Tradition: Sami mythology, Finnish Mythology, Russian Mythology
Alternative Names: Gofitterak, Gofitterak
Category: Deer

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The Myth

Gofitterrak are wealthy spirits who are masters of wild reindeer herds in Sami mythology. They inhabit the tundra and are associated with the pastures where reindeer graze. They are described as spirits who can be invisible like themselves, yet reveal their presence through the ringing of bells.

Among the mountains, particularly in the kegors—areas covered with lichen where deer graze—and in places covered with grass, the Gofitterrak live with their own herds of deer, cows, and sheep. They sometimes hang bells on their flocks, and by the ringing of these bells the Lapps learn of the spirits’ visible and invisible presence in the pastures.

The herds of the Gofitterrak can be mastered. To do this, a person must have the courage to approach the spirit’s flock while looking only upward and never turning back or looking to either side. The person must then throw a piece of iron into the middle of the flock.

The spirit who tends the herd fears iron and flees when it is thrown. The flock, however, becomes the property of the person who threw the iron away.

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Sources

“Гофитэрраки (Gofiterraki).” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 6, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/gofiterraki

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