Lapponia (book)
Lapponia is a 1673 book written in Latin by Johannes Schefferus, offering a comprehensive account of Northern Scandinavia. It covers the region's geography, environment, and the living conditions of the Sámi people, including their dwellings, clothing, gender roles, hunting practices, child-rearing, shamanism, and pagan religion. The 1674 English translation is titled The History of Lapland.
Publication history
The book was originally published in late 1673 and followed by translations to English in 1674, to German in 1675, French in 1678, and Dutch in 1682. Adapted and abridged versions followed, where only the original chapters on shamanism and religion were preserved, the others being replaced by tales of magic, sorcery, drums and heathenism.The book was not fully translated into Swedish until 1956. Its references are, however, based on "clergy correspondence", that is, reports made by priests.