Meandash
Meandash is the mythic wild reindeer of eastern Sami (Kola Peninsula) tradition, a shapeshifter who is human inside his hut and a reindeer outside. He is the central culture hero of the Ter and Kildin Sami, credited with teaching humans the art of hunting and gifting them the bow. Nearly 30 stories about Meandash have been recorded. He was born to a female noaidi (shaman) who conceived him in reindeer form from a wild reindeer. Meandash lives in a hut made of reindeer skin and bones, separated from the human world by a river of blood with lungs for waves and livers for stones. He marries an ea