Some of the most interesting characters in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore are not the powerful gods, but rather the creatures who appear to challenge the gods or terrorize men. Read on to meet 15 of the most fascinating or fear-inducing monsters from Norse myth (or check it out on our YouTube channel).
| Draugr | Undead of Norse Myth (Zombies/Vampires) |
| Dwarves | Black Dark Elves and Master Craftsmen |
| Elves | Mischievous Light Elves that inspired Tolkien’s Elves |
| Fenrir | Norse Myth’s Most Fearsome Wolf |
| Fossegrimen | Will teach you to play the fiddle for a price |
| Huldra | Seductive Succubi |
| Jormungandr | World Serpent and Ultimate Enemy of the Gods |
| Jotnar | Chaos Giants of the Norse Cosmos |
| Mare | Bringer of Nightmares |
| Norns | Commanders of Fate |
| Ratatoskr | Tormentor of Yggdrasil |
| Sleipnir | Odin’s Eight-Legged Horse |
| Trolls | Haunt the Placed In Between |
| Valkyries | Bloodthirsty Divine Shieldmaidens |
1. What Are the Draugr, the Undead in Norse Mythology?
The Draugr are the undead of Norse Mythology. Although some stories describe them as drinking blood, they are more like zombies than vampires.
Rising from their graves, Draugr are often people who were wicked in life, or were themselves killed by Draugr. This kind of contamination can lead to Draugr epidemics in some stories. When they rise, Draugr possess superhuman strength and supernatural abilities, such as increasing their size at will. Their appearance is unmistakable, with blue decaying skin, piercing glowing eyes, and a hideous smell.
Draugr sometimes stay in their graves to defend the treasure that they were buried with. But they also enter communities to wreak havoc on the living, often tormenting those who wronged them in life. They could simply kill at will, or they might kill cattle, or drive a person mad with their presence. In some stories, it is said that they can enter the dreams of the living to torment them.
When a Draugr was suspected in the community, people would visit the graves of the recently dead and take steps to prevent them from rising. They might place rocks on the body to weigh it down or a blade over the neck, so that they might decapitate themselves on rising, as shown by archaeological evidence for Norse revenant burials. They would sometimes relocate the body to a distance, and as a last result, burn the body.
Most stories of Draugr come from the Icelandic Sagas, written after the conversion to Christianity, as this was accompanied by a change in burial practices. The pagan Vikings burned their dead to send them to the afterlife, while Christians bury bodies to preserve them to rise again at the second coming. It seems that as the Vikings adopted the practice of burial, the fear that the dead were not properly passing over spread, leading to an increase in the number of stories about Draugr.
Read our full post on the undead and revenant burials in the Norse world.
2. Who Are the Dwarves and Dark Elves in Norse Myth?
Common to both Norse and Germanic mythology, dwarves, literally called “dark elves,” are highly reminiscent of the dwarves we meet in modern fantasy, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Dwarves are described as originating as maggots from the corpse of Ymir, the primordial giant from which all other giants emerged. They then made their home in Svartalfheim, which was thought to be a warren of mines and forges. They were said to have crafted the finest weapons and jewellery, including Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer, Gungnir, the spear of Odin, and the long golden hair of Thor’s wife, Sif.
But while the dwarves were valued craftsmen, they also had a dark edge. For example, Kvasir was born from the mixed spittle of the Aeisr and Vanir gods following the conclusion of the Aesir-Vanir War. He was the wisest being in existence and traveled the cosmos, sharing his knowledge. When he was discovered by two dwarves, that had no problem killing him and draining his blood to make the Mead of Poetry. They were clearly ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want.
Discover more about dwarves in Norse mythology.
3. Did the Norse Elves Inspire Tolkien’s Elves?
While the dwarves were “dark elves” or Dokkalfar, there were also “light elves,” or Ljosalfar, which are more reminscent of Tolkien’s elves. They are described as more beautiful to behold than the sun.
It is sometimes hard to distinguish between light elves and gods in Norse stories, as they are often referred to in the same breath as “Aesir ok Alfar.” Moreover, their realm, Alfheim (elf home), was said to be ruled by the god Freyr, who received it as a “tooth gift.” In other cases, they were also sometimes described as divine ancestors. Their character is hard to pin down in the surviving sources.
While elves may seem like benevolent creatures, in many folk stories they also seem to have an ambivalent relationship with humans. They could both cause human disease and had the power to heal. They were also powerful magic workers, and that magic was often dark, for example, deliberately leading travelers astray to their doom. Some stories suggest that elves, and especially elfish women, were vindictive, and crossing them would often come with dire consequences.
Learn more about the light elves and their realm of Alfheim.
4. Why is Fenrir the Most Terrifying Norse Wolf?
Fenrir was the most famous of many wolves mentioned in Norse mythology. In general, wolves were considered a great natural force. They were respected by Berserker warriors, who would try and take on their spirit before going to into battle, and feared for their power.
Fenrir was the son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda. The gods feared the offspring of this pair, so they adopted Fenrir and raised him, to prevent him from wreaking havoc, but he grew to strong, too quickly.
Because the wolf was so strong, they had to convince the Fenrir to let them put chains on him, telling him that he could break the chains to show off his incredible strength. The first heavy chain he broke with ease, and the second. So the gods went to the dwarves and asked them to make them an unbreakable chain, but what they produced looked as light as a ribbon.
Fenrir was understandably suspicious of such a light chain and said that he would only put the chains on this time if one of the gods would put their arm in his mouth, as a guarantee that they would free him if he could not free himself. None of the gods was willing, knowing that it was a trick, but eventually the god Tyr agreed. When the wolf donned the chains and realized he could not free himself, he bit off Tyr’s arm.
The gods left Fenrir chained up, wedging a sword in his mouth to stop his howling. This led him to drool profusely, creating a river called Expectation. This is linked to the prophecy that Fenrir will break his chains at Ragnarok and run through the world devouring all before him, even Odin himself.
Emulate the Berserker warriors and embrace your inner wolf with stunning wolf pieces in the VKNG store. Find some of our top picks below.
5. What Can a Fossegrimen Teach You?
The Fossegrim, also known simply as the grim, is a water spirit. He plays the fiddle with incredible talent, mimicking the sounds of the forest, wind, and water. He can be induced to teach the skill, but requires an offering, perhaps a white goat thrown with its head turned away into a waterfall that flows northwards, or smoked mutton stolen from the neighbours’ storehouse four Thursdays in a row.
If there is not enough meat on the bone, the grim will only teach the supplicant how to tune the fiddle. If the offering is deemed sufficient, he will take the pupil’s right hand and draw them along the strings until they bleed.
6. How do the Seductive Huldra Lure Away Their Victims?
The Huldra are wardens and protectors of the forest. The female Hudra are always described as incredibly beautiful and seductive, but with the long tail of a cow and their back covered in bark.
The Huldra can disguise themselves as young women to walk in the world of men. The power of their illusion is only broken if someone sees their tail. They visit communities to lure young, unmarried men into the forest, where they are kept as slaves, lovers, or sometimes the Huldra will suck the life out of them. If one of their victims is set free or escapes, they will forever live with the temptation to return to their captor.
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7. Is Jormungandr the Most Dangerous Creature in Norse Mythology?
Also known as the Midgard Serpent, Jormungandr is another child of Loki and Angrboda. He is a snake, or dragon, as the Vikings did not differentiate between the two. Again, the gods feared the power of this monstrous offspring, so they threw it into the water surrounding Midgard, the world of men. But there, the serpent grew to such an enormous size that it can encircle the entire world and hold its own tail in its mouth.
He is described as the nemesis of Thor. According to the Ragnarok prophecy, Jormungandr will emerge from his waters to join the fight. He and Thor are destined to fight until the death, with Thor killing the serpent with his hammer, but Jormungandr will have spewed so much venom onto him that Thor too will die.
Despite knowing this fate, Thor is not afraid to face the serpent. When he went on a fishing trip with the giant Hymir, he was not satisfied with the whales they caught. He insisted that the giant row them further and further out to sea until they were where Jormungandr dwells. Thor dropped his line and eventually caught something strong enough to unbalance him; Hymir knew this must be the serpent. While Hymir begged him to let his catch go, Thor was determined and refused. In the end, fearing the encounter between the two, Hymir cut Thor’s line, for which Thor pushed him into the water.
Learn more about the great serpent Jormungandr.
Jormungandr has come to represent a fate that cannot be avoided and facing your darkest fears face-on. Find pieces inspired by the mighty serpent in the VKNG store. Find some of our top picks below.
8. Who Are the Jotnar, the Chaos Giants of the Norse Cosmos?
The Jotnar are the giants of Norse mythology and are described as having powers that rival those of the gods. Rather than referring to their size, the name Jotnar refers to the enormous amount of chaos they can cause. This makes them the enemy of the Aesir gods, who represent order and justice.
Despite seemingly being polar opposites, there is plenty of interbreeding between the Aesir and the Jotnar. Even Odin was half Jotnar, and he had Thor with a giantess called Jordr, making him effectively three-quarters giant. They would also spend time together, such as Thor’s fishing trip with the Jotnar Hymir. But, at the same time, Thor was charged with protecting Asgard and Midgard from them with his hammer and would strike someone down for just being a Jotnar.
9. Who Said “Release the Kraken”?
![Kraken, an unconfirmed cephalopod.[a] Engraving by W. H. Lizars, 1839. Source: University of California Libraries](https://blog.vkngjewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Naturalistslibra25-p326a-kraken.jpg)
It was Liam Neeson playing Zeus in the 2010 movie “Clash of the Titans,” but the Kraken comes from Scandinavian mythology, not Greek.
The Kraken are aquatic monsters that are said to dwell off the shores of Norway and Greenland. They are often depicted as a gigantic octopus or squid, and some stories suggest that they were so big that their bodies could be mistaken for an island. Men who set foot on the island would die, as it would sink as soon as they set foot on it.
The Kraken mostly ate fish. They would lure fish to them by releasing their bowels into the water. Their excrement was so thick and smelled so strongly of fish that it would draw many other fish to the area for the Kraken to devour. The Kraken also caused whirlpools that pulled ships down.
10. How Do the Mare Torture You in Your Sleep?
The Mare gave people bad dreams at night by sitting on them in their sleep. Some people believed that they were the souls of witches or mentally ill people who left their bodies at night like demons. The idea that the soul wandered at night was a common phenomenon in Norse stories. Even Odin’s soul wandered so often that he worried that one day it might not return to his body.
It was also believed that when the Mare touched a living thing – people, cattle, or trees – it would cause their hair to become entangled. This may have been to explain the Polish plait phenomenon, which is a hair disease. It was also said to be why the branches and roots of some trees became entangled.
11. Who Are the Norns Who Control the Destiny of Men and Gods?
he Norns are female beings and creatures that create and control fate, even the fate of the gods. They would appear at each birth to weave their thread of fate by casting wooden lots, weaving a piece of cloth or carving symbols into wood.
The Norns were the Norse versions of the fates. They lived at the base of Yggdrasil and wrote destiny into its bark to shape destiny. They were also believed to show up at the birth of every person and to cut their life string, setting the time of their death from the time of their birth. The Norns were sometimes described as blind or implacable, and there is no evidence of anyone ever impeaching the Norns to change their fate.
Learn more about the Norns and Norse ideas about fate and destiny.
12. How Does Ratatoskr Stir Trouble for Yggdrasil?
Ratatoskr is a squirrel that runs up and down the tree of life, delivering the messages. However, he is mischievous and enjoys stirring up trouble between the wise eagle that sits at the top of the tree and the hungry dragon that dwells in its roots. In some stories, he is described as having the more sinister motive of convincing the two adversaries to use their powers to destroy the tree.
13. Who is Sleipnir, Odin’s Eight-Legged Horse?
Sleipnir was the horse of Odin. It had eight legs, so that it could have one leg in each of the Norse worlds and move with ease between the worlds of the Norse cosmos.
Sleipnir is another child of Loki. In the story of the building in the walls of Asgard, Loki transformed himself into a mare to distract the horse Svadilfari and delay the work so that the gods would not have to pay. In the process, Loki became pregnant, and eventually gave birth to the incredible animal.
When Balder was killed and found himself in Helheim, Hermodr was able to ride Sleipnir through the cosmos and into the underworld to (unsuccessfully) negotiate for his release.
Learn more about Odin’s incredible horse Sleipnir.
Sleipnir represents the ability to adapt and move through the world. He was considered the best of horses, prized by the Vikings as companions. Horses were often buried with their masters. Find pieces inspired by Sleipnir in the VKNG store. Find some of our top picks below.
14. Do Norse Trolls Turn to Stone in the Sun?
Two different types of trolls are found in Norse myths. There are large, ugly trolls that dwell in forests and mountains, and small gnome-like trolls that live underground in deep caves and caverns. They are generally depicted as not very intelligent and quite malevolent, but they can show kindness in exchange for a favor.
Trolls were thought to be responsible for the many boulders that cover the Scandinavian countryside. Some were used by them as weapons, others are trolls turned to stone by the sun.
15. Who Are the Bloodthirsty Valkyrie Shieldmaidens?
The Valkyrie were female warriors in the service of the god Odin. They helped Odin decide the fates of battles, and then collected the bravest fallen warriors to live in Valhalla, where they served them mead and prepared them for the final battle of Ragnarok.
While more modern depictions show the Valkyries as romantic figures, in the Norse myths, they are much more vicious, described as reveling in the blood of war and delivering vicious screams that curdled the blood of all who heard it.
Learn more about the Valkyries, Odin’s bloody shieldmaidens.
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FAQs
How did people in the Viking Age stop a Draugr from rising?
To prevent the dead from returning, people would place large rocks on the body to weigh it down or place a blade over the neck so the corpse would decapitate itself if it tried to rise. They often moved the body away from tormented communities.
What is a Fossegrim and how do you learn from one?
The Fossegrim (or “grim”) is a musical water spirit that plays the fiddle. To learn his skills, you must offer a sacrifice—specifically a white goat thrown into a northward-flowing waterfall or smoked mutton stolen from a neighbor four Thursdays in a row.
How was Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, born?
Sleipnir is a child of Loki. To distract a giant’s horse and prevent the gods from having to pay a debt, Loki transformed into a mare. He later gave birth to Sleipnir, who can travel between all the Norse worlds.
How can you identify a Huldra?
A Huldra appears as an incredibly beautiful woman, but her illusion is flawed: she has the long tail of a cow and her back is covered in bark. They lure unmarried men into the forest to keep them as slaves or lovers.
Were Valkyries romantic figures in original myths?
Not originally. While modern stories romanticize them, the original Norse myths describe Valkyries as bloodthirsty warriors who reveled in the gore of battle and let out screams that could curdle blood.
