Nordic Tales: Folktales from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark: 5

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The Nisser or (Nisse), are still valuable parts of Scandinavian culture, and even have some connections to Christmas. According to Scandinavian folklore, every home has its own Nisse who lives in a barn or the countryside near your house.

From peaceful Norse creatures, to Scandinavian monsters, the Vættir are spirits and supernatural beings. The Mare is one of the better-known spirits in Scandinavia, often associated with bad dreams. Norse mythology is famous around the world for its fantastical and amazing stories with deeper meanings. Guerber, H. A. (1909). Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas. London: GeorgeG. Harrap. Reprinted 1992, Mineola, NY: Dover. ISBN 0-486-27348-2.Today, however, many of the more unnerving parts of the stories have changed to become more family-friendly. Nykurin býr í vøtnum, á botninum niðri í dýpinum hevur hann sítt tilhald, men haðan fer hann ofta á land, og honum er ikki gott at møta. Stundum er hann líkur einum vøkrum lítlum hesti, sum tykist at vera góður og spakur, og harvið lokkar hann fólk at nærkast til sín at klappa honum og strúka honum eftir baki. Men tá tey koma at nerta við halan, verða tey áføst við hann, og tá sleppur hann ongum, men dregur tey við sær til botns í vatninum. Stundum møtir hann fólki í manslíki sum ein prúður unglingi at lokka gentur við sær og lovar teimum gleði og gaman í síni høll, um tær vilja fylgja honum eftir. Men fáa tær illgruna um, hvør hann er, sum tær eru við at geva seg burtur til, so at tær fáa nevnt hann við rætta navni: "nykur", missir hann maktina yvir tær og má sleppa teimum og fara einsumallur í vatn sítt. Tað er sagt, at nykurin kann líkaleiðis umskapa seg líkan øllum ferføttum djórum, uttan stikulin av veðra- ella veðurlambshorni skal hann ikki kunna skapa á seg. Men rossi er hann líkur, tá ið hann ikki hevur broytt ham sín, og tað hevur borið monnum til at fáa vald yvir hann við at rista kross á baki á honum, og hava teir tá havt hann til at draga við halanum stórt grót oman úr fjøllum til gerðisgarðar ella hús, sum enn sæst í Húsavík í Sandoy og á Eiði í Eysturoy, og tað stóra grótið, ið har er saman komið, ber vitni um, hvussu sterkur hann er. Á Takmýrum í Sandoy liggur ein stórur klettur, sum teir vildu hava hann at draga til Húsavíkar, men har slitnaði halin, og steinurin stendur har. Ein partur av nykarhalanum, sum var áfastur við steinin, er sjónligur á honum enn." V. U. Hammershaimb, Færøsk Anthologi (Copenhagen, 1891). Translation starts at: Huldre-Eventyr (1859). "En Nat i Nordmaken", 1: 149 beginning: " Der var en bonde, han boede i Thelemarken,.."; Asbjørnsen (1870), pp.99ff Plus, researchers also believe Vikings may have helped to introduce cats to Greenland and Canada. What did Vikings use cats for? Objects from the archaeological record may also be interpreted as depictions of subjects from Norse mythology, such as amulets of the god Thor's hammer Mjölnir found among pagan burials and small silver female figures interpreted as valkyries or dísir, beings associated with war, fate or ancestor cults. [10] By way of historical linguistics and comparative mythology, comparisons to other attested branches of Germanic mythology (such as the Old High German Merseburg Incantations) may also lend insight. [11] Wider comparisons to the mythology of other Indo-European peoples by scholars has resulted in the potential reconstruction of far earlier myths. [12] [13]

Braekstad, H. L., tr., ed. (1881). Round the Yule Log: Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales. Originally edited by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list ( link) Nasjonalbiblioteket copy Lindow (2001), pp.11–12, Turville-Petre (1964), pp.17–21, and MacLeod & Mees (2006), pp.27–28, 216. Sometimes he encounters people in human form, as a handsome youth, to lure young women to himself, and promises them joy and gladness in his hall if they want to go along with him. But if they get a suspicion of who he is, when they are giving themselves away, such that they can call him by his true name — nykur — then he loses the power over them and must release them and go along into his waters. a b "Phantoms of the Deep, or: Legends and Superstitions of the Sea and of Sailors" . Retrieved 3 September 2013. Turville-Petre, E O Gabriel (1964). Myth and Religion of the North: The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Reprinted 1975, Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-8371-7420-1.

Let’s start with an introduction to cats in Norse mythology. Animals are relatively commonplace in Viking stories, from Odin’s ravens to the wolf Fenrir. Perhaps the most significant cats referenced by old Norse tales are Freyja or “Freya’s” cats. Asbjørnsen (1859). " Signekjærrings Fortrællinger". Huldreeventyr 1: 39–55; Asbjørnsen (1870) "Berthe Tuppenhaugs fortællinger" pp. 26–36. The Fairy Mythology: Scandinavia: The Power of the Harp". Sacred-texts.com . Retrieved 26 December 2011.

Elves, on the other hand, lived in the castle of Froy. These fair and beautiful creatures are often peaceful in Scandinavian stories and usually have long lives which made them wise. Colum, Padraic (2012). Nordic Gods and Heroes. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486119359. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023 . Retrieved 7 September 2018. Davidson, H. R. Ellis (1988). Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Univ. Press. ISBN 0-8156-2438-7.

What did Vikings use cats for?

Asbjørnsen as a solo project collected and published Norske Huldre-Eventyr og Folkesagn I-II (1845–48), [1] which also was expanded by a "second collection," ( Norske huldre-eventyr og folkesagn: anden samling 1866). [9] Illustrators [ edit ] Cover art to 1914 edition, artist: Theodor Kittelsen These giants lived in the mountains of Utgard and maintained a human-like appearance, though they were large and ugly. While they receive less mention, numerous other gods and goddesses appear in the source material. (For a list of these deities, see List of Germanic deities.) Some of the gods heard less of include the apple-bearing goddess Iðunn and her husband, the skaldic god Bragi; the gold-toothed god Heimdallr, born of nine mothers; the ancient god Týr, who lost his right hand while binding the great wolf Fenrir; and the goddess Gefjon, who formed modern-day Zealand, Denmark. [24] Dumézil, Georges (1973). Gods of the Ancient Northmen. Ed. & trans. Einar Haugen. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03507-0.

MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006). Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-205-4. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023 . Retrieved 17 October 2015. Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen; Moe, Jørgen, eds. (1871). Norske folke-eventyr: ny samling. Dybwad i Komm. etext via Internet Archive Simek, Rudolf (2007). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Hall, Angela. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 978-0-85991-513-7. There’s a story in Scandinavian folklore of a man who ran from the Draugen into a churchyard, and the spirits of the dead were called to protect him. Regarding the dísir, valkyries, and figurines (with images), see Lindow (2001), pp.95–97. For hammers, see Simek (2007), pp.218–19, and Lindow (2001), pp.288–89.He screams when he appears from the water, and legend says that you can see the Draugen during stormy nights, drowning fisherman. Scandinavian legend is rich with countless unique creatures, many of which have made their way over into Western culture in the form of novel characters and movie representations. Here’s your guide to Viking cats, and the presence of cats in Norse mythology. An introduction to cats in Norse mythology Another "slightly different variant" is Prinsessen som ingen kunne målbinde, in Eventyrbog for børn, volume 3. [24] DNA evidence suggest multiple cat migrations occurred throughout the middle ages, to help felines spread around the world. The first migration took felines from the Middle East to Europe and Africa.