The Sami saga as a “source” on the history of avalanche defense in khibiny

The article is devoted to the problem of interaction between literature and folklore sources in the process of constructing the history of the Northern territory development. The problem is considered on the basis of textual materials comprising biographical literature, sketches, local history, and special literature reflecting the history of the struggle with avalanches and accounts of activities ensuring safety in the area of the Khibiny. Due to the absence of consistent resident population and the lack of systemic observations the appeal to the knowledge of indigenous single individuals turned out to be the only tool of obtaining information on occurring avalanches. One of the literary sources, a historical text of the Sami saga about the struggle with foreign enemies, was used as a “precedent”. The use of the folklore plot helped to construct the history of the place and to define the mission of the “nature conquerors” in its development. The same folklore story is used on different websites to study other versatile problems. Analysis of the texts helps to clarify the mechanisms of appropriation and reinterpretation of the folklore sources by literature and media cultures.