The White Reindeer

In the snowy Finnish landscape, Maarita gives birth to a daughter named Pirita. The moment is infused with a prophecy that Pirita will become part of the traditional joik, foreshadowing a fate tied to her people’s songs. This birth anchors Pirita to a world of myth, ritual, and risk.

From infancy, villagers whisper that Pirita’s future is bound to joik and communal rites. The prophecy casts a long shadow over her early years, hinting that her life will be shaped by song and ritual more than ordinary destiny. The belief foreshadows the convergence of music, magic, and danger that will define her story.

Years later, Pirita competes in the annual reindeer races and meets Aslak, a young reindeer herder. They quickly fall in love and marry, uniting two households through their shared land and purpose. The marriage promises happiness, even as work trips keep Aslak away for long stretches.

Aslak must spend time away for work, leaving Pirita alone with her longing. The distance strains their marriage and deepens Pirita’s loneliness, making her vulnerable to outsiders’ promises. The separation plants the seeds for a perilous crossroads between desire and danger.

Desperate for relief, Pirita seeks help from the local shaman Tsalkku-Nilla. He prepares a potion and recites a spell, guiding her toward a dangerous rite. The shaman instructs Pirita to sacrifice the first creature she encounters to the Great Seita, a sacred reindeer graveyard, to spark love in any man.

On the appointed night, Pirita sacrifices the first creature she encounters—a white reindeer freed by Aslak. The ritual misfires: while she can attract men, the full moon awakens a supernatural power in her. From then on, she transforms into a murderous white reindeer at every full moon.

A mysterious white reindeer roams the wilderness, drawing the attention of the reindeer herders. Niilan manages to catch it, but the creature reverts to Pirita and kills him. The village trembles as the deaths are blamed on witchcraft.

A forester from southern Finland arrives to confront the creature, but his rifle goes off on its own. The reindeer shifts into Pirita before his eyes, and he flees, declaring Pirita a witch. Fear and superstition spread through the village.

During a village wedding, Pirita appears to the bride and groom as the white reindeer. The groom follows it into the wilderness and disappears, never to be seen again. The event cements the villagers’ belief that Pirita is a witch and must be hunted.

With fear mounting, the mob arms themselves with iron spears and hunts Pirita. She flees the village, shifting between human and reindeer forms. She tries to seek help from the shaman, only to discover that he has been killed.

Pirita reaches the place of sacrifice and begs mercy from Seita, but the ritual’s power will not spare her. She reverts to the white reindeer, trapped by the fate she invoked. The cycle of hunter and hunted tightens around her.

Aslak finally catches up to Pirita and drives his spear into her, mortally wounding her. She collapses in human form just as the villagers arrive, completing the tragic arc foretold by the prophecy. The village’s fear and vengeance come to a bloody close.