Rana Niejta
Sámi · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Sami goddess of spring and fertility, daughter of the supreme creator Radien-attje and the mother-goddess Radien-akka. Her name (Rana, the green hillside, + niejta, maiden) marks her as the power of the greening land in spring, petitioned so the slopes should bear new growth for the reindeer. Member of the Radien family on the southern Sami drums. Secondary attestation (Friis; drum-iconography).
Parentage
- father: Radien-attje
- mother: Radien-akka
Domains
- spring and fertility
Powers
- Greens the spring hillsides so the slopes bear new growth for the reindeer
Relations
- sibling: Radien-pardneSister of the active creator-son Radien-pardne.Sami religion scholarship: Radien-pardne and Rana Niejta, children of Radien-attje and Radien-akka (secondary)
Sources
- existence: J. A. Friis, Lappisk Mythologi (1871); Sami religion scholarship on the Radien family (secondary); E. Manker, Die lappische Zaubertrommel (1938-50): the Radien family on the drums (secondary)
- parentage: Sami religion scholarship: Rana Niejta daughter of Radien-attje and Radien-akka (secondary)