Hi everyone, It’s Robbie Cheadle with you today with a wonderful guest post on Scandinavian Folklore by author and blogger Thomas Wikman. Thomas has two wonderful blogs, Leonberger Life where he writes about Leonberger dogs and other interesting topics, and Super Facts where he shares important facts that are known to be true and yet are still distrusted by large segments of the public.
Scandinavian Folklore with Thomas Wikman
I live in Texas, but I am originally from northern Sweden, and I grew up hearing about various beings from Scandinavian folklore. When I was a kid a lot of people, especially older people, still believed in these beings. They appeared in children’s literature, Swedish TV programs, and in stories we told to scare one another.
Tomte
A Tomte or Nisse in Norwegian is a type of small magical gnome like creature, related to Vitter folk (described below). They are in general friendly and is an inspiration for the Swedish version of Santa Claus. People dressed up as Santa Claus in Sweden are referred to as Tomte/Tomtar (plural). However, the full story includes other creatures such as the Julbock (Christmas Goat). The Swedish name for Christmas is “Jul”, pronounced “Yool” / “Yuul”. The word “Jul” comes from the Old Norse word “jól,” which referred to the pre-Christian midwinter festival (Yule in English).
In Anglo-Saxon culture there is just one Santa Claus but there are many Tomtar, so unlike Santa Claus they don’t need to fly around the globe faster than speed of light to deliver presents to one billion kids. According to tradition a Tomte may help you with your projects and duties if you are nice to them. They may help you with your farm and your animals, warn you of danger, and bring you gifts for Christmas if you in return put out food for them, such as porridge. In modern times they have become more similar to Santa Claus.
Vitterfolk
Vittra or Vitterfolk are supernatural spirits or small invisible people who have a lot in common with people as well as with Tomtar. They own cattle and they sometimes interact with people. On the Swedish island of Gotland, they are often referred to as “Di små undar jordi” in the Got/Goth dialect, or “De små under jorden” in proper Swedish, which is “the small ones below the ground” in English.
Usually, they stay out of your way, but if you hurt them, for example by throwing hot water out the window without warning them first, they may take revenge on you and burn down your house. Vittra are not evil but not friendly like a Tomte. I was told scary stories about Vittra when I was young. The belief in Vittra is especially prevalent in northern Sweden. Vittra are sometimes depicted as looking similar to Tomtar, gnomes or elves, and sometimes as invisible, or near invisible little spirits. Below is a ChatGPT depiction of a Vitter.
Elf
An elf, or elves in plural, is a type of human like supernatural being in Germanic folklore and especially Nordic/Scandinavian folklore. Since elves have been popularized around the world, for example, by Tolkien’s books, it is a well known being. However, the depiction of them has changed. In Scandinavian mythology they were initially often considered bad news. The first picture below is from a Swedish children’s book written in 1910. I read this book when I was a child. The wispy creatures are elves and the small kids with mushroom hats are Tomte children. In this book the elves are depicted in a Nordic pre-modern fashion, but they are nice.
Little älvor, playing with Tomtebobarnen. From Children of the Forest (1910) by Swedish author and illustrator Elsa Beskow. Elsa Beskow, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. <<Alt: Wispy spirit like elves is sitting on a log. The Tomte children are standing next to them and talking to them. The Tomte children are wearing red mushroom hats.>>
Skogsrå, Tallemaja, Huldra
Skogsrå or Tallemaja in Swedish folklore is a seductive female creature who lures men with her beauty or beautiful singing and then kills the men. The Skogsrå / Tallemaja typically has a tail and a hollowed out back, which you can’t see if you are facing each other. In Norwegian this creature is called Huldra (Hulder in plural). It should be noted that I read that if you meet a Huldra in the forest and you treat her with respect she will not kill you. She would just enjoy your company for a while, talk to you, sing to you, show you the beauty of the forest, and then she would let you go. It is only the rude and selfish men who don’t respect her boundaries whom she kills.
Last summer (one and a half year ago) we visited Sweden and Norway. One day we took a tour into the Norwegian mountains and fjords. We took a two-hour cruise on Sognefjord and after the cruise we took a train to the top of the surrounding mountains. Along the way we encountered a Huldra by a waterfall. She sang to us in her beautiful voice, and she seduced us all, both men and women, into taking photos of her with our phones and posting them on social media. It was a tourist ploy of course. You can read more about our trip here.
Last summer (one and a half year ago) we visited Sweden and Norway. One day we took a tour into the Norwegian mountains and fjords. We took a two-hour cruise on Sognefjord and after the cruise we took a train to the top of the surrounding mountains. Along the way we encountered a Huldra by a waterfall. She sang to us in her beautiful voice, and she seduced us all, both men and women, into taking photos of her with our phones and posting them on social media. It was a tourist ploy of course. You can read more about our trip here.
My review of The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle: Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger by Thomas Wikman
It was a privilege to read this lovely book about Bronco the Leonberger. The author’s love for Bronco and his other dogs shines through in every word, and reading about the dogs relationships with the author, his family members, and each other was a treat for someone like me who also loves animals.
Bronco is a dog with a great deal of character and following his adventures from his arrival at the Wikman family home as a puppy up until his death at the age of thirteen was a lot of fun. I giggled at the antics of Bronco and the other dogs and cried when they were ill or in pain.
The author is a remarkable man for caring for his aging dogs in such a respectful and wonderful way. I found those sections of the book very heart warming. The author also has a good sense of humour and this shows through in both his writing and in the hand drawn pictures included in this book. There are also a number of photographs of Bronco and his doggy brothers and sisters.
The last 40% of the book was devoted to sharing information about Leonbergers, their history, and how they should be cared for. I had never heard of Leonbergers before reading this book so that section was very educational and interesting.
I would recommend this book to everyone who has ever loved an animal. It is a wonderful and uplifting journey.
Amazon US purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Bronco-von-L%C3%B6wenh%C3%B6hle-ebook/dp/B0B5NN32SR
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Social Media Links
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
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