There are so many stories of legendary creatures, cryptids and strange monsters from all around
the world.
I’ve always wanted to start a series devoted to individual countries so welcome to episode
one, the strange creatures of Sweden.
Many of the creatures that appear today will also be very common in other Scandinavian
countries so you can see today's episode as a Scandinavian special.
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We begin with the not so pleasant Draugr, and no these are not white walkers from game
of thrones if anyone was wondering.
The Draugr are animated corpses or revenants that can be found in burial mounds guarding
treasure.
Step into the wrong tomb or try and steal something shiny and you might just wake an
angry Draugr or two.
In Swedish they are simply referred to as Draug which refers to someone pale and dimwitted
who drags himself along.
Given that description and the idea of animated corpses comparing a Draug to a zombie is fairly
reasonable, they are also described as corporeal ghosts and vampires.
The zombie comparison can be made as it’s said you can tell when a Draugr near as the
smell of decay is unbearable, their appearance is grotesque and necrotic.
At times they can be gaunt with broken and exposed bones.
Towards the end of the 19th century they were also considered a type of vampire.
Not because of the need to feed off others in order to sustain themselves but because
their attacks could turn their victims into their own kind.
There are brief mentions of ‘outbreaks and epidemics in the old sagas.
As Well as superhuman strength, they could shapeshift, control the weather and even invade
one's dream leaving behind a cursed object ensuring the victim's bad fortune and even
death.
All of this makes being hunted by a Draugr something you’d rather avoid.
The Skogsraet in Swedish or the Hulder in other parts of Scandinavia is a type of forest
nymph.
Often referred to as the mistress of the forest this entity is known for its seductive but
also deadly nature.
This mistress takes the form of a petite beautiful woman with a kind and friendly demeanor.
From the front they appear perfectly normal, but from the behind they have a large hollow
Chasm in their back as well as a tail.
Those unfortunate enough to interact with these forest nymphs are never the same.
Many are simply never seen again and the ones who do return are said to be a shell of themselves,
an introvert or hermit.
Those who lay with the Skogsraet are said to leave behind their souls for her keeping.
One of the more disturbing set of creatures on today's list are the Myling, these are
reanimated corpses or spirits of children who had passed away.
They are forced to roam the earth until the dying wish has been fulfilled, normally that
means the desire for a proper burial.
These spirits can range from young children to newborns and even unborn children which
makes this legend even more disturbing.
The Myling exists when a mother kills an unwanted child and hides her crime, they can be heard
at night singing their horrifying song revealing their mothers crime.
With many of these murders happening shortly after birth these children were never baptised
or given a proper burial thus according to the church they could never rest.
The way to appease them is by giving them a name, finding their corpse and burying them
in holy soil.
Because of the violent nature of their deaths the Myling were feared and considered vengeful
spirits, if you were chosen by a Myling to help them find their body and bury them you
had no real choice, failing to do so would result in your own death.
The Nacken were water spirits that lured children and women down lakes and rivers with enchanting
songs played on the violin.
Often they appeared as a man with a violin but it’s believed they had no true shape
or form.
They could shapeshift into boxes of treasure floating on the water's surface, a beautiful
woman or even an animal.
A common form was a horse which is why they may also be referred to as brook horse or
river horse.
The most common form the Nacken spirit takes in Sweden is a man playing a musical instrument
who also happens naked sometimes.
Not all Nacken were malevolent as there are stories of them living on land and integrating
into society for short periods of time before eventually returning to the water.
There are also tales of Nacken teaching others how to play the violin or fiddle but some
are driven completely insane by the music.
The evil Nacken would target unbaptised children and pregnant women with their songs but they
also drowned young men too so I guess nobody was really safe.
The song played is so enchanting that you forget where you are and begin walking towards
the music, before you know it you're in the water about to drown yourself.
Similar to creatures such as the Grindylow or the Kelpie, these tales were likely created
to keep children away from dangerous lakes and rivers.
The mare or mara is an entity that has appeared throughout Europe under many different names.
It is a spirit that rides on your chest while you sleep and brings nightmares, a sleep paralysis
monster.
The Mara would ride horses during the night leaving owners confused as to why they were
so tired and sweaty in the morning.
Once the horses were exhausted they would find sleeping men entangle them with their
hair and begin to invade their dreams until they became nightmares.
As well as women they could also take the form of any animal they desire making them
very difficult to identify.
For our next sets of creatures I will now pass you over to today's guest, Artist and
Swedish native Mando who can share some of her
experiences and stories.
A huge thanks to Mando for the artwork in this video and especially for sharing her own stories
and experiences.
If you’d like to see more she does have her own channel called Heart full of forest
which focuses on art, nature, culture and minimal living.
I’ll leave a link to one of Mando’s videos for you to check out.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode.
If you’d like this series to continue then let me know which country you’d like to
see next.