FOSSEGRIMEN

Fossegrimen is one of the lesser known creatures from Scandinavian folklore. He is a male freshwater “vette” (supernatural creatures in Scandinavian folklore) who is a very good musician, so in other words, he is very similar to Nøkken. What differentiates Nøkken and Fossegrimen, however, is that while Nøkken dwells in still waters, Fossegrimen prefers, as his name suggests, rivers and waterfalls. Some stories say he specifically dwells in waterfalls that run north. Fossegrimen is also often put into a different family of creatures than Nøkken is. Although all supernatural creatures in Scandinavian folklore are classified as “vetter/vättar”, the group is often parted into two categories: the troll family, and the elf family. Nøkken is generally considered to belong to the troll family, while Fossegrimen belongs to the elf family, although these two families are not very strictly defined. Generally elves are less malicious than trolls. The difference can be explained in that if you were to meet a creature from either family, the troll will be more likely to kill you, while the elf might make you insane, or if you are lucky, they may just pull a prank on you. Fossegrimen is, much like Nøkken, a very talented musician. The instruments he plays are typically a fiddle or a harp, and when he plays, you can hear the very soul of the landscape around you. He is a very happy and extremely charismatic creature, and is usually described as having a big, infectious smile and a laugh that can make anyone laugh with him. The tunes he plays are so merry and catchy that people can’t help but dance along to them.