Norwegian Mythological Characters

Norwegian Mythological Characters

(A painting by Marit Bockelie, an artist from Tromsø)

Draugen (The sea troll) is an undead from Norse mythology that lives in the sea. He is one of the most feared mythological creatures by the fishers, because he can take control over the sea. The draug was believed to slay their victims through various methods, including crushing them with their enlarged forms, devouring their flesh, and drinking their blood.

The creature is said to either swim alongside boats or sail around them in a partially submerged vessel, always on their own. In some accounts, witnesses portray them as shapeshifters who take on the appearance of seaweed or moss-covered stones on the shoreline.

We have a long coast line in Norway, and fishing has been a traditional trade. The Draug was used to explain capsizes that happened on the sea.

(A painting by the famous Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen)

Written by Maria