monster – Watching the Swedes

When I was at the open-air museum Skansen, I heard a story about trolls. This got me thinking about other mythological creatures and monsters that inhabit Sweden. And a new series was born!

Today – Torspjäsku.

It’s a shame that so much rain is forecast this week, because then you have to be on the look out for Torspjäsku – especially if you are on the island of Gotland.

This monster is a kind of giant troll that from the front looks like a kind, friendly and normal woman. However from the back, she is a hollowed-out tree trunk.

When it is thundering and lightning, Torspjäsku wants to take shelter inside a house to protect herself from the wrath of Thor. But whatever you do, don’t let her in, she is not very nice! In what way she is not nice, nobody knows as there are no survivors to tell the tale.

To protect yourself from this monster, put a piece of steel on your threshold, for example a pair of scissors. Then she cannot cross.

So secretive is she, that I don’t even have a picture to share! So here’s a picture by photographer Claes Grundsten of the mystical Gotlandic rock formations (rauker) instead!

When I was at the open-air museum Skansen, I sat and listened to an old woman telling fairy tales about mythical creatures. The story I heard was about trolls, and how a troll can do magic and disguise itself amongst humans. This got me thinking about other mythological creatures and monsters that inhabit Sweden. And a new series was born!

First out – The Lindworm.

In Swedish folklore, lindworms (’lindorm’) are giant forest serpents without limbs, living deep in the woods. They are a danger to humankind. Dark in colour, they sometimes have a brighter underbelly. They have large horse-like manes, and spit out a foul milk-like substance to blind passers-by. Once their victim is blinded, the snake captures them and drags them under rocks to devour them.

Lindworms lay eggs under linden trees and, once hatched, can become extremely long. To catch fleeing humans, they swallow their own tails and become a wheel after which they roll at high speed. This has also earned them the name ‘wheel snakes’. They are said to mostly exist in the deep forests of county Småland. But who knows where else they might be!

So, if you are out this summer hiking through the forest, take extra care that you do not fall victim to a lindworm!

Tag: monster

Swedish Monsters: 6) Torspjäsku

Swedish Monsters: 1) The Lindworm