I love learning about monsters from mythology around the world and today I serendipitously ran into a new one to me: Nøkken. I was actually doing research on dollmaker apps and ran across this Nøkken Maker game on Doll Divine.
There’s a nice little description on the site, but basically Nøkken is what you’d get if you mixed a Banshee, The Pied Piper and a Kelpie, and then put him in Viking territory. He’s a shape-shifter who lives in the water, and drowns victims either directly, or by luring them into the water with his supernaturally amazing fiddle or harp-playing.
Adding depth to the myth, Nøkken is also portrayed as sad and lonely, and willing to do you a solid by enchanting your own musical instrument if you leave tribute. Just don’t pull the water lilies from his pond, or you’re done for. As for the banshee/bean sidhe-like trait, apparently he’ll occasionally scream at a spot in the water where a death or tragedy is soon to take place.
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Check out the wiki for some more comparisons to other water spirits. Now, I personally think this is a *fantastic* costume/Halloween haunt idea for anyone who plays the violin/fiddle. A lake or pond effect is easily created with some fake water lilies and a fog machine. Attach a glow-stick to your bow, put on some fancy clothes and go fiddle in the front yard for some trick or treaters! It’s a great way to punch-up a water-ghost theme besides the usual skeletal pirates, or a great addition to them. Maybe that’s how they died? Surround your “lake” with ghosts of all kinds!
Hauntcadia 