Duldýrasafnið
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Urðarköttur – The Ghoul Cat
It is in most respects like other cats […] but larger and more vicious and formidable. As a youngling, it will bury itself into the ground, preferably in a cemetery, and stay there for an undetermined time. It will spare nothing once…
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Monster Of The Month: Sending – Ghost of Substance
The fourth type of sending, and the most peculiar, consists of ghosts raised from natural substances by master sorcerers with comprehensive knowledge of life and matter. These men were supposed to be experts in the substances from which the bodies of men…
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Monster Of The Month: Sögusteinn – Tale Stone
Several accounts of tale stones exist. Ólafur of Purkey says that it can be found in the nest of the wagtail in May. It is to be kept in a bloody neck scarf and put in your right ear when you wish…
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Monster Of The Month: Finngálkn – The Sphinx
Finngálkn is a creature mentioned in numerous ancient tales and legends, including the Saga of Örvar-Oddr, the Saga of Hjalmther, Njal’s Saga and many more. The descriptions therein depict them as large animals that are extremely vicious and dangerous, sometimes carrying a…
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Monster Of The Month: Fylgja – Spirit Companion
Folklore claims that when a baby is born, part of its soul remains, as a unique being, in the membrane that surrounds it in the womb and which later emerges as the afterbirth. This being is called a fylgja and will become…
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Monster Of The Month: Draumagras – Dream Weed
This plant is grey, with a jointed stem and a bud on top. It grows earlier than any other plant, and is fully grown by 16 May. It shall be plucked that day and kept in a Bible until the 16th Sunday…
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Monster Of The Month: Dvergur, The Dwarf
Although the Prose Edda refers to dwarfs as being a kind of elf race, a clear distinction is made in folklore. Dwarfs appear in numerous adventures and chivalric tales. They are excellent craftsmen, dependable and loyal to their friends but extremely vengeful…
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Monster Of The Month: Loftandi, The Air Spirit
On a clear spring afternoon, a rumble was heard from the sky, similar to the sound of a large boat being dragged across gravel. It was heard widely across Suðurnes, in Keflavík, Grindavík, Garður and Hafnarfjörður. In Miðnes, a cloud bank was…
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Monster Of The Month: Ljósálfur, The Light-Elf
“Elves are the noblest and most distinguished of all earthly creatures. Their similarity to us humans is such that when one hears of light-elves—that most gentle breed of elves—one can not help but think that they are our long-dead kinsmen and forefathers,…
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Monster Of The Month: Útburður
When mothers expose their newborn children, leaving them where they will not be found, they turn into a ghost known as útburður. When they are seen, their appearance resembles that of a bird, such as a raven. They raise themselves up on…
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Monster Of The Month: Fjörulabbi, The Shore Laddie
Inhabitants in the Westfjords often catch sight of an animal emerging from the sea and onto the shore. Some believe it to be a sea otter, but the locals refer to it, as previously mentioned, as a shore laddie. They say that…
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The Museum Of Hidden Beings
One night in 1846, a trader named Sigtryggur Sigurðsson was walking his usual route home along the beach from Húsavík, when he saw something strange approaching. A large humanoid creature of a type he’d never seen was sprinting towards him from the…
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Weird Icelandic Spirits Revealed
If you’re interested in “Icelandic stuff” (which let’s face it, you probably are if you’re on this website – thanks for that, by the way, we love you) you may have caught a glimpse of Arngrimur Sigurðsson’s Duldýrasafnið project on social media…