Hi everyone, It’s Robbie Cheadle with you today with Part 2 of 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.
You can read Part 1 here: https://latinosenglishedition.wordpress.com/2026/01/07/classic-books-and-poems-myths-legends-poems-and-books-scandinavian-folklore-with-thomas-wikman-part-1/
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.
Näcken, Fossegrim
Näcken, Strömkarlen, or Fossegrim in Norwegian is a male creature who lives by the water, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes. He plays a harp or a violin. He lures children and others to their death.
Troll
Troll, or Trolls in plural, are large ugly creatures with magical powers. They typically live in caves and sunlight is dangerous to them. They are typically hostile to humans and may kidnap people, including children, to work in their mines. Trolls are called Trolls in both Swedish and Norwegian.
Storsjö odjuret
Storsjöodjuret is a large sea serpent like Swedish lake monster like the Loch Ness monster. It resides in a lake in northern Sweden. The English translation of Storsjö odjuret is the monster of the Great Lake. Storsjö / Great Lake is not far from where I grew up. I should say this monster has allegedly been seen hundreds of times since 1635 and seems to have been depicted on a rune stone from the 11th century.
Blodstämmare
This is not a creature but a very common superstition in northern Sweden. There are people, blodstämmare, who can stop the flow of blood by uttering magical phrases while focusing their minds on the person in question. This power is usually used for helping people who are bleeding. It can also be used for evil to stop the blood flow in places where you want the blood to flow. This superstition is based on Sami (indigenous north Scandinavian people) Shamanism and north Swedish Christian fundamentalism (Laestadians).
It is respected enough that some north Swedish hospitals have used blodstämmare in emergency situations. The health authorities in Stockholm consider it superstition and asked them to stop. The father of a close friend of mine called a blodstämmare when he had a bad nosebleed, and it worked, over the phone. I know anecdotes are not valid scientific evidence. It is just a good story.
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
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle
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