Tindra and the Reindeer
Winter had Nyksund firmly in its grasp. Snow lay thick on the rooftops, and icicles hanging from the eaves sparkled in the pale light of the short winter days. Tindra loved winter, but today she felt a little bored. She thought back to her journey through the mountains and the strange Nøkk she had met by a lake on the island of Hinøya. “I’ll just visit him again,” she decided. “Maybe he has time for a little chat today.”
Tindra bundled up warmly, secured her flower crown on her head, and set out. As quick as a mouse, she scurried along the snowy paths and eventually arrived at the lake where Nøkk lived. To her surprise, the lake was completely frozen over. No water rippled, and Nøkk was nowhere to be seen. Tindra tapped gently on the thick ice, but everything remained still.
“Hmm,” she murmured. “Maybe Nøkk is hibernating? I should have thought of that!”
Just as Tindra was about to turn around, she heard a faint snorting sound behind her. She turned and saw a large animal standing before her. It reminded her of her friend Egil, the moose, but something was different. This animal had smaller antlers and softer fur that shimmered almost silvery in the daylight.
“Hello,” Tindra called cheerfully. “Who are you? You look a bit like Egil, but you’re not Egil.”
The animal looked at her curiously. “I’m Ragna, a reindeer,” it said kindly. “And who are you, little creature?”
“I’m Tindra, a troll girl,” she replied proudly. “What are you doing here all alone in the winter?”
“I’m not alone,” said Ragna, nodding behind her. Tindra then noticed an entire herd of reindeer moving through the snow. “We always stay together,” explained Ragna. “Reindeer love being in a herd.”
Ragna Explains Reindeer Secrets
Tindra walked alongside Ragna as they continued over the snowy hills. “You have such beautiful fur,” Tindra said admiringly. “How do you manage not to freeze in this cold?”
Ragna smiled. “Our hair is special. It’s hollow and filled with air. That keeps us warm, even when it’s minus 40 degrees.”
Tindra’s eyes widened. “That’s like having a built-in winter coat!”
“Exactly,” said Ragna. “And it also helps us when we swim. If we have to cross rivers or lakes, our fur acts like a life jacket, so we can safely get to the other side.”
“That’s incredible!” exclaimed Tindra. “But how do you find food when everything is covered in snow?”
“Reindeer have very sensitive noses,” Ragna explained proudly. “We can smell grass and lichen under up to 1.5 meters of snow. And when we find something, we spread our front hooves like shovels and dig it up.”
“That’s really clever,” said Tindra, impressed. “But what about the younger reindeer? Can they do that too?”
Ragna shook her head. “They’re too small and weak to dig deeply. In the past, we would move to the Norwegian coast in spring with the young ones, where there was already food to eat. But now we stay here all year.”
Reindeer and the Sámi
“That’s fascinating,” said Tindra. “But why do you stay here now and not migrate anymore?”
“It’s because of the humans,” Ragna explained. “We always belong to a Sámi family. The Sámi are the indigenous people of this region and live closely connected to nature. In the past, they would move with us to the mountains of Sweden in winter and to the coast of Norway in spring. But the countries didn’t want them to travel back and forth. They had to choose one country to live in. That’s why many Sámi stayed in Norway – and we stayed with them.”
“The Sámi?” Tindra asked curiously. “Who are they?”
“They are their own people with a land called Sápmi. Today, Sápmi covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, but you won’t find it on any map because it’s not officially recognized as a country. The Sámi who live in Norway have Norwegian passports and are also Norwegian,” Ragna explained. “Today, many Sámi live like Norwegians in houses and work in cities. But some, like our family, still take care of us reindeer.”
Tindra was fascinated by the history of the reindeer and the Sámi. She walked with the herd for a while, enjoying the company of the animals. “You are truly special creatures,” she said to Ragna. “I’m so glad I met you today.”
“And we’re glad to meet you, Tindra,” Ragna replied. “Come visit us again whenever you like. We’ll always be here, together in our herd.”
“I will,” promised Tindra. She said goodbye to Ragna and the herd and made her way home. Winter suddenly didn’t feel so cold anymore, because Tindra had made a new friend – and she knew she had discovered a very special community among the reindeer.
