magical and religious practices to control the weather are attested in a variety of cultures. in ancient india it is said that yajna or vedic rituals of chanting mantras and offering were performed by rishis to bring sudden bursts of rain fall in rain starved regions. some indigenous americans, like some europeans, had rituals which they believed could induce rain. the finnish people, on the other hand, were believed by others to be able to control weather. as a result, vikings refused to take finns on their oceangoing raids. remnants of this superstition lasted into the twentieth century, with some ship crews being reluctant to accept finnish sailors.