10 Creatures of Scandinavian Folklore
Published in Entertainment at April 13th, 2017 at 11:32 AM
Each Country or region has their own legends, myths and stories. Here are 10 creatures from Scandinavian folklore that you may or may not have heard of, enjoy.
Thor
Way before all the comics and all the films were released, Thor was a mighty hammer wielding god of thunder and lightning, a symbol of strength and a protector of mankind. In contrast to popular belief, the original incarnation of Thor is said that he had flashing eyes, a fierce red beard and was husband to the goddess Sif. Other than his appearance, His background is almost the same as his character from modern pop culture as he is the son of Odin and was entrusted with Mjölnir, a hammer that was the source of his mighty power. His ability to wield thunder was part of his popularity with the people, as it was believed thunder would frighten away evil trolls. Marvel certainly chose a good myth to base a character on that’s for sure.
Elves/Dwarves
Although very popular in films such as Snow White and Any J.R.R Tolken Lord of the Rings Adaptation, The dwarves and the elves originate from Norse Mythology. The dwarves lived in their own part of Midgard and was said to be a place no human could find or access. They were small people, often pictured as little men with long beards, who were master smiths, and made the swords, shields and armor for the gods themselves.
The elves on the other hand lived in a deep forest nearby the castle of Frøy, the god of fertility, called Alvheim. These elves were said to be fair and beautiful as they were commonly seen as peaceful creatures.
Nisse
It is said that the Nisser are actually still very important in the modern society as In the Scandinavian Christmas tradition, there is no Santa. Instead, Each person has their own Nisse who lives in the barn. As you’d expect, this is only limited to people who are farmers or are located in the countryside. The Nisse acts like a guardian for the household. These creatures are typical pranksters, but can easily be befriended, and around Christmas they have the same function as Santa in Western traditions.
Mare
The Mare is a female Vette who is said to give people bad dreams at night by sitting on their bed whilst giving the dreamer the most piercing stare you could imagine while they sleep. She is a common belief in Germanic folklore, and appears in many different shapes. The Scandinavian words for Nightmare are “Mareritt” in norwegian, “Mareridt” in Danish and “Mardröm” in swedish. These all directly translated means Mare-ride, and Mare-dream.
Troll
The troll comes from Norse Mythology and is inspired by the giants who were known as the main enemies of the gods, known as jotner, jotuner and jotunn who all lived up in the mountains of Utgard. It is said that the creatures have a human like appearance while maintaining their large size, but they are also said to be incredibly hideous. In the old tales, there were trolls of all kinds, some living in the high mountains, in deep forests, and even by the shores surrounding the country. It wasn’t until the arrival of Christianity around the 1300s that the stories changed. It was said that trolls had the ability to smell the blood of a Christian man and were pretty much said to stand for anything and everything the christian religion condemned.
Pesta
The Black Death ravaged through europe for many years and was a tragedy for all of the Scandinavian countries as it was reported that Denmark lost one third of its population while Norway lost almost half of theirs. The plague was so devastating that it didn’t take long for people to make a character out of it. Pesta is said to be a creature of death and illness that takes the form of a hideous, old woman dressed in black who carries a broom and a rake. The name Pesta is said to be a shortened down version of “Pestilence” who was one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. It was said that she traveled from farm to farm, spreading the plague and it was also said that If she carried with her the rake, some of the inhabitants would survive, but if she was carrying the broom, everyone in the family would soon die.
Draugen
Draugen translated from the Norse language translates to "draugr" meaning ghost. Once again, This creature is a water creature and this one is certainly one you wouldn’t want to run into. The Draugen is said to be the ghost of a man who died at sea but takes on the appearance of something more huge and monster-like. He is said to be covered in seaweed and is always seen rowing in half a boat. He erupts a terrible scream when he appears, and legend has it he can be seen during stormy nights at sea, drowning sailors and fishermen, and sinking their boats and ships. There was actually a story of a man who once ran from Draugen and decided to run into a churchyard, where he would then shout for the spirits of the dead to protect him. Oddly enough the day after, all the graves in the churchyard were open as well as the whole yard being covered in seaweed. Freaky stuff.
Nokken
The Nokken is a mysterious water creature much like the Fossegrimmen as it is known to reside in freshwater, lakes and deep ponds. He is described to be a dark monster with his eyes just above the surface as all he does is watch people walking by. In Swedish tradition, he is said to be a handsome, young man who tricks women who are attracted to him into jumping into the water just so he can drown them. As well as this, He has also been known to be a shapeshifter, and can change into a white horse, letting young children ride on his back before once again taking them back to the water so he can drown them. Once again, Much like the Fossegrimen, He is also said to be a talented musician, playing the violin so that the villagers can hear him at night.
Kraken
The Kraken is probably the most well known and most recognisable folklore in media. It's been used in several movies, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Clash of the Titans, but despite popular belief that this creature was something fabricated by hollywood, the Kraken belongs in the cold Norwegian Sea, where it was first said to be seen in the early 1700s. The first detailed description was made by the Danish writer, Erik Pontoppidan. His description he provided in 1752 states that “In old times, the Kraken was said to be in the shape of a huge crab, the size of an island, and many sailors and fishermen found themselves stranded on an island that had not been there minutes before.” Eventually Later descriptions described the beast to be what we know it as today as the monster took the shape of an enormous octopus, which dragged ships down to the bottom of the sea
FOSSEGRIMMEN
The Fossegrimmen is a water-creature which name translates to “Waterfall” and is simply referred to by most as “Grim”. He is a young, handsome man who sits under waterfalls and spends his time playing the fiddle. He is said to play the music of nature itself as he creates the sound of the water, the wind in the trees, it all comes from his music. He is said to teach humans how to play if they secretly brought him a stolen piece of meat. Torgeir Augundsson who is better known as Myllarguten, was a famous fiddle-player from Telemark, Norway who was so good that rumours started to circulate as it was rumored he had sold his soul in exchange of Fossegrimmen’s skills.
