Imagined The imagined sleigh
In the Green World, deer pull a padded sleigh along forest paths, trimmed with flowers and lanterns. It needs no road, no fuel and no engine: just trained animals and a light vehicle.
Real world Real reindeer sleds
Reindeer are the only deer that have been widely domesticated. For centuries, Arctic peoples such as the Sámi of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia have herded reindeer for meat, milk and hides, and trained them to pull sleds over snow.
Sleds work because their smooth runners slide easily over snow and ice, so even a heavy load can be pulled with little effort. On soft snow, a sled goes where a wheeled cart would sink.
Possible future Animal power today
Snowmobiles have replaced many reindeer sleds, but they are noisy and burn fuel. Some herders and tourism businesses still use reindeer, and people are testing electric snowmobiles for quieter travel in the wild.
Art In this artwork
This illustration shows a deer with antlers pulling a sleigh decorated with flowers. It is imagined: a sleigh in the forest would need snow.
Look closer
- Find the lantern on the sleigh.
- Compare the sleigh with the cart. What is different about how they touch the ground?
Think about it
- When is a sled better than a wheel?
- What would it take to care for working animals well?
- Which is better for a quiet forest: animals or electric vehicles?
Key words
- Runner
- The smooth strip a sled slides on.
- Domesticated
- Tamed and bred by people over many generations.
- Herder
- A person who looks after a herd of animals.
Sources
The real-world facts on this page are based on these sources:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Sami" and "Reindeer"
- International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Kautokeino, Norway
