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What do we imagine when it comes to Scandinavia? High snow-capped mountains, transparent fjords, beautiful waterfalls, harsh cold sea. And, of course, the Vikings – excellent sailors and excellent warriors. Oh yeah! This is an infinitely beautiful, but very harsh region.
Nowadays, the whole of Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) is famous for its high standard of living. But in ancient times, people who lived in this vast northern territory had to make considerable efforts just to survive: it is difficult to grow anything on bare rocks (especially when winter lasts for half a year); to catch fish on the high seas, you need to be able to skillfully manage a fragile boat and be able to guess the impending storm; in order to hunt in a dense forest, you need to navigate it well (so as not to get lost) and be able to defend yourself from predatory animals that were still numerous in these parts.
Dangers were waiting everywhere, and many of them gradually took on a concrete form. Who terribly cracks the branches of trees in the forest, sometimes dropping whole trunks? Of course, this is a huge troll. And who drank the milk from the cat’s bowl? This, without a doubt, brownie-nisse. The music of the water that you hear standing by the waterfall is the fossegrim violin.
There is a variety of evil spirits in the folklore of any nation, but among the Scandinavians it is special – to match this amazing land. Let’s get to know her.
10 Fossegrim
The spirit of the fossegrim waterfall (from the words foss – “waterfall” and grim – “terrible, harsh”) is relatively harmless. Outwardly, he is almost human. Fossegrim is a brilliant musician (in the singing of the strings of his magic violin one can hear not only the roar of water falling from a height, but also the sound of the wind, the rustle of pines and firs, the quiet murmur of a stream, mountain echo …), and he is also an unsurpassed teacher.
Village violinists specially came to him to study. But in order to convince the fossegrim to arrange a lesson, he needs to be presented with a large ham (preferably stolen) by throwing it into a waterfall.
If the offering is generous enough and pleases the spirit of the waterfall, he will seize the musician and lead him with a bowed hand until he learns to play so that the trees around begin to dance.
Oh yes! Sometimes the fossegrim steals beautiful young girls.
9. Werewolf (Varulv and Manbjorn)
Werewolves are found in the folklore of most European peoples (and not only European ones), but Scandinavian varulvas and manbjorns have some features.
Varulf is a wolf-man, manbjörn, respectively, is a bear-man. Both varulvas and manbjörns are both “voluntary” (you can turn into a wolf, for example, if you crawl on your stomach through a belt made from the skin of a hanged man, who was dug out of a grave on the night from Thursday to Friday), and “forcibly converted” (to For example, a man offended a local sorcerer, and in retaliation, he turned him into a bear for 5 years).
Varulvas are usually very bloodthirsty, they not only slaughter livestock in the form of a wolf, but also love human flesh very much.
But Manbjörns are quite adequate (they are fully aware of who they really are, do not touch close people and neighbors) and even sometimes raise small children (found in the forest or stolen) in their lair.
By the way, the Norwegian Manbjorn can turn not only into a brown, but also into a polar bear.
8. Khavman
In Scandinavian folklore, of course, there was a place for both mermaids (havfrua) and the sea witch (margyugre). Like similar characters from other countries, they drown people and generally like to cause them all kinds of trouble.
But in the Scandinavian legends, another sea creature is mentioned – havman (“sea man”). He is much more loyal to people: for example, havman often warns sailors about the approach of a storm (according to legend, a storm wind will blow from the side where it appears to the eyes).
Havman is quite powerful in appearance and boasts a luxurious beard and long hair. In addition, he sings beautifully and knows how to play the harp (which he sometimes uses for “selfish” purposes – to lure a girl he likes into the sea).
There are many stories in Scandinavian folklore about how an ordinary woman lived for several years at the bottom of the sea with a havman and gave birth to children from him (or even broke his heart when she went to land with people).
7. Somehow
Nekk (or nyukr) – Scandinavian water. He has the appearance of a shaggy man with a matted green beard, protruding ears and huge burning eyes. But in fact, a nekk can look like anyone or anything – he is a master of disguise.
Since the nekk is very cruel and cunning, he is mainly engaged in luring people to the water in order to drown. So, the Scandinavian water can turn into a slippery stone in the bed of a mountain river, and a person who steps on it will certainly fall into the rapids; or into a raft that will go under the water immediately after someone swims out on it to the depth; or into a tree leaning over the water to shake off the children who climb it into the water.
But most often, the Nekk turns into a beautiful white horse, affectionate and obedient. She may even lie down on the ground to make it easier to climb onto her back. But as soon as a person does this, the horse will carry him with one jump to the very middle of the river or lake. They say many children have disappeared this way.
6. Zverg
Dwarfs in Scandinavia were considered natural spirits – the patrons of the mountains. Sometimes they were called black elves (in contrast to other representatives of the “hidden people” – white elves or elves).
Tsvergs look like little bearded men. They live in mountain caves, very deep underground, and therefore the sun is dangerous for them – they say that its rays not only blind or burn the tsvergs, but even can turn these creatures into stone.
Tsvergi, despite their modest size, have great strength. In addition, they are the best craftsmen on earth in a wide variety of crafts, because they not only know how to extract metals and precious stones from rock, but also own magic that helps to make beautiful objects from them.
It was the tsvergs who forged many attributes of the Scandinavian gods: Freya’s necklace, Gungnir’s spear for Odin, Mjollnir’s hammer for Thor, Siv’s golden hair, etc.
5. Draug
All Scandinavian peoples have terrible legends about the living dead – draug or draugr. Norwegian draugs are, most often, drowned sailors. Since no one ever found (or buried) their bodies, they cannot find peace for themselves, so they rush along the waves in half-broken boats, screaming loudly and plaintively.
It is easy to recognize a draug – instead of a head, he has a lump of seaweed. Sometimes they come ashore and try to drown one of the living out of anger and impotence.
In Sweden and Denmark, a warrior who died in battle and did not finish some of his earthly affairs can become a draugr; vilely killed and then not betrayed to the earth, according to traditions, a person; a person who during his lifetime was very evil and cruel, or someone cursed, etc. (that is, in principle, anyone).
Draugr look like the dead are supposed to – half-rotted flesh hangs from the bones, terrible wounds are visible on the fallen warriors, water flows from the drowned in streams. And they, of course, are very cruel: they attack lonely travelers, they can eat a person alive.
Draugr are sometimes credited with prophetic abilities (and, yes, some of them retain glimmers of reason and the ability to speak).
4. Mara
The Scandinavians believe that if at night they suddenly feel something warm and shaggy at their side, and then a terrible heaviness suddenly falls on their chest (or in a dream a person sees terrible nightmares – yes, such that he starts to choke – and wakes up all in sweat), which means that Mara came.
According to various beliefs, a mara is either an evil spirit or a completely living person (usually a woman) who has the ability of a werewolf. So, mara can come in the form of both a beautiful young girl and an ugly old woman, or even a headless monster. She also knows how to turn into animals (most often, into a cat).
Where do maras come from? There are several versions here: for example, a girl born in sin can become a mara; elderly old maids turn into maras (sometimes after death), they especially like to torment the young and beautiful, as a kind of “revenge” for their unfinished life; a girl who is too much in love with whom the object of her sighs does not pay attention can also become mara, without wanting it herself; a maru-spirit can be sent by an unkind person who wants harm to someone; etc.
3. Huldra
Some beautiful girls in Scandinavia to this day willingly joke that there were huldras in their family.
The fact is that the “forest brides” huldra are beauties, which are difficult to find among ordinary girls. They are always chic – long and fluffy hair, gentle and funny eyes, delicate white skin. And they also sing great.
But they also have a couple of serious shortcomings in appearance (and how could they not?): firstly, Huldra always has a cow (or horse) tail, which she diligently hides; and secondly, judging by some beliefs, she has an ugly (rotten and hollow) back.
If Huldra liked the guy, then she will invisibly follow him for weeks (after all, she knows how to be invisible to everyone except one particular person) until he takes her as his wife or until she gives birth to a child from him.
Huldrs make excellent wives – loyal and very hardworking. And their tail, as a rule, falls off in the church at the wedding (although at the same time the dazzling beauty fades, because Huldra becomes an ordinary person).
2. Nisse
The most famous in Scandinavia are brownies nisse (yes, yes! This is an analogue of our well-known brownie). Represent them, most often, in the form of little men in red caps.
If a nisse started up on a farm, then his owners were very lucky, because he is an excellent worker. Nisse will always look after the cows and sheep in the barn, make sure that the owner cleans the horse after work (these creatures love horses the most!), clean up the house and even wash the dishes if the owner is very tired during the day.
The main thing is to treat the nissa with respect, never scold him, and also remember to leave a bowl of delicious porridge with butter and some beer every Thursday.
If you angered the nisse with something, blame yourself. He will start doing dirty things: breaking the dishes, stomping in the attic at night, pulling the cat’s tail and teasing the dog in the yard so that it starts barking.
And in general, nisse are not only brownies. There are also church nisses (who clean up churches at night and make sure that mice do not gnaw through the bellows of the organ), and ship ones (they predict the weather and warn the captain about the storm with noise and roar in the hold, and can also wake up the sailor on duty so that the ship does not land stranded).
Well, Christmas nisses throw small gifts into the shoes of obedient children – a couple of coins, a handful of sweets, etc.
1. Troll
But perhaps the most beloved character in Scandinavian folklore is the troll. Everyone who has ever been to Denmark, Sweden, and especially Norway (!), knows that the word “troll” is found there in many geographical names, in advertising, in the names of shops and other establishments.
One of the most popular souvenirs in these countries is also a troll (in the form of figurines, pictures on magnets and key rings, etc.).
According to legend, the trolls are the descendants of the Jotun giants, who once were at enmity with the Norse gods themselves. Since then, alas, they have degenerated and become very stupid, so the current trolls are quite easy and simple to fool (which is what many characters in Scandinavian fairy tales do).
Most of all, trolls are striking in their gigantic size – they are as tall as a whole mountain, and therefore they are able to easily uproot a tree, dam a river with one huge boulder, etc.
When trolls fight among themselves, the landscape around them can change quite noticeably – trying to hit his enemy with an ax, a troll can accidentally cut through a gorge, or by throwing a whole mountain, and then lifting and putting it in place, arrange a deep hole, where a little later a lake is formed.
By the way, trolls live in the thicket of the forest or in the mountains, because they do not like noisy and fussy people. And the only thing that trolls are afraid of is the sun’s rays, from which they turn to stone. For example, in Norway there is the Trolltind mountain range, these are petrified trolls who once walked drunk from a wedding (of course, a Troll one) and did not notice that dawn had come.