The North Germanic languages show a number of features that differentiate them from other Germanic languages. Even though some of these features run parallel to the neighboring Saamic languages, any influence Saamic may have had on North Germanic has mostly been categorically denied in the past. This has mainly been caused by the stigmatization of the Saami during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The present study does not only attempt to trace various North Germanic features back to influences caused by Saamic interference, but also to show that the spreading of these features was also possible from a sociolinguistic perspective. In this, the focus lies particularly on the relationship between the Saamic and Germanic population during the period of Common North-Germanic. Among other things, the representation of the Saami in Old Norse literature as well as the possibility of Saamic influence on North Germanic mythology are treated.