The Strange & Terrifying Creatures of Sweden - Exploring Scandinavian Folklore 

Thank you so much for having me! It's wonderful to get a chance to share a bit of my culture!

When looking at the timestamps, I thought 'HelloFresh' counted as a strange and terrifying Swedish creature

I am swedish and I just want to mention about Skogsrået thata she can also give hunters success in hunting if you carry breadcrumbs in your pocket to make peace with her. She is my favorite in our lore ❤

I’ve was once told a similar legend to the Nøkken by my Swedish great grandmother. The story was about a creature called the Fossegrim. This is a water faerie that is known for its great music and great hunger. It’s said if you give a fossegrim one piece of food, it will teach how to play a single note. The more you give the more you will learn. One man once gave a fossegrim an entire feast, and the Fossegrim taught the man so hard, by the end his finger tips will bleeding.

I am majoring in anthropology and archaeology here in the states. One thing that so often I find is these small stories about the supernatural from oral accounts. I just love the idea that in the past these stories might not have been just a story, but interwoven in reality. The last part of the video was fascinating, to have 3 generations experience something otherworldly.

Ireland would be good. There's more than just leprechauns. Cool series. Something from Africa would also be cool.

Skogsået is not as evil as many non scandinavian/swedish sources describes them as. They could be very kind creatures, even helping lost cattle, pets and children find their way back home and could be loving partners if married (as long as you didn't expect them to be subserviant or misstreated them). However they were unpredictable and could be dangerous from time to time, like the forest they ruled over

I'm so proud to be a native Swede! Our stories, fables and folkore are truly a sight to behold!

I'm a native swede and my great grandmother live isolated in a forest and when I was younger I used to stay the summer and Christmases at her house and she would say: gå inte ut i skogen för då kanske vättar och troll ta dig) wich in English means: dont go into the forest because vättar and troll might take you) and she would tell stories that you should always take care of the animal's around you because otherwise the forest elves might hurt you or your family the same way you hurt the animal's, that alone made me feed the wild animal's with different foods that my grandmother made just for them, she did some kibble kinda thing and salads for the animal's and put them in a feeding thing on the edge of her property, she also said that if you hunted animal's for food you need to put some of the meat back to the nature so that the forest elves can revive the animal from the piece of meat and make it live again, idk but she told a lot of different stories about the creatures and their connection to the nature, she also said that if I don't have silver on me when I go to the store that I might get taken by the ghosts of people that died there long ago and haven't gotten their vengeance, so whenever I walked/biked the 17km distance from her house to the store I always had a silver watch that my great grandfather used but it broke long ago, I was terrified of the forest as a kid because of these stories but when I got a bit older my great grandfather would take me out into the forest and he would say that as long as I respect the spirits of the land I would always find my way back to their house and funny enough I once got trusted by my mom at age 11 to go on my own from my moms place to my great grandmother/grandfather I couldn't walk the road there I had to go through the forest so I just took the watch and put it in my pocket and went on my journey, I got lost once and stayed besides a tree and hugged it saying: jag vill till mormor o morfar du vet att de är bra människor så hjälp mig komma dit) then when I looked up from the tree I saw something red and I walked towards it and when I got the full view I saw that it was my great grandmother's outhouse and I was so happy because I didn't know I was so close. I don't really believe in all the things that my grandmother said but it does really feel like the forests have something supernatural to them but I don't know what it is

The huldras are my favorite creature from Scandinavian folklore. They can be good or evil depending on which version of them you read.

Another feature of the draugr? Each and every one of them carries at least a couple of coins on them.

This is a perfect addition to my mythology studies. If I had to pick a country to look into, I'd like to see you cover Mongolia.

In Norway we also get a sea-version of the draugr, simply known as draug or "draugen" (the draug). It's the spirt of someone who died at sea, and now haunts the coast. It's typically described as what you would expect a dead guy from the sea to look like, except his head is composed entirely of seaweed, and he is sometimes said to be sailing in half a boat.

Now this is absolutely incredible, as a Swede I’m both proud and terrified great job!

- Creatures of Sweden Höhö, that's us! I could finally threw this to my friends and be like " _SEE! I AM NOT CRAZY! I KEEP TELLING YOU THAT NYMPHS ARE CRAZY MURDEROUS PSYCHOS!_ " x3 I learned a lot of these as a kid. Wish I had kept up with the knowledge more as I grew up. I really should get back into reading mythology. Ah, so much to read ~

Folklore from the Philippines. After watching the Trese series they seem to have some interesting creatures

I would like to learn about the cryptids of Central America

Thanks for sharing these stories! I lived in Norway for many years and the folklore there is super interesting and definitely my favourite. Once I could read Norwegian books, I discovered so many more mythical creatures and legends than what is available in English!

Nice video series! Loved the idea! edit: In Brazil we've got some different/strange folk creatures: Saci (one footed trickster), Boitatá (a fire snake), Curupira (forest guardian), Mula Sem Cabeça, Cuca, Boto Rosa, Caipora, etc etc etc

So cool! I’d love to hear more about the “more obscure” ones like these so dealer’s choice haha Idk if I’ve commented this before but the Vittra is very reminiscent of the “duwende” and the “nuno” in Philippine folklore. They’re said to live in random/abandoned places and we’re taught to say “tabi, tabi po” or excuse me when passing through so we don’t accidentally stomp on them or their property. Personal experience: supposedly, when I was a kid, I was favored by a “white/nice duwende” that lived in our yard. I don’t remember “making friends with them” but I do remember being confused why people kept asking me to give them lucky numbers to bet on. Allegedly, my “duwende friend” would tell me winning numbers but stopped when a neighbor found me “talking to an invisible friend”, put two and two together and got jealous of my “supernatural favor/luck”. I’m also told I was sent to a “manghihilot” (kinda like a masseuse + witch doctor) to sever my ties with the supernatural. Sorry for the long comment but hopefully it’ll help with research? Haha As always, rock on, Myth and Mando ❤️

I'd love to learn about the Taino Mythology and their creation story

I love the story about the Vittra, when I was in the Philippines they shared a story very similar to that but they called it "nu-no sa punso" loosely translated as 'earthly creature that lives on a mound', it's essentially the same theme/story as the Vittra and you gotta say "tabi-tabi po, Nuno sa punso" which is loosely translated to "move aside, spirit on the mound." This is something you usually do if you see a mound that looks like an ant hill, or if you're walking around a bush-land area with lots of undergrowth.

”Mara” is used in both swedish and english word for night-Mare/Mar-dröm :)

Very very cool I've always been fascinated with the swedes and their culture there's more to them than just the Vikings❤️

I currently live in Brasil and the myths and legends and folkore here are terrifying and wonderful, magical and mysterious! It would be great to see you explore the world of the Cuca (a crocodile witch), the Curupira (with feet facing backwards and his hair on fire, he attacks those who harm the forest) the Saci Perere (a mischievious one legged pipe smoking fellow), and so many more! Hope you consider it! This was fascinating! Thanks to both of you!

As a swede, I am so happy for this video!

I would love to see Irish next. Or maybe Polish, Chech etc? And to let go of European folklore, Chile or Japan would be nice. :) Enough to keep you going for a while? :D

I tried to purchase the family plan 5 meals for two weekly, but they don't accept prepaid cards. I am a traveling nurse, so most of my pay cards are prepaid debit where I get same day pay. Rarely do I use a credit or debit card. Anyway I tried for you because I love your content and I am a long time fan.

If you don't feel like moving from northern Europe, you could always go east and cover Finnish/Finnic mythology. It's not the same as Scandinavian or Slavic.

Having someone from that culture talk about their experiences with their local folklore is so amazing! I love that personal touch!

I love how some of these appear in games, like Draugrs in Skyrim or Mylings in The Witcher 3

Id love to see Ireland next! My ancestry is from there and I have looked into some of the creatures from there but not many. Also you could look into Maya or Aztec mythology as they often get overlooked!!

Nice to see Sweden represented. I do love our folklore and mythology. I must admit, i warn before peeing outdoors too. 🇸🇪

The unbaptized child reminds me of a quest in witcher 3. Suddenly missed playing that game.

I have heard lots of Swedish folk tales through my childhood, like stories of Giants and Trolls who hate church bells, Gnomes who take care of the farm but punish you if you forget to give them porridge, and the aforementioned Näcken. But while I keep finding videos about it on RU-vid, I've never heard anyone in Sweden talk about Draugr. No one I know in Sweden has heard of them outside of Skyrim.

I absolutely loved this video! A video on Romanian/Dacian (or Balkan) mythology would be really cool as well!

Great video! Can recommend a great podcast about swedish folklore called När man talar om trollen. It is currently only in Swedish though. 👍🏻

I would LOVE to see this series continue! It really doesn't matter to me what culture's cryptids you cover, as I'm fascinated by all cultures and am thrilled to learn, relearn, or review anything I can. Thank you very much!

I’d love to hear more about Native American and Inuit mythology and folklore! I feel like I never hear or read about much of it without it being over shadowed by colonial beliefs.

I would absolutely LOVE to see more of this series! It's fun to learn about another culture's folklore! I don't know which one I would like to see next, so surprise me. 😄💖

Yay Scandinavian lore. Love it.

A great video dropping as soon as the rain started 👌🏾

Another fascinating video! I love hearing folklore & mythologies from all the places.

I really love this new series you are starting.

Since you're asking for requests, I'd love to hear about cultures that often get overlooked in discussions about mythology, like African countries or Native American tribes

So that baby creature imediatly reminded me of the Witcher. How many overlaps are between Scandinavian and I guess, Western/East Slavic mithology? I ask cuz, as a Romanian, wich would be closer mostly to South Slavic influence, I felt the Witcher as somewhat familiar but not quite. Also, I have a friend in north Poland who always looked more viking then anything else.

This sounds amazing for a series. Thank you

I loved this one!! 😀 and I think it's awesome to see other channels coming together to help one another out 👍

As a distant American girl, who has 40% Scandinavian blood, this mythology and lore greatly interests me! 😅 What a fantastic video! Thanks to this channel and guest Mando!

Enjoyed the video very much. So much diversity out there I don’t think you can go wrong no matter what country or culture you pick. Excited for the next one.

I love this video! Absolutely the thing I subbed for

Thank you so much for this wonderful video. You did an incredible job! Keep up the great work.

I would like to see more of this series :) I take interest in many mythologies...

I can't wait for the next episode.

My family is from Sweden and when I go and visit them my friends out there I've never thought to ask them about this topic. Now I know what to bring up next time I'm out that way. Thanks for the upload!

That was wonderful, thank you so much for sharing with all the viewers. I think personal family stories like that are so special. I barely remember hearing stories about underground trolls and goblins from my great grandma. I think those stories should be treasured and respected and passed down through the generations.

The Skogsraet's way of stealing one's soul sounds eerily familiar to one of Shedinja's pokedex entries.

I really enjoyed this video. It was great to hear some folk tales from one of the Artists.

Really lovely artwork Mando - Alltid ha respekt för dom som inte visar sig.

thanks for the info on Vittra, and I will most likely start doing giving warning when I pour something out, great video

not a paranormal but a story that haunts me to the very day. Me I and my family went to a place called Tomteland and We got a Tomte Nisse as a guide. The guide shared stories about the land and everyone had a great time asking questions and laughing until a Skogsrå approached from the forest. I still remember to this very day the empty and emotionless mask/face and how she beckoned and even ended up pulling our guide into the forest and then they disappeared... and the guide never appeared again after that, leaving us kids pretty damn shook. The annoying part was that not a single parent even tried to explain what just happened or comfort us. I couldn't even close my eyes for weeks, cause all I could see was that empty face and hear a faint whisper beckoning me to join her in the forest just like the way she did to the guide.

Japan has so much lore to explore. (Unintentional Rhyming)

So fascinating! Thank you so much!

Love this format🤘🏻

I would love to hear about Portugal s mythology!

I would be interested in Germanys mythology.

Awesome video. I haven't heard of them before.

Loved this. I would love to see Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Japan....omg so many!

Can you create a playlist for Scandinavian folklore/mythology?

There's something that I always wondered in Fairytales how three is the magic number

That is so cool! Love this idea for a series

Please do a video on all types of ghosts! Love this channel!

Germany would be awesome to hear about

You forgot the Thule. That's the European version of the Kitsune. Also pronounced. Thall, Tull, Thull" Tall, so many spellings and names for that creature. I probably misspelled most of them because I can barely pronounce them. Usually just better to look up the European version of Kitsune.

I love watching these videos they're so awesome. As soon as this stream on Spotify I'll listen to it.

Awesome stories! Thank you

Thanks I'm doing some Viking inspired story writing and I could use a mythological creatures to draw some inspiration.

Great video! Vidra sounds like the Nisse vi have here in Denmark. oh And i hope you do Denmark maybe not as the next country but soon. :)

you make me happy! thank you! im glad i found your channel

Beautiful art and fascinating folklore.

i would love to know more about Irland and fairies

I hope someone does a video on the censored/buried history of Orcs

this channel is awesome I'm so fascinated by these stuff.

Awh i really liked the guest you had on today. Her work is great and having a person who grew up in the region of the videos subject tell old stories and legends experienced by herself and family just really personalized the video making it to from great to phenomenal. That would be so cool to try including the same thing in other videos of folklore and legends whenever possible

I am super stoked! This video makes me so happy! I hear so little and find so little information about Swedish mythological creatures. I have ancient-ish family that came from Sweden. And I wish to return to Sweden one day.

These must be really really far back, never heard of any of them and I live in Sweden xD

Very enjoyable video. Cheers.

The Mara experience is widely known by other names around the world. Here they’re known as “Boo Hag - Cauchemar - Old Hag Syndrome - The Witch Riding” etc. I would like to see Australian mythical creatures. Thanks for sharing this!

Southern or Eastern African Myths... especially their lake monsters!

You’d love Native American mythology my dude.

The whole prompt of the video made me click it in less than 30 seconds after I saw it appear . Loved it. In Portugal we don't really have a huge history/story of creatures per se. We have the Dama dos Pés de Cabra ( Lady with Goat Feet). And I truly believe that any others were very much lost to utmost Christian devotion across the time. Priests and Church held immense power here for way too long so we lost a lot of Pagan beliefs along the way. Many were burnt thanks to the idea of witches and communion with the Devil in many forms.

Hey. Great video 😉 I just love all kind of stories about mythical beings. Can you please do One on Portugal's ?

I would like to see Russia as the next country i know vary little of there mythology

A baker's dozen episodes on Native American beliefs, both North and South please!:-) 🖖

I LOVE the stories. I grew up in the desert, and we have a whole slew of supernatural things that attack us and other things we're supposed to do to ward them off. I think the stories are great!

I love it!! Ireland, France, and Japan please!

We never hear anything about the Steppe and if there's not enough then let's go Eastern Europe like Hungary and Romania

I would be interested in Mesopotamian/Babylonian mythology.

"Better to be safe." -I couldn't agree more. Definitely liked this video, so a series of similar subject videos would be great.

I love the fact you had an actual person to talk personally about the folklore. And the narrative voice was quite soothing! I believe all of the creation myths are of one. A snake and a tree. Can you do an episode on the bahamas and the toungue of the ocean? If you look at a satellite map view, yo might see why. I been researching and I have a very big theory on a lot of our world folklore