#utburd

This is Kvitkrull, a sort of fey known as an utburd, an outsider from the deep forests of Norway.

The jacket is a stolen Hardanger bunad jacket he carefully pried most of the silver buttons off of. 

He loves tricking people into getting lost in the woods, throwing his voice and making tired travelers venture deep into the dangerous parts of the mountains or right into the awaiting claws of the Nøkk or bigger Troll. sometimes they reward him. 

Mylings are the spirits of unbaptised children in Scandinavian foklore. They are forced to roam the Earth until they can find someone to give their remains a proper burial.

In Finland, they are known as utburds, and are generally believed to be born from children abandoned in remote places. They will jump on the backs of lone wanderers and demand that they be carried to a graveyard, so they can rest on hallowed ground.

Image source.

Monster master list.

UTBURD | AZAZEL

Running an account dedicated to Norwegian folklore and then getting uncomfy when said folklore represents a very real issue in old Norwegian culture?

UTBURD – An Illustrated Short Story

If you’re partial to some Scandinavian folk horror (and let’s be honest, if you’re here it’s more than likely that you are) you may enjoy UTBURD, a short story I’ve written (that started life as a poem) which has been illustrated by Alessia Brusco, an Italian artist based in Sweden.

It’s a tale about a mother in olden times Scandinavia who abandons her newborn in the forest, as was often done in…