Everybody knows about Huginn and Muninn, those are too mainstream. Here are 7 eccentric Scandinavian creatures that may or may not interest you!
Pesta
My favourite, she’s the old-woman personification of the Black Death. She killed 60% of population in Norway in just bare months alone herself. People who saw her have a small chance to live but there is no mercy if she starts sweeping… Kittelsen’s Pesta i Trappen is a piece of art that I like, make sure to check it out.
Nøkken
They were male water spirits who played enchanted songs on the violin, luring not just the men, but the women and children too to drown in lakes or streams. They also shapeshift into interests of their victims. It is kind of understandable because they won’t lure anyone with their genuine appearance which is dreadful, covered in moss with glaring yellow eyes, a wide mouth with sharp teeth, and the skin of a drowned man who has been underwater for a long time. “What should I do if I encounter one?” might be a question that popped in your head by now, just don’t go near water- just kidding; say the nøkken’s name and it’ll disappear into the water back again.
Mörksuggen
A form of shadowpeople to scare little children. They originate from Dalarna and became a local symbol. They appear in the paintings of the local artist Verner Molin. With the increased use of Mörksuggan, they have become a more positive element to protect against the powers of darkness.
Draugr
Okay, that’s not really eccantric but I had to include them.
Basically Scandinavian zombie, but it is never that simple. They are undeads who “live” at graves or even royal palaces. They are quite physical, like an actual animated body than a spirit. Interesting part is, even though being rotten, Draugr possesses superhuman strength and are hideous to look at driving observers crazy. I am not even meantioning the magical powers “seeing into the future” and “shape-shifting”. A shape-shifting, super-strong zombie that sees into future? Oh boy oh we have a problem. “Are they bad?”, of course they are; they were greedy bad people when they were alive for the first time as well. You can understand if a person will become Draugr when they sit in the grave rather than lying horizontally, like it isn’t obvious enough…
Brunnsgubbe
Brunnsgubbe were not really a part of belief yet only added to scare children from getting close to the well. Later they became creatures who reside in and guard wells to keep the water clean and drinkable. They also keep an eye on curious children to scare them away from deep wells. They are not evil creatures, until their well is polluted…
Marra
Ever had a nightmare? Yeah, that. Night-marra! They may be a parallel to sleep paralysis as well. They could also entangle the hair of the sleeping man or beast, resulting in "marelocks” (marefloker).
Tontu/Nisse
Even though Tontu is household version of Nisse, I’ll be counting them as one. “But what is Nisse?”. Ever seen garden gnomes? Yeah, basically them (hagenisse). Short (around 60 cm) old dudes with white beard. Do not underestimate them, despite being short they posses superhuman strenght. They hate, and I mean HATE, disrespect and carelessness. You can gift them a bowl of porridge so they will protect your farmland. Simple as that.
