Nearby, reindeer are pulling a wagon; above it a man and a woman are hunting on skis, with their bows drawn in the act of shooting. These are Lapps (Sami) people.
Olaus notes "Here you may see a woman, her hair loose, aiming arrows; nor is it any wonder, because those who live under the celestial Pole find in the huge compass of their forests such rich abundance of game that the men alone would not suffice to hunt them down if their womenfolk did not race to their sides. Therefore the women join the chase with the same swiftness as the men, perhaps even with greater" (Magnus 1996, I:212).
under the Magnifying Glass |
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