Two stories in Just Qvigstad’s Contes de Laponie illustrate that giants in the stories of the Sami were nocturnal and would turn to stone if caught by the rays of the sun.
In one story, “Au royaume du géant,” a group of sailors sail their ship to the realm of the giants. They encounter a giant and trade various goods with him for his gold and silver. The giant declares his thirst, and the sailors ply him with barrels of fruit brandy, syrup, and “goudron,” which translates as tar, but may just be a barrel of something sticky. The giant was seeking “une lichée,” a word which is tricky to translate and is likely the lychée, an unusual fruit.
The giant is so pleased with his drinks that he drops a rock made of gold into their ship and asks the sailors to stay and visit. Only two stay behind, and one ends up roasted and eaten for the giant’s dinner. The other sailor escapes back to the ship, and the giant chases after them in his own vessel. Unfortunately, the sun rises and turns the giant and his ship to stone.
The second tale, “Le géant pétrifié,” is a silly story about a giant and his cat. He lives on an island across a strait from another island inhabited by its own giant. The other giant invites him to cook some fish he has caught, so the first giant slides down his island, sitting in an iron bowl, accompanied by his mischievous cat. They encounter a whale in the strait, and the cat proceeds to climb on the whale and ask the giant questions. The giant protests that they need to hurry before the sun rises, but the cat stalls long enough that the giant turns to the rising sun and turns to stone.
Storytelling must have been a rich tradition for the Sami, a way to pass the time during the long, dark days of winter.
Source: J.K. Qvigstad, Contes de Laponie, adaptation en français par Jacques Privat, Editions Esprit Ouvert, 2008, pp. 77-79.