Radien-attje
| Radien-attje | |
|---|---|
 Radien as depicted on Sámi drums | |
| Other names | Jubmel, Ibmel, Maylmen Olmai, Vearalden Olmai, Waralden Olmai |
| Gender | Male |
| Genealogy | |
| Consort | Raedieahkka (or Radien-akka) |
| Children | Radien-pardne, Rana Niejta (daughter, in some versions) |
| Equivalents | |
| Finnish | Virankannos[1] |
Radien-attje, Jubmel, Maylmen Olmai, Vearalden Olmai or Waralden Olmai is the superior or celestial deity of the Sami.[2] He is also called Jubmel or Ibmel, a parallel to the Finnish Jumala (god).
The superior deity is the ruler of the Cosmos. In his honour, the Sami erect a sacrificial pole every autumn, symbolizing the world pillar, which is considered as a connection the World to the firmament. The pillar reached from the centre of the Earth to the fix point on the firmament—the Pole star. The superior deity is also the "giver of life" and is considered the god of fertility.
For Eastern Sámi groups, Radien-attje seems to have fused into the thunder god Tiermes, as Tiermes is also seen as the ruler over human life, health, and well-being.[3]
Name
The terms Jubmel and Ibmel are suspected to be loans from Finnish. It mostly refers to the sky god Radien but in one source also refers to the thunder god. Radien comes from radit 'to rule' in present participle singular genitive. Versions such as Veralden rad and Mailmen radien mean 'the ruler of the world'. Radien-attje means 'ruler father'. According to Knud Leem, some Sámi considered Radien to be the same as Čorve-radien 'horn ruler'. Jens Kildal considered Mailmen radien and Čorve-radien to be separate entities.[4]
In Norway, the one who hold up the sky was called the fertility god Veralden olmai 'man of the world'. It is a cognate with an epithet for the Germanic god Freyr. Uno Holmberg considered Veralden olmai and Storjunkare to be terms for a fertility god loaned from the Scandinavians.[4]
Description
Radien-attje is often portrayed as the main figure in a Trinity, which besides him, consists of the Raedieahkka or Radien-akka (the superior mother) and their son Radien-pardne. There are critics who claim, that this Trinity is a consequence of the meeting with the Christian religion, and that it is a match to God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. If this is the case, the Sami have replaced the Holy Spirit with a wife. In some versions, the heavenly family also include the daughter Rana Niejta. As superior deity, Radien-attje is more of an intellectual superior, as his son, Radien-pardne, performs the practical things.[5]
Radien-attje's role is to give a child its spirit and take the souls of the righteous to him in Radien-aimo 'home of the ruler'. According to Holmberg, the worship of Maximen radien clearly had its origins in pre-Christian times. A male reindeer or other animal was sacrificed to him so he wouldn't "let the world collapse". On the sacrifical altar was a forking tree symbolizing the world pillar Veralden tsould which Radien-attje used to hold up the world.[4]
Johan Randulf compared Veralden olmai to Saturn and said the Sámi prayed him for good harvest so they could buy grain and products made of it, for fertile seas in order to get plenty of fish, for fertile reindeer, and for plenty of lichen for the reindeer to eat so they could be milked for butter and cheese.[4]
Sources
- Sphinx-Suche (in German) - retrieved January 16, 2006 .
References
- ^ Harva, Uno (1948). Suomalaisten muinaisusko. WSOY. p. 229–232.
- ^ Karsten, Rafael, Samefolkets religion: de nordiska lapparnas hedniska tro och kult i religionshistorisk belysning, Stockholm, 1952
- ^ Porsanger, Jelena; Pulkkinen, Risto. "Esikristilliset jumalat". Encyclopaedia of Saami Culture. University of Helsinki. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d Holmberg, Uno (1915). Lappalaisten uskonto. Porvoo: WSOY.
- ^ "www.tjatsi.fo". www.tjatsi.fo. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2025-10-06.