Legends of the Khibiny: The tale of the Sami blood stones

“It happened long, long ago. Strangers came to our land – the Swedes. We, Lapps [Sami], were just simple people: we had no weapons, not even hunting guns, and many of us did not even own knives. We had no wish to fight. But the Swedes began taking our reindeer, seized our fishing grounds, built their corrals and settlements, and left us with nowhere to live.

So, the elders gathered to decide how to drive the Swedes away. They were powerful people – big men armed with firearms. The elders debated and argued, and in the end they resolved to stand together against them, reclaim our reindeer, and return to the lands around Lake Seydyavr and Lake Umbozero.

So, our people went to war – some carrying hunting guns, others armed only with knives. They all rose against the Swedes, but the Swedes were powerful warriors who had no fear of the Lapps. First, they tricked our people into gathering at Lake Seydyavr and slaughtered them there. They struck to the right, and not one of our people remained alive. Drops of Sami blood splashed across the mountains, the tundra, and the Khibiny. Then they struck to the left, and again our people fell, their blood staining the tundra once more.

You remember the red stone you showed me in the mountains? That is the very blood of the Sami – the blood of our ancestors.

But when our elders saw the Swedes cutting down our people, they were filled with fury. They hid among the willow thickets, gathered their strength, and then fell upon the enemy from every side. The Swedes were trapped. They could not descend to Lake Seydyavr, nor could they escape onto the tundra. Their leader was cornered on a sheer cliff above the lake. When you visit Lake Seydyavr, you will see the giant figure of Kuiva for yourself. That is the Swedes’ chieftain whom our elders crushed against the rock in the great battle.

There he has remained ever since – the cursed Kuiva. Our elders reclaimed their reindeer, returned to their fishing grounds, and resumed their lives. But the crimson drops of Sami blood were left scattered across the tundra. No one could gather them all. Too much blood had been shed before Kuiva was finally defeated.”