«Lapp shamans in historical times attached parts of a bear’s carcass to their magical drums to strengthen the magic and “became” bears in their prophetic ecstasy.25 Lapps gave the bear nicknames—Grandfather, Woolly One, Old Forest Apples, Honey Paws—and performed a ritual when they went out to hunt it on its emergence from its winter den. After killing one, they begged its pardon, and the subsequent feast was ritualized. The Finnish national epic Kalevala treats bears with reverence.
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Geoffrey Ashe. Eden in the Altai
.. photo by wikki
