter grazing land.
It has been researched and debated a lot about the Sami people originating in Sweden. Most scholars now agree on the fact that they walked into the country after the Ice Age around 10,000 to 8 000 years ago, both from the north and from the east. When this people's ancestors followed the melting ice on the tundra in the northern parts of Sweden and came together with the people who colonized Finland from the east. So is the Sami genetic heritage, which is mainly European, explained.
The Stallo.
The Sami people have their own creation story, as well as a rich mythology and lore. In their stories a strange creature frequently appears, a breed of troll called the Stallo. The Stallo is described as unnaturally large and malicious in nature. He is alternately described as as a giant, an ogre or a demon/devil like entity. The Stallo is quite a complex figure in the Sami tradition and mythology and it's hard just to classify him into the Bigfoot/Sasquatch category solely. As a matter of fact he don't seem to belong in that category at all. He's much more multifaceted and very hard to get a grip of. I will try to describe a bit more of this entity in another post here, as I this time will concentrate more on the archaeological remains that the Sami people say belong to him.
The ancient Sámi named many features of their landscape after the Stallo — a magic mountain, various lakes, a waterfall - as if these creatures were as elemental, and as inhuman, as the rock and the water themselves. Like most trolls and Giants, the Stallo are defined by their hunger. Storytellers call them “man-eaters” and “child-nappers,” with tales abounding of hapless Sámi wanderers who stumble into Stallo camps only to be cooked up and served as dinner. In his 1910 anthropological study "An Account of the Sámi", Johan Turi ( a Sami himself) writes that the Stallo’s tendency to eat up their own wives and children means that their numbers are forever dwindling. In order to replenish their tribe, they regularly abduct human children. Even though these children are not expected to return, Sámi stories do occasionally explain away strange behavior by stating that a person has Stallo blood. Turi, while claiming that “nowadays, the Stallo are almost all gone,” admitted that it was still possible to find a Laplander who was related to them. “Where a Stallo has married a Sámi girl,” he writes, “you find half-Stallo, half-human creatures who differ a little from other people in nature and appearance.”
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the Stallo is their magical power. Turi relates a story about a troll woman who possessed an enchanted iron pipe; in moments of danger, she would turn this pipe upon her enemies, emptying them of their life-energy and leaving them dead-eyed shells. Their souls drained from their bodies, these dull not-quite-ghosts were walking reminders of the risk of inciting the Stallo’s wrath. Nothing, however, is without its opposite or weakness, and trolls across Scandinavia were thought to have one natural enemy. They feared lightning, so much so that the advent of electricity was credited with banishing them from the north. According to legend, the trolls fled from the glowing land and the light of industry and progress.
To get a grip of what the Stallo really was in the Sami everyday life, lore and tradition is quite hard. In some aspects they are treated as a part of the natural world. In other aspects they are very clearly from the spirit world or at least, capable of operating in it. A recurring theme in many of the available entries describing Stallo is that he is stupid and gullible. In my opinion this is something very unique to this difficult to grasp figure.
The Sami people have their own creation story, as well as a rich mythology and lore. In their stories a strange creature frequently appears, a breed of troll called the Stallo. The Stallo is described as unnaturally large and malicious in nature. He is alternately described as as a giant, an ogre or a demon/devil like entity. The Stallo is quite a complex figure in the Sami tradition and mythology and it's hard just to classify him into the Bigfoot/Sasquatch category solely. As a matter of fact he don't seem to belong in that category at all. He's much more multifaceted and very hard to get a grip of. I will try to describe a bit more of this entity in another post here, as I this time will concentrate more on the archaeological remains that the Sami people say belong to him.
The ancient Sámi named many features of their landscape after the Stallo — a magic mountain, various lakes, a waterfall - as if these creatures were as elemental, and as inhuman, as the rock and the water themselves. Like most trolls and Giants, the Stallo are defined by their hunger. Storytellers call them “man-eaters” and “child-nappers,” with tales abounding of hapless Sámi wanderers who stumble into Stallo camps only to be cooked up and served as dinner. In his 1910 anthropological study "An Account of the Sámi", Johan Turi ( a Sami himself) writes that the Stallo’s tendency to eat up their own wives and children means that their numbers are forever dwindling. In order to replenish their tribe, they regularly abduct human children. Even though these children are not expected to return, Sámi stories do occasionally explain away strange behavior by stating that a person has Stallo blood. Turi, while claiming that “nowadays, the Stallo are almost all gone,” admitted that it was still possible to find a Laplander who was related to them. “Where a Stallo has married a Sámi girl,” he writes, “you find half-Stallo, half-human creatures who differ a little from other people in nature and appearance.”
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the Stallo is their magical power. Turi relates a story about a troll woman who possessed an enchanted iron pipe; in moments of danger, she would turn this pipe upon her enemies, emptying them of their life-energy and leaving them dead-eyed shells. Their souls drained from their bodies, these dull not-quite-ghosts were walking reminders of the risk of inciting the Stallo’s wrath. Nothing, however, is without its opposite or weakness, and trolls across Scandinavia were thought to have one natural enemy. They feared lightning, so much so that the advent of electricity was credited with banishing them from the north. According to legend, the trolls fled from the glowing land and the light of industry and progress.
To get a grip of what the Stallo really was in the Sami everyday life, lore and tradition is quite hard. In some aspects they are treated as a part of the natural world. In other aspects they are very clearly from the spirit world or at least, capable of operating in it. A recurring theme in many of the available entries describing Stallo is that he is stupid and gullible. In my opinion this is something very unique to this difficult to grasp figure.
The Stalotomt
The Stalotomt is a type of ancient remain existing in the mountain area between Sweden and Norway, particularly from Lule Lapland and south. It consists of a broad, earth hump with raised oval shape, about five meters in diameter. In the middle of it is traces of a simple fireplace (hearth), which in general are so overgrown that it is not visible. Often there are several stalotomts found in a line. In the Sami tradition these stalotomts are considered to be remnants of Stalo's dwellings or tombs.
The Stalotomt is a type of ancient remain existing in the mountain area between Sweden and Norway, particularly from Lule Lapland and south. It consists of a broad, earth hump with raised oval shape, about five meters in diameter. In the middle of it is traces of a simple fireplace (hearth), which in general are so overgrown that it is not visible. Often there are several stalotomts found in a line. In the Sami tradition these stalotomts are considered to be remnants of Stalo's dwellings or tombs.
Stalotomts in the mountain range "Skanderna", the border between Sweden and Norway.
In fact the Sami have two explanations for what the stalotomt relics are traces of – one explanation is that it used to belong to Sami who lived in "submerged" huts with roofs of trunks and bark and earth - with peat. It would be homes to hide in during troubled times. Their other explanation for them is that Stallo lived in them. When Stallo lived in them he slept next to the earth wall so you could not get at him with spears stuck through the canvas, he was protected by the dike in combination with the burial.
So what does the archaeologists have to say about these ancient relics? When it comes to determining the age of them the majority of these can be dated back to the late Viking Age and the early Middle Ages, but the oldest dating goes back to the 800 – 900 CE.
The Stalotomts has been under discussion since the early 2000s, and their interpretation has varied between that they were Sami respectively Norse. In Sami oral tradition on the other hand, for example in the conurbation of Vilhelmina, these became known as "Well-kåterikkek" which means "giant's berths" or "staloi-gåtesajei" which means Stallos dwelling grounds.
Different theories have been presented as to who these artefacts belonged to. In the 1980's one researcher felt that it was the Norse population's presence in the mountains that had given rise to this Stallo dwelling myth. He attached "Stallo" to steel and reasoned that Stallo was the iron clad, and they who built stalotomts in fact were the old Nordic chiefs tax collectors. Today, the prevailing interpretation of who built the stalotomts was the Sami, but still ongoing discussions about whether it was hunting and fishing settlements or something else.
During the 21st century extensive surveys and excavations of stalotomts has given rise to new theories. Archaeologists now believe that the plots are remnants of huts constructed in a bowed manner, so called "bågstångskåtor", built on a frame of birch and covered with birch bark, maybe even peat. They believe that these huts were used by reindeer herders who stayed on the mountain all year round in the Viking Age. The raised embankment, which no scientist before really been able to explain, allows a design with a low ceiling that would be well suited for winter use.
The Stalotomts has been under discussion since the early 2000s, and their interpretation has varied between that they were Sami respectively Norse. In Sami oral tradition on the other hand, for example in the conurbation of Vilhelmina, these became known as "Well-kåterikkek" which means "giant's berths" or "staloi-gåtesajei" which means Stallos dwelling grounds.
Different theories have been presented as to who these artefacts belonged to. In the 1980's one researcher felt that it was the Norse population's presence in the mountains that had given rise to this Stallo dwelling myth. He attached "Stallo" to steel and reasoned that Stallo was the iron clad, and they who built stalotomts in fact were the old Nordic chiefs tax collectors. Today, the prevailing interpretation of who built the stalotomts was the Sami, but still ongoing discussions about whether it was hunting and fishing settlements or something else.
During the 21st century extensive surveys and excavations of stalotomts has given rise to new theories. Archaeologists now believe that the plots are remnants of huts constructed in a bowed manner, so called "bågstångskåtor", built on a frame of birch and covered with birch bark, maybe even peat. They believe that these huts were used by reindeer herders who stayed on the mountain all year round in the Viking Age. The raised embankment, which no scientist before really been able to explain, allows a design with a low ceiling that would be well suited for winter use.
Things I have found out by researching and comparing these matters is that Sami in the present day are not used to putting their huts in a row in the way stalotomts was arranged. Most of the Stalotomts is always located just above the tree line with unobstructed views all around, as in a defensive purpose, and is therefore easily defended. They were buried 0,5 meters below ground level, with the excavated earth being used to build a dike on the outside of it. It is clear that the climate may have changed a lot since these dwellings were constructed and I'm not sure how that has affected the tree line as the tree line varies in height depending on how protected it is against the elements. One important fact though is that the Sami never used to reside on or near the tree line - and that's where Stalotomts are located.
Bigfoot tree structures and Sami primitive dwellings.
I've looked a bit on the similarities between the different types of primitive dwellings Sami in Sweden made use of in the past. I have compared them with various kinds of tree structures supposedly made by Bigfoot / Sasquatch in North America and I have tried to look at the similarities. I just found some resemblance with one of the Sami types of dwellings I compared to a supposedly bigfoot/sasquatch built structure. The traditional dwelling ( hut) made by the Sami people are of different types and also have different names within The Sami structure. This is due to the fact that there are different kinds of Sami language. In Sweden we have the North sami, Lule sami, Pite sami , Ume sami and the south sami varieties or accents. To simplify it for a non Sami population usually they are called "Kåta" in the Swedish language.
The Sami hut's cosmological significance
In the Sami mythology the hut "kåta" was the center of the universe. The hut and settlement was a representation for the safe and known, while the surrounding nature outside the hut was dangerous and frightening. The hut's spatial division became a concrete reflection of religious and ideological aspects of the Sami communities and played a key role in the younger generations introduction to understand the Sami way and view of life. While the hut was related to it's environment also the parts of the hut was related to each other. On the horizontal plane the hearth in the middle was a symbol of the sun as a warming and life-giving source. From the fireplace hearth ran four arms, often two to the front door and two to the back door. The sun with four rays is also often symbolized in Sami drums (usually called "Troll drum" by missionary priests). The rear and the front part of the hut served as the poles in two tension fields. The two parts were linked to women and men. The front that was the "female" part of the hut was forbidden for men only in sacred moments while the rear "male" part always was taboo for women. The rear of the tent were also mentioned frequently as the holy room and it was there hunting gear and even drum was stored.
On the vertical plane the different parts of the tent related to the upper and lower world. The axen between the fireplace and the flue opening represented the world -pile with its heavenly ending in the Polestar. Underneath the floor were found both goddesses but also the underworld. The division of the hut and its relationship to its surroundings became social and religious aspects concretized.
Although the Sami hut "Kåta" can be easily confused with the Native American Tipi - it's not a Tipi! The differences between the two structures are reflected in their respective environments and cultures. Being more centered to the ground, the Kåta is better able to endure the fierce winds of the Scandinavian tundra, thus a more stable structure. Few structures used by indigenous peoples, with the exception of the Inuit (Eskimo) Igloo, are as stable in strong winds. The Kåta's centuries old design also reflects the Sami culture as a community. Traveling in small, single family groups, the Kåta is designed so that even one person could quickly set it up with little effort. The three types I have compared is the "Klykstångskåta" (Sami Lavvú) , the "Bågstångskåta" and the Torvkåta " Gamme" which is a form of Bågstångskåta.
Klykstångskåta, (Sami Lavvú)
The Lavvú is the traditional light Sami tent hut with straight bars. It is considered to be the oldest type, and were used by the mountain Sami. It is conical like the Indian tepee, but is slightly lower and therefore less sensitive to wind forces. The supporting frame consists of three bars each having a hook at the tip. These rods connected to a tripod represents the top of the hut. Against the tripod another twenty straight bars is raised so that a cone with a circular ground plan is formed. The Lavvú is smaller and lighter than the "bågstångskåta".
This is the only hut that I can see bears some resemblance to the Bigfoot made structures.
Bågstångskåta ( roughly means bent rod hut)
The construction of the "bent rod hut" "Bågstångskåtan" is thought to have evolved from the Lavvú). The supporting structure here consists of four naturally grown bow bent bars top paired two by two by means of the horizontal pot ridge, which is inserted into the hole in bent bars ends. The bent/bowed bars is perpendicular to the door side, with their upper portions inclined slightly outwards. Among the bent rod huts the turf hut is considered to be the oldest. Among other things, Norwegian archaeologists have excavated a Neolithic site with traces of poles that seem to have been placed in the same manner as a "bent rod hut", bågstångskåta. One theory from 1942 suggests that the bågstångskåta would have developed in an early coastal culture as it probably first was built using the ribs of whales.
The construction of the "bent rod hut" "Bågstångskåtan" is thought to have evolved from the Lavvú). The supporting structure here consists of four naturally grown bow bent bars top paired two by two by means of the horizontal pot ridge, which is inserted into the hole in bent bars ends. The bent/bowed bars is perpendicular to the door side, with their upper portions inclined slightly outwards. Among the bent rod huts the turf hut is considered to be the oldest. Among other things, Norwegian archaeologists have excavated a Neolithic site with traces of poles that seem to have been placed in the same manner as a "bent rod hut", bågstångskåta. One theory from 1942 suggests that the bågstångskåta would have developed in an early coastal culture as it probably first was built using the ribs of whales.
Compare this to the Bigfoot structures with bent trees.
The "Torvkåta" "Peat hut"
The "Torvkåta" "Peat hut" is a permanent hut usually constructed with the same bowed bar construction as a removable bågstångskåta and thus has an elliptical ground plan. Against the bent bars round poles or chipped wood is put up, tightly against each other. The timber is covered with birch bark, which in turn is covered with peat.
The "Torvkåta" "Peat hut" is a permanent hut usually constructed with the same bowed bar construction as a removable bågstångskåta and thus has an elliptical ground plan. Against the bent bars round poles or chipped wood is put up, tightly against each other. The timber is covered with birch bark, which in turn is covered with peat.
Compare this to the sasquatch nest below:
I'm rather sure the Stallo in the Sami myth and tradition has nothing to do with Bigfoot/Sasquatch at all. If this giant Stallo creature once existed (or still do, in some well hidden surroundings) here in Sweden, he seems to have been of a very different nature. We just have to wait and see if more evidence will show up in the future to confirm the existence of him. In my mind we don't have enough evidence of him just yet to say he once existed. The thing is though, we don't have enough evidence to say he didn't exist either. In my mind there is always an ounce of truth in lore and legends that refuses to die. So how about the presence of Bigfoot in Sweden then? To that I can say – I'm absolutely sure we have some kind of wild men or hominids here right now. What types is still unclear but I am passionate about trying to find that out in the future.
2016-06-16
Sweden is a country with very few witness reports regarding Bigfoot, Dogman and other cryptides. Nonetheless, for some time now I have tried to get in contact with the lady that published this photo on a Swedish forum. I find it very strange. The picture is taken 2006 and according to her she has no explanation for it. Off course you could look at it as just a dog in motion, but from what she tell us about it she's sure no human nor animal was standing outside the sliding door when she was taking the photo. She took several but this one is the only one with a strange creature appearing on it. Does anyone have any thoughts of what it may be? Myself I think it looks a bit as a "Faun". The middle part of the sliding door is visible on the picture with the empty room. Not a very large creature I think. Hope to get hold of her sometime to be able to ask a few more questions.