Storsjöodjuret
"The Great-Lake Monster" | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Storsie (English) |
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
| Folklore | Local legend |
| Origin | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Region | Storsjön, Jämtland |
| Habitat | Water |
In Swedish folklore, the Storsjöodjuret (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈstûːrɧøːʊˌjʉːrɛt], literally "The Great-Lake Monster") is a lake monster said to live in the 90-metre-deep (300 ft) 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.