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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Sami

Traditional Hnefatafl board game, of which Tablut is a variation played by the Sami people of Lapland. Source: Berthold Photography / Adobe Stock

The Ancient Game “Tablut” Has Survived Centuries

Ancient times were not all about warfare, survival, politics or arduous work. No, our distant ancestors knew how to have fun as well, and to enjoy their free time. That is why board games have been...
Baldr’s death by Odin is sitting in the middle of the Æsir by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckerberg. Yggdrasil and the three Norns can be seen in the background. (1817) Charlottenborg Palace (Public Domain)

Seidr Norse Magic And Noaidi Shamans Shaping Destinies

Controlling outcomes, steering destiny and reversing fate in ancient times was all about spells and old-school hands-on magic. Practitioners in ancient Greek and Rome commonly used ‘binding spells’...
Remains from Levänluhta at the National Museum of Finland. Source: CC0

Breakthrough Discovery of DNA in Ancient Water Burials Clearly Identifies Sámi People

During the Iron Age, around 300 AD, something extraordinary was initiated in Levänluhta area in Isokyrö, SW Finland. The deceased were buried in a lake, and this ritual was continued for at least 400...
A Sámi family  in front of goahti and lavvu housing, early 1900s, Norway

The Sami People: Reindeer Herding and Cultural Survival in the Far North

The Sámi are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. For thousands of years they have lived in an area called Sápmi - the northern sectors of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula...
A seida (worshiped stone) Tromsø, Norway.

Sami Spirituality and the Cult of the Sacred Stones

The Cult of the Sacred Stones belong to the Sami people of northern Europe. The Sami (occasionally spelled Saami) live in Lapland, a part of northern Europe near Norway, Sweden and Finland, and...