#swedish folklore

[oliviarampaige]

“Moder”

Day 5 - Deer

Another WIP - busy weekend! This one will get a greyscale wash at some point to push the depth.

[obligatedart]

Raffie, my beloved 💚💚💚

We didn’t get his siren form for his birthday card, so I decided to turn him into Näcken, the swedish-freshwater-folklore-counterpart 💁‍♀️ An artistic deity that lures people into the deep waters with his beauty or song.

He often takes the shape of a beautiful young man, and is especially dangerous for young women whom he’d drown in the dark waters . You’ll also more often than not find him playing playing his violin, sitting on a lone rock in the middle of the stream.

He’s a cunning trickster by nature, and is neither good nor purely evil. Those who were courageous (or stupid) enough could become the pupils of Näcken, and those who were not drowned for daring would be taught to play the violin themselves with otherworldly skill.

Näcken would sometimes leave the water to enter human settlements. Around Midsummer you would have to be extra careful, as he was known to take the shape of a dashing young fiddler; People who heard his irresistible music would be put under a spell, and they were compelled to dance until they dropped dead from exhaustion.

I love Scandinavian folklore, and especially Näcken/Nøkken/Näkki/Nykur/Nixie, and was pleased to realize he was kinda Rafayel-coded :D

Anyways;

Happy birthday baby! 💜💖

[loqque4k]

My take on a Skogsrå, a creature from Swedish folklore

[briefbestiary]

The Great Lake Monster of Storsjön, the Storsjöodjuret continued to have sightings well into the 19th century, with some variety in the descriptions of its physical appearance.

[duel-styx]

A skvader, a Swedish creature with the forequarters and hindlegs of a European hare (Lepus europaeus), and the back, wings and tail of a female wood grouse (Tetrao urogallus).

I tried a different technique with painting this and uh... I'll probably try again since I feel like I was close but didn't achieve what I wanted to ultimately.

Hahnemuhle A5 landscape watercolour book

[ghoulnextdoor]

“People say that long ago the dead held a service on the night before Christmas ...”

I initially wrote the following on Christmas eve, fourteen years ago, but have since made an annual tradition of trotting out the creepy old chestnut to share with all of my friends and family and kindred spirits. I cannot envision a more like-minded bunch with which to share this ghostly Christmas tale and I hope you will enjoy its eerie delights as much as I do.

Click on the link for the entirety of The Hooded Congregation (The Christmas Service of the Dead) with illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg. And, as always, wishing you peace and light in this dark, dying time of the year, and may you not be without your shawl or other talisman this winter holiday when the dead are afoot and hungry for your company. The Christmas Service of the Dead | Unquiet Things

[astrovampz]

Okay okay, we all know about your love for vamps, werewolves and aliens, but what non-horror supernatural would you say you most identify with? E.g. fairies, mermaids, elfs, witches, etc.

HELL YEAH GREAT QUESTION

I'd probably say Vättar, which are old scandinavian critters similar to gnomes that live in the woods and curse you if you are disrespectful to them or their home (the woods or under peoples houses). They can also manipulate what people see to mess with them and are usually nice and helpful but if you were to maybe pour water on the ground you have to warn them, cuz otherwise you might accidentally drown some of them and then they'll curse you. They can also go invisible.

Second pick is Skogsrået I think, she can appear as a beautiful woman or as a old hag but she always has a tail and a giant hole in her back that looks like the inside of a rotting tree. She lures hunters and men into the woods if they are disrespectful and she watches over the animals in the forest. She can also go invisible or turn into moss or a treestump.

There a bunch of other cool creatures from old folklore that I like tho, these are just two prominant favorites. I really like Näcken too, he's really cool.

[devilofsamothrace]

Litha / Midsommar / Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and is celebrated in many cultures. In this post I will focus on Litha the wiccan tradition, midsommar (the nordic tradition) and the general idea of the summer solstice.

Litha

Like many other wiccan and pagan sabbats, this celebration is inspired by celtic culture. In the reconstructed germanic calendar the Anglo-Saxon names for the months June and July is līða (litha) and it is from there that the tradition got its name.

During this day the sun is widely worshipped and worked with. It is somewhat concidered the beginning of summer and therefore divination and manifestation may be a good idea. Since this day also marks a shift in nature (days getting darker again) it can also be a day of reflection and meditation as well as inner power and brightness.

Midsommar

As a Swedish person this is a big part of my life. Even though this image looks rather outdated, the celebration looks very similar to this day. Some of my best and earliest memories are of this tradition.

Similar to the image, it is still common to dance around a maypole during this day. Earlier in the day, children and adults gather flowers to dress the maypole-skeleton with. When it is covered you raise it and place it in the ground. After that the dancing and singing can begin.

It is also belived that flowers and herbs have a greater magickal potency during this day. To harvest plants by midsummer evening ensures for strong herbs. A common thing that is still done in Sweden is putting seven different types of flowers under your pillow. This is belived to make you dream about your future partner. A simple form of love divination!

Midsommar has roots in pre-christianity, however the christian movement affected the holiday. John the Baptist is celebrated around the same time and is therefore an important figure during midsommar in some of the nordic countries (Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Norway) but in Sweden the tradition is not too influenced by christianity.

Previously midsommar was celebrated on the 21st in Sweden but in 1953 it started to be celebrated the Friday closest to the summer solstice.