Storsjöodjuret
{{Short description|Swedish folklore lake monster}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
|name = Storsjöodjuret
|image = Storsjöodjuret.jpg
|caption = "The Great-Lake Monster"
|Grouping =
|Sub_Grouping = Lake monster
|AKA = Storsie (English)
|Country = Sweden
|Habitat = Water
|First_Attested = 1635
|Folklore = Local legend
}}
In Swedish folklore, the Storsjöodjuret ({{IPA|sv|ˈstûːrɧøːʊˌjʉːrɛt}}, literally "The Great-Lake Monster"{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Or possibly "great monster of the lake", since Bonniers Lexikon (1966) defines Storsjöodjur as "benämning på stora sjöormen".}}) is a lake monster said to live in the {{convert|300|ft|m|-1|adj=mid|-deep|order=flip}} lake Storsjön in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden.
The lake monster is first attested in a 1635 manuscript, according to which the sea/lake serpent (sjöorm) was bound up magically in the lake's depths by Kettil Runske who carved his spell into the Frösö Runestone (Frösö being an island in this lake). Later folk legends circulating locally in Jämtland claimed the monster was a product of tinkering by two trolls, and that it was a cat-headed creature with a black serpentine body.
There have been numerous eyewitness accounts since the 19th century, giving varying details, some claiming a dog-like head.
Name
Image:Draak Östersund 22jul2006.jpg
The monster is popularly referred to as Storsjöodjuret (the noun Storsjöodjur was first used in 1899{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Quennerstedt, August (1 June 1899) Olaus Magnus såsom skildrare af Nordens djurlif is the earliest instance of use given in the Svenska akademiens ordbok, though {{harvp|Olsson|1899}} is also listed.}}) where odjur is a Swedish word for ‘monster’ or ‘large vermin’, literally ‘unanimal’.{{Refn|Since the o-prefix in Swedish is a negation, like the English "un-".}} While Storsjö is the name of a lake (or lakes), storsjö can also be a common noun meaning ‘great-lake’, being the compound of Swedish stor (‘big’ or ‘great’) and sjö (‘lake’) .
Sometimes it is simply called Storsjödjuret (‘The great-lake animal’).{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|In the local Jamtish dialect it has been named Storgläffs'n ‘the great yelper’ by a locally known poet, this is however not a popularly used name.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}}}
In the English language Storsjöodjuret is sometimes called Storsie, similarly to Nessie, though the names Storsjö Monster, Storsjoe Monster or "the monster of Lake Storsjön", etc.,{{sfnp|Meurger|Gagnon|1988|pp=32, 95}} and the literal translation The Great Lake Monster are used. Its Latin name is Hydogiganta Monstruidae Jemtlandicum.{{cite web |title=Visste ni detta om Östersund? |url=http://www.turist.ostersund.se/parser.php?did=55:1080 |access-date=2008-06-29 |publisher=Östersund Tourist- & Conference Office |language=sv }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Additional citation needed|date=January 2021 |reason=dead url, suspicious spelling}} It has also been called Storsjöormen (‘The Great Lake Serpent’).
Legends
;17th century attestations
The earliest description is of a sea/lake-serpent ({{lang|sv|sjöorm}}) inhabiting Storsjön, contained in a manuscript by Morten Pedersen Herdal dated to 1635.{{sfnp|Enqvist|1938|p=168}} According to commentators this text ascribed to rune-master Kettil Runske the feat of binding this serpent to the bottom of the lake by carving a magic spell into the Frösö Runestone (erected on Frösö, an island in this lake).{{Refn|Paragraph quoted or paraphrased from the Morten Pedersen Herdal ms. of 1635, requoted by Enqvist and by Wall.{{sfnp|Enqvist|1938|p=168}}}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The spelling "Pederson" is given by 19th and 20th century sources,{{sfnp|Enqvist|1938|p=168}} but the identification of the manuscript is cited by them to Sandvig (1779) Samlinger til den Danske Historie, which gives "Pedersen" (and "Kield Runske" for the rune-master's name).}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Ole Worm in the near contemporaneous commentary on the runestone remarks on a similar legend citing Saxo, but does not name the wizard (Magus).}}
A version of the legend was also recorded in the group of writings associated with the {{interlanguage link|Rannsakningar efter antikviteter|sv}} (‘Researches into Antiquities’),{{Refn|{{harvp|Ståhle|1960}} Rannsakningar efter antikviteter, Bd. 1, H. 1, p. 257, apud K. G. Ljunggren's review.}}{{sfnp|Welinder|2004|p=201}} specifically in a piece dated 1685 by Anders Plantin (Andreas Plantinus):{{efn|The Rannsakningar was the Swedish crown's effort during the 17th century to catalogue objects of antiquities. Anders Plantin was a {{interlanguage link|häradshövding|sv|häradshövding|lt=häradshövding}} or district circuit judge.}}
"It is said that beneath this [rune]stone lies a dreadfully large head of a serpent and that the body stretches over Storsjön to {{interlanguage link|Knytta|sv}} village and Hille Sand{{efn|{{interlanguage link|Hillsand|sv}} perhaps(?), which is a village farther north in Jämtland.}} where the tail is buried. The serpent was called a rå and therefore shall this stone be raised. Since no one peacefully could cross [Storsjön], the ferryman and his wife states, along with many others, that in the last turbulent time this stone was torn down and broken in two. As long as this stone lay on the ground many strange things occurred in the water, until the stone was raised and assembled anew".
The Frösö stone has a large serpent depicted on it, but there is no reference to it nor to Kettil Runske in the text itself, which instead tells about Austmaðr, Guðfastr's son's christening of Jämtland, and the construction of the Frösö Bridge, though the stone has indeed been broken in two pieces.{{citation needed|date=January 2021|reason=Want corroboration. Looks like broken in three pieces on close look of photo, since the lower piece is also split.}}
;Folktale
The folk-legend that circulated around the Jämtland region provided additional details. According to this lore, "A long, long time ago", two trolls named Jata and Kata were on Storsjön's shore, each one brewing his cauldron at the lake for "days, weeks and months", until at last was heard "a groaning sound as if from a sick child" followed by a "loud bang.. as if by a violent thunderclap", and out of one cauldron leaped out a strange creature with a black serpent-like body and a cat-like head, which disappeared into the lake (the trolls and the cauldrons too vanished as well, in a wisp of white smoke, leaving a gaping abyss). The monster dwelling in the lake became a menace to surrounding areas, and grew so big as to encircle the entire island of Frösön and be able to bite its own tail. Then came along Ketil Jamte who bound the beast by carving spells into a stone which was erected on the east shore of Frösön. Parts of the beast were still visible above the water-line, but it is warned that it could be liberated some day when someone deciphers the runestone.
The name of the hero may be Ketil Jamte or Ketil Ruske depending on the version. According to one informant, the rune-master was named Gudfast, which thus makes connection with the legendary Austmann Gudfastsson ({{lang|non|Austmaðr, Guðfastar son}}, aforementioned, inscribed on the runestone).
Eyewitness accounts
There have been hundreds of recorded sightings of Storsjöodjuret dating back to the 19th century. Newspapers reported in July 1857 that workers at the Forssbacka bruk (iron mill) on the lake spotted from far away a creature with a head "black and gleaming", about the size of a large cat's head ({{langx|sv|större katthufwud}}), with the water movement suggesting it was a sort of sea-serpent.
Peter Olsson published an 1899 booklet, documenting 22 eyewitness testimonies, and collated the details in his summary.{{sfnp|Olsson|1899}}{{efn|Olsson's book contains many illustrations of sea-serpents from other sources, but not any of Storsjöodjuret; the cover drawing is the head portion close-up of the sea-serpent reported by the English ship Daedalus.}} Olsson, a naturalist, concluded that the most likely match was some aquatic mammal that had yet to be identified.
The monster has been reported by various witnesses to measure on the order of {{convert|10|m|ft}} in length, the length in Olsson's accounts ranging from 3.5 to 14 meters (converted from the Swedish fot, foot or aln, cubit).{{sfnp|Olsson|1899|p=25}}
It had a snake-like body, long neck, with some giving the description of a dog-like head, thus making it an eared creature, unlike most serpents,{{sfnp|Meurger|Gagnon|1988|pp=34}} though some accounts describing as finned is ambiguous as to fins or ears.{{sfnp|Olsson|1899|p=26}} Some said it had several humps ({{langx|sv|pucklar}}) on its back, but Olsson lumped these cases together with "vertical" curvings or undulations ({{langx|sv|buckter}}).{{harvp|Olsson|1899|p=33}}, naming ex. 5, 10, 12, 15 20, 22)
= Capture campaign =
Common interest in the creature was sparked first in the 1890s. After several sightings, an enterprise of locals was founded to catch the monster in 1894,{{sfnp|Meurger|Gagnon|1988|pp=32, 142}} even obtaining the sponsorship of King Oscar II. The failed attempt was featured in a satirical cartoon by Albert Engström in the {{interlanguage link|Strix (tidskrift)|sv|Strix (tidskrift)|lt=Strix}} magazine.{{sfnp|Meurger|Gagnon|1988|p=32}}
= Film footage =
In August 2008, a film crew claimed to have captured Storsjöodjuret on film, reporting that infrared cameras showed an endothermic mass in the lake.
= Protected status =
The only city located by Storsjön, Östersund, celebrated its 200-year anniversary in 1986. That year, the Jämtland county administrative board declared Storsjöodjuret to be an endangered species, and Storsjöodjuret along with its offspring and nest became protected by law. The law was revoked in 2005, with the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO/Justitieombudsmannen) spearheading the criticism.{{cite web|url=http://www.storsjoodjuret.com/fridlysningen~18.php |title=Fridlysningen |access-date=2009-09-10 |publisher=Storsjoodjuret.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726234448/http://www.storsjoodjuret.com/fridlysningen~18.php |archive-date=July 26, 2009 }}, quoting {{harvp|Berggren|2005}}{{Refn|Sandelin (2014), citing Berggren (2004), {{linktext|recte}} {{harvp|Berggren|2005}}.}}
Explanatory notes
{{Notelist}}
Citations
;Notes
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080829/od_afp/swedenanimallegendoffbeat |title=Sweden's Loch Ness monster possibly caught on camera |date=29 August 2008 |agency=Agence France-Presse |via=Yahoo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911143223/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080829/od_afp/swedenanimallegendoffbeat|archive-date=11 September 2008}}
{{cite news|author= |title=Storsjöodjuret fångat på film |newspaper=Expressen |date=27 August 2008 |url=https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/storsjoodjuret-fangat-pa-film/ |language=sv}}
{{cite book|editor=Sällskapet för nyttiga Kunskapers spridande [The Society for the Dissemination of Useful Knowledge] |editor-link=:sv:Sällskapet för nyttiga Kunskapers spridande |title=Sägner om Kettil Runske |work=Läsning för svenska folket |volume=8 |location=Stockholm |publisher=P. A. Norstedt & Söner |year=1842 |page=184 |language=sv}}
{{cite news|author= |title=Storsjöodjuret fångat på film |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |date=27 August 2008 |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/artikel_1628267.svd |url-access=registration |language=sv}}
{{cite news|author= |title=(Ur arkivet) SvD 1894: "Storsjöodjuret åter framme!" |newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet |date=21 April 2019 |url=https://www.svd.se/svd-1894-storsjoodjuret-ater-framme |url-access=registration |language=sv}}
{{cite news|last=Landes |first=David |author-link= |title=Swedish sea monster 'caught on film' |newspaper=The Local |date=28 August 2008 |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20080828/13980}}
}}
;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
- {{citation|last=Berggren |first=Niels-Olof |author-link= |title=Länsstyrelsen i Jämtlands län har i en föreskrift beslutat om fridlysning av Storsjöodjuret. Fråga om föreskriftens rättsliga verkan |trans-title=The County Administrative Board of Jämtland County has in a regulation decided on the protection of the Great Lake Beast. Ask about the legal effect of the regulation |date=2005-11-09 |url=https://www.jo.se/pagefiles/2432/1636-2004.pdf |language=sv}}
- {{cite journal|last=Enqvist |first=Arvid |author-link= |title=Runstenen på Frösön och den bundna sjöormen. Ett bidrag till Kättil Runske-sägnens utbredning |journal=Rig |volume=21 |year=1938 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y28WAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Morten%22 |pages=157–168 |language=da}}
- {{citation|last1=Meurger |first1=Michel |author1-link=:fr:Michel Meurger |last2=Gagnon |first2=Claude |author2-link=|title=Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-cultural Analysis |location=London |publisher=Fortean Tomes |year=1988 |orig-year=1982 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I1HbAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Storsj%C3%B6n%22 |isbn=9781870021005}}
- {{cite book|last=Olsson |first=Peter |author-link=:sv:Peter Olsson (naturforskare) |title=Storsjöodjuret : framställning af fakta och utredning |location=Östersund |publisher=Jämtlandspostens boktryckeri |date=1899 |language=sv}}. PDF via {{SELIBR|1645112}}
- {{cite book|last=Ståhle |first=Carl Ivar |author-link=:sv:Carl Ivar Ståhle |author-mask=Ståhle, Carl Ivar, redact. |editor1-last=Olsson |editor1-first=Ingemar |editor1-link=|editor2-last=Stahre |editor2-first=Nils-Gustaf |editor2-link=:sv:Nils-Gustaf Stahre |editor3-last=Ståhle |editor3-first=Carl Ivar |editor3-link=:sv:Carl Ivar Ståhle |title=Rannsakningar efter antikviteter |volume=Bd. 1 |number=H. 1 |location=Stockholm |publisher=Kungl. Vitterhets-, historie- och antikvitetsakad |date=1960 |url= |page=257}}
- {{citation|last=Welinder |first=Stig |author-link=:sv:Stig Welinder |title=Storsjöodjurets arkeologi, biologi och mytologi |editor1-last=Berggren |editor1-first=Åsa |editor1-link=|editor2-last=Arvidsson |editor2-first=Stefan |editor2-link=Stefan Arvidsson |editor3-last=Hållans |editor3-first=Ann-Mari |editor3-link= |work=Minne och myt: konsten att skapa det förflutna |publisher=Nordic Academic Press |date=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9bp4uY7_M6oC&pg=PA201 |pages=201–212 |isbn=9789189116757 |language=sv}}
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20000920032753/http://www.storsjoodjuret.com/ Official page of Storsjöodjuret] In Swedish, English, German
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090205011231/http://storsjoodjuret.nu/ Great Lake Monster Website]
- "[https://trinkelbonker.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/storsie-1857-report-discovered/ Storsie – 1857 report discovered]", Trinkelbonker
- [http://jamtli.absoft.se/ Storsjöodjurets observationsdatabas] - query specifying location ("Frösö"), etc. returns dataset of alleged sightings, the website also holds numerous digicopies of newspaper articles.
{{Scandinavian folklore}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storsjoodjuret}}