In both Norse and Sami tradition we find a deep respect for the forces of nature and an understanding that the world around us cannot always be measured or understood through human norms and moral views. This insight stands in contrast to a dichotomous conception of the world as divided between good and evil, a way of thinking that often characterises monotheistic religions and modern ethics. Instead, according to these pre-Christian traditions, nature operates by its own order – an order that can rarely be understood through simple moral categories.
Norse mythology and the forces of nature In Norse mythology the forces of nature play a central role, personified through beings such as jotnar, trolls and vettir. These creatures are often seen as representatives of the raw and uncontrollable aspects of nature, such as cold, darkness, storms and mountains. The jotnar, for example, are enemies of the gods of Asgard, but this does not necessarily make them evil in an absolute sense. Instead they represent the violent, untamed forces of the universe, which are neither good nor evil, but quite simply necessary parts of the cosmos.
Trolls, which are often tied to specific natural phenomena such as mountains or forests, operate in a similar way. They are guardians of the landscapes they belong to, and their actions are governed by a logic that cannot be translated into human morality. In order to coexist with these beings, people in pre-Christian times had to understand and respect their distinctive nature – an understanding that rarely had anything to do with justice or evil, but rather with balance and harmony in nature.
Sami shamanism and the spirits of nature In Sami shamanism, known as noaidevuohta, communication with the spirits of nature is a central part of the understanding of life. Spirits such as the uldas, the stallo and other nature beings have a complexity that goes far beyond a simple good-evil dichotomy. The uldas, for example, live in a parallel world beneath the earth or inside the mountains, and they have their own society and their own rules, which do not necessarily coincide with human expectations.
The shaman, or noaide, had the task of negotiating with these spirits on behalf of the community. This required a deep understanding that the spirits operated according to their own laws, and that these laws could not be assessed by human moral standards. The spirits of nature could be both helpful and dangerous, depending on how people related to them, but they were never evil in a Christian sense. They represented the order of nature – an order that was complex, ambiguous, and often unpredictable.
The order of nature in a shamanic understanding In both Norse and Sami shamanic tradition there lies a fundamental recognition that nature and its forces cannot be understood through a human good-evil dichotomy. Nature is not a moral entity, but a collection of forces that exist in a fragile balance. In shamanic practice it is rarely a question of overcoming "evil," but rather of understanding, navigating and respecting the powerful forces that shape the world.
This worldview acknowledges that nature has its own inherent order, an order that does not necessarily harmonise with human needs or wishes. To achieve a harmonious coexistence with nature, it was necessary to understand and respect this order, without judging it by human standards.
Reflections on human morality The human tendency to divide the world into categories of good and evil reflects a deeper search for understanding and control over existence. But in the encounter with the forces of nature – such as storms, volcanic eruptions, diseases or earthquakes – it becomes clear that such divisions are often inadequate. Nature operates by laws that go beyond human understanding and that do not always correspond to our ethical norms.
The shaman's role as an intermediary between human beings and the spirits of nature was therefore to ensure that the community remained in balance with these forces, not by overcoming them, but by understanding and adapting to them. This required a deep insight into the distinctive nature of the natural world and a willingness to acknowledge that human moral values are not always applicable in the encounter with the order of nature.
