Long ago in the far northern lands, where icy mountains seemed to touch the sky, there lived a huge and fearsome giant named Stallo. He was not like the other giants who preferred to eat rocks or tree bark. Stallo had a darker and far more dangerous obsession. He wanted to swallow the Sun. Every morning, as the Sun began to rise, he climbed to the highest peak, opened his enormous mouth, and tried to consume the glowing light. He believed that if he could swallow the Sun, he would become the most powerful being in the universe and would never be challenged again.
The people living in the valleys below, especially the indigenous Sami, lived in constant fear. They worried that one day Stallo might succeed. If the Sun disappeared, the world would fall into eternal darkness, the cold would become unbearable, and life would no longer survive. Among these people was a young Sami boy named Káre, a brave and observant reindeer herder who refused to let fear control him. Each day he watched Stallo attempt to swallow the Sun, and he noticed something important. Whenever Stallo opened his mouth wide, the Sun’s blinding light forced him to shut his eyes tight. In those moments, the giant was temporarily blinded and unsteady.
Seeing an opportunity, Káre came up with a clever plan. He knew that strength alone could not defeat a giant, but intelligence could. He gathered his fastest reindeer and prepared several large leather bags used by the Sami to store supplies. One morning, as Stallo stood on the mountaintop with his mouth open and eyes squeezed shut from the piercing sunlight, Káre rode to the base of the mountain and climbed up quietly, waiting for exactly the right moment.
When Stallo attempted once again to swallow the Sun, Káre acted. He quickly stuffed the giant’s open mouth with leather bags filled with sharp stones and pointed objects. Believing he had finally captured the Sun, Stallo shut his mouth triumphantly. But instead of warmth and power, he felt a burst of unbearable pain. The sharp stones tore into his tongue, jaws, and throat. Stallo screamed in agony, writhing on the mountaintop as he realized he had been tricked.
Blinded by pain and anger, Stallo abandoned his dream of swallowing the Sun. He stumbled down the mountain and disappeared into a deep, shadowy cave where he would never again dare to face the sunlight. From that day forward, the Sun continued to rise and set without interruption, spreading warmth and life across the northern lands.
The Sami people no longer lived in fear of Stallo, and Káre became a hero remembered for generations. His courage and intelligence saved the Sun and protected the world from darkness. The story teaches that cleverness and bravery can overcome even the greatest force, and that no greedy giant can ever claim what rightfully belongs to nature and all living things.