fuck yeah, Scandinavian folklore

there wasn't enough about Scandinavian folklore on here.

[mikaeled]

Draugen is a single-player, first-person Fjord Noir mystery set in 1920s Norway. Explore a picturesque coastal community in your search for your missing sister, accompanied by your gregarious and enigmatic young ward. Coming to Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2019.

[yoyo-inspace]

VAESEN | NORSE GODS | THE UNDEAD

by Johan Egerkrans

(The Undead will be released in Swedish this autumn, and then later in English)

Johan Egerkrans is an amazing illustrator and author, and I have a lot of love especially for his work depicting folklore (mostly Scandinavian, though the upcoming The Undead have creatures from all over the world). His illustrations, I think, take inspiration both from old classics, but he always adds his own and very different touch to them. All the books are also interesting reads, and you know that he’s done his research, as well as presenting it in a fun (or terrifying!) way. I’d definitely recommend them if you have an interest in folklore and myths, or just like really cool art in general. 

His official facebook (with more fantastic artwork) can be found here, and his books you can probably find various bookshops online and in real life. 

[rashystreakers]

The troll cross (trollkors) is a twisted piece of metal worn as an amulet to ward off malevolent magic. A charm worn by early Scandinavian peoples as protection against trolls and elves, the troll cross is an important part of Scandinavian folklore. Iron and crosses were both believed to ward off evil creatures.

Troll crosses continue to be a popular item of jewelry throughout Scandinavia. 

For sale via thepxsmith on etsy

[bogkeep]

sjå ei hulder som du brænne

[socialpsychopathblr]

Knechter von Waltkvlten

[dreamsofdistantarcadia]

“Nobody could draw trolls like THEODOR SEVERIN KITTELSEN (1857-1914). On that all Norwegians agree. Kittelsen, who as a young man studied watch making and art, would develop into one of Norway´s greatest artists and the “father” of all Trolls. His art was dominated by his strong love of nature and was influenced by the Norwegian fairy tales tradition and blended by Naturalism, Mysticism and Art Nouveau.”

~ The Art of TH Kittelsen

[daffydthomas]

Norwegian folk lore is basically “dont go outside or youll die”

[vogelgeschrei]

art by John Bauer

[hedendom]

Nordiska Väsen Beautiful Illustrations by Johan Egerkrans for his enchanting book Nordiska Väsen, which features a whole host of creatures from Scandinavian folklore.

[bebe-qua]

Scandinavian Folklore.

[dawnartt-deactivated20180316]

This is based on the nokken, nokk, or neck (they have a lot of names), water spirits in ancient scandinavian folklore. They usually take on the form of a long-haired young man, and that of a ‘brook horse’, an impressive white horse that lures unwitting victims on its back so it can leap into the water and drown them. Usually considered malevolent spirits, there are a few tales that depict them as playful and harmless; it’s also said that the nokk will teach you their secrets of music if you use the right method of supplication. 

[erinfrostart-deactivated2023082]

Working on a series of beverage labels illustrations for class. These are the (almost) finished pieces for the 6 flavors (respectively: cloudberry, lime, blueberry, strawberry, lingonberry, and classic). The theme is Scandinavian Folklore. Next step is to design the logo and layout of the labels themselves. 

[bogkeep]

I’ve been listening to swedish folk songs for the past three hours

[finsterforst]

Visit Original Link

Herr Mannelig is based on a folk song found by many different names throughout Scandinavia and originated after the conversion to Christianity. It is a medieval style Swedish ballad that tells the story of a female mountain troll who proposes marriage to a knight. The troll is trying to convince Sir Mannelig to marry her. She offers him many great gifts but he refuses her, because she is not a Christian woman. She is desperate about her failure, because winning Sir Mannelig would have “freed her of her torment”. This torment could be interpreted as a curse - or as a Christian would have condemned a troll as herself a Satanic creature, she might have trying to escape an eternity in Hell awaiting her:

“Hade jag fått den fager ungersven

Så hade jeg mistat min plåga.”

In English:

"Had I obtained the handsome youth

I would have lost my suffering.”

Alternatively, it’s worth noting the use of the word ‘troll’. It may have been used in a derogatory sense towards pagans, being that the troll in this song could have actually been a pagan woman.

[peach-wood-deactivated20210717]

PEOPLE. If you do nothing else today, make sure you play this dress-up game.  It teaches sandinavian folklore insanely well and accurately (not the washed down americanized and anglicized versions you’ll see on TV).

Not only is it…

Amazingly well-made

It has tons and tons and TONS AND TONS of different options and designs…

From different parts of scandinavian culture and times (Sami, Viking etc…)

All of which are beautifully designed!

And accurately depicted

It tells you the stories behind nordic myths and legends, such as the creature above (A skogsrå, which takes the shape of a beautiful woman with a foxtail). But you can also choose to dress yourself up as a troll, or a huldra, (or a human, if you so wish!)

Please, please play this, it’s amazing and beautiful and the clothing is gorgeous and everything about it is insanely well done, so please take some time to play this dress-up game!!

[trickstersmakethisworld]

Scandinavian Folklore – The Kraken

Probably no legendary sea monster was as horrifying as the Kraken. According to stories this huge, many armed, creature could reach as high as the top of a sailing ship’s main mast. A kraken would attack a ship by wrapping their arms around the hull and capsizing it. The crew would drown or be eaten by the monster.

What makes this myth so special, however, is that this one may very well be true.

The Kraken was introduced to into the mainstream with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but the stories of the Kraken have been told by sailors for centuries. The Kraken is said to dwell in the Northern Sea between the coasts of Norway and Greenland.

The Kraken is first mentioned in the old Icelandic Saga  Örvar-Oddr, where the protagonists journey through the Greenland sea and there they spot two massive sea-monsters.

‘’ Now I will tell you that there are two sea-monsters. One is called the hafgufa (sea-mist), another lyngbakr (heather-back). It (the lyngbakr) is the largest whale in the world, but the hafgufa is the hugest monster in the sea. It is the nature of this creature to swallow men and ships, and even whales and everything else within reach.’’

These tales often refer to a creature so big that it is mistaken for an island or series of islands. It is now widely believed that the creature that the old Vikings called the Kraken is based on sightings of the Giant Squid that are estimated to grow to be 12-14 m (39-46 ft).

Though giant squids are large, they are not large enough to be mistaken for a land mass, but some are thought to be large enough to wrestle with a whale. Old sperm whales often carry scars from fighting these creatures.  Now, the giant squid is quite an aggressive creature and has, in fact, attacked ships in modern times(although in those cases the giants squids met their end at the hands of the ship’s propellers) so it is not a far stretch to assume that giant squids of the past may have mistaken the Viking ships for whales and pulled it down into the depths of the ocean.

The Kraken was said to attract quite a lot of fish around it, and the braver fishermen often took the risk of fishing around and above the creature, since the catch was so plentiful.

The word Kraken is the definite form of krake, in Swedish and Norwegian, which is a word describing an unhealthy animal or something twisted and wrong.

[nosleepparanormal]

These beings are actually still very important in the modern society. In the Scandinavian Christmas tradition, there is no Santa in the shape of a fat, bearded guy who lives at the North Pole. Instead, they each have their own Nisse, living in the barn (that is to say, if you are a farmer, or living in the countryside), who is 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.