Fossegrim, also known simply as the grim (

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

) or Strömkarlen (

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

), is a water spirit or troll in

Scandinavian folklore Nordic folklore is the folklore of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It has common roots with, and has been mutually influenced by, folklore in England, Germany, the Low Countries, the Baltic countries, Finland and Sapmi. ...

. Fossegrim plays the fiddle, especially the

Hardanger fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than fo ...

. Fossegrim has been associated with a mill spirit (''kvernknurr'') and is related to the water spirit (''

neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

'') and is sometimes also called ''näcken'' in Sweden. It is associated with rivers (Swedish name "Strömkarlen" means "The River Man") and particularly with waterfalls (''foss'' in Norwegian) and

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...

Benjamin Thorpe Benjamin Thorpe (1782 – 19 July 1870) was an English scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature. Biography In the early 1820s he worked as a banker in the House of Rothschild, in Paris. There he met Thomas Hodgkin, who treated him for tuberculosis. A ...

, ''Northern Mythology: comprising the principal popular traditions and superstitions of Scandinavia, north Germany, and the Netherlands'', 3 vols. London: Lumley, 1851–52, , Volume 2 ''Scandinavian Popular Traditions and Superstitions''
p. 23

Eugen Mogk Eugen Mogk (19 July 1854 – 4 May 1939) was a German academic specialising in Old Norse literature and Germanic mythology. He held a professorship at the University of Leipzig. Life and career Mogk was born in Döbeln. He studied Germanic st ...

, ''Mythologie'', Grundriß der germanischen Philologie 1, Strasbourg: Trübner, 1891,
p. 1028
equated them, but Reimund Kvideland and Henning Sehmsdorf, ''Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend'', Nordic Series 15, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1988,
p. 248
distinguish the "mill sprite" as a mischievous creature who punishes grinding on Christian holy days.

Description

Fossegrim is described as an exceptionally talented fiddler: the sounds of forest, wind and water play over his fiddle strings. Fossegrims can be induced to teach the skill. The Swedish strömkarl's lay is said to have eleven variations, the final one being reserved for the night spirits because when it is played, "tables and benches, cup and can, gray-beards and grandmothers, blind and lame, even babes in the cradle" will begin to dance. Fossegrim is said to be willing to teach away his skills in exchange for a food offering made on a Thursday evening and in secrecy: a white he-goat thrown with head turned away into a waterfall that flows northwards,Jacob Grimm, ''Teutonic Mythology''
p. 493
or smoked mutton (''fenalår'') stolen from the neighbour's storage four Thursdays in a row. If there is not enough meat on the bone, he will only teach the supplicant how to tune the fiddle. If the offering is satisfactory, he will take the pupil's right hand and draw the fingers along the strings until they all bleed, after which he will be able to play so well that "the trees shall dance and torrents in their fall stand still".

Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of th ...

cites a variant in 18th-century ''Chorographia Bahusiensis'' by Johan Ödman (1682-1749) according to which the Strömkarlen must be offered redemption or he will merely break his instrument and weep bitterly. Famous fiddlers who were rumored to have learnt from the Fossegrim include Torgeir Augundsson (1801–1872) known as

Myllarguten Targjei Augundsson (1801 – 21 November 1872), better known as Myllarguten (meaning ''the Millerboy''), is arguably the most acknowledged Norwegian folk musician to this day, and by far the most legendary. Childhood Targjei was born in Sauhera ...

and

Ole Bull Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing. Biography Background Bull was ...

(1810–1880) whose statue in the centre of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

depicts a fossegrim playing his harp under the falling water.

In Popular Culture

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

introduced the fossegrim as a monster in

Deities & Demigods ''Deities & Demigods'' (abbreviated ''DDG''), alternatively known as ''Legends & Lore'' (abbreviated ''L&L'' or ''LL''), is a reference book for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game (D&D). The book provides descriptions and game ...

(1980) *Fossegrim is featured in the video game Dark Age of Camelot (2001) *The Norwegian Metal Band

Kvelertak Kvelertak () is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Stavanger, formed in 2007. The group comprises vocalist Ivar Nikolaisen, guitarists Vidar Landa, Bjarte Lund Rolland and Maciek Ofstad, bassist Marvin Nygaard and drummer Håvard Takle Ohr. Foun ...

has a song called Fossegrim (2010) *Fossegrim (Näcken) is featured in the video game Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn (2017). *Fossegrim is featured in the digital card game Mythgard (2019) as a rare minion in the Norden faction. *Fossegrim is featured in the video game Röki (2020) in Fossegrim's Cavern.

References

{{Reflist European legendary creatures Norwegian folklore Swedish folklore Water spirits Germanic mythology Supernatural legends Scandinavian folklore Scandinavian legendary creatures