Bücher von Lars Thomas

Have you ever wondered what lurks out there in the deep, dark woods of the North? This book presents a choice selection of monstrous beings and fabulous creatures from Greenland, across the North Atlantic to Scandinavia, and the Baltic States. Meet the Giant Gull of Greenland, the terrifying Skrimsl of the Icelandic wilderness, the trolls that stomp through the impenetrable Nordic woods, and the puk-dragons guarding the houses on the Baltic Coast. This is the book where zoologist Lars Thomas tries to make sense of all the very strange beings that live in these Curious Countries.

Aquatic monsters have a long and venerable history in the waters of northern Europe, dating at least all the way back to what must surely be the grandfather of all lake-, sea- and other monsters, the mighty Midgårdsorm or Jormungandr from the old Norse mythology - a creature long enough to encircle the globe and bite its own tail. Though some have since claimed sightings of monsters several hundred metres long, some even confusing the creatures with small islands, nothing has ever come even remotely close to the gargantuan size of the Midgårdsorm. And naturally, the only one who ever dared to challenge this monster was the old Norse God Thor - the God of Thunder. In many ways, the Midgårdsorm is the archetypical mythological monster, but that doesn't mean all monsters are figments of the imagination. The borderline between fantasy and reality is one that is fine and fluid, with aspects of one realm carried over into the other. Real creatures can so easily clothe themselves in mythological splendour, and thus become bigger, scarier, and more fabulous. In the centuries following the time of the Midgårdsorm, many kinds of strange creatures have been seen in the waters of northern Europe. The monsters are still very much alive, in tradition as well as in reality.