Stallo is a large, evil and scary figure who appears in various roles in Sami folklore.
Stallos are sometimes portrayed as half-human, sometimes as trolls that eat or rob people. The stallo can also be a kind of demon or devil, created and sent out by the noaide/shaman to kill enemies.
Stallo are rich beings, but they are also stupid. In fairy tales and legends, it is always the stallo that loses in the encounter with humans, whether it is a woman or a man. The humans have to kill the stallo to get his gold and silver. It is not always that this wealth brings good with it.
Dark clothes, dog and backpack
Stallo often wears dark clothes, carries a dog and a sack on its back. Stallo may have a whistle with a sharp and cruel sound. In several fairy tales, Stallo has an iron pipe, which he can use to suck the breath out of people.
During combat, the stallo will often try to get the human to use his own knife to stab him. Don't be fooled by this, or you'll end up stabbing yourself.
Stallo was often used to scare children in their upbringing. At Christmas time, the children were not supposed to make noise, because then Stallo would come. He slaughtered and ate children. It was also important to keep the house tidy at Christmas and to have a water bucket so that Stallo could get water. If the stallo got water, he left, if not, there was trouble.
The adventure of Stalo and Kauras
More about stallo
The adventure and Stalo and Kauras
The groom who proposes, The fairy tale lady
When humans killed the stables with cunning, Meeting of three tribes
Fairy tales and legends about stallos, digital book National Library of Norway
