Also called Lindorm, Lindwurm, Prince Lindworm.
The tale
The lindworm is a huge serpent, sometimes with two forelegs, told of across Scandinavia as living under churches, in lonely places, or growing from a snake left on gold. In the Danish tale Prince Lindworm, a queen who ate the wrong onion bore a serpent son who devoured each bride, until a wise shepherd girl wore many shifts to their wedding night and asked him to shed a skin for each she removed, until he became a man. The serpents carved on Viking-age rune stones are often called lindworms.
When they are met
- in the tales, when a curse must be broken
- when walking in wild country
Staying on their good side
- courage and patience, as in the tale of Prince Lindworm
- a snake figure placed on the altar as a sign of transformation
Honouring them, or keeping safe
- Reflect on the tale of Prince Lindworm: what seems monstrous can change when met with courage and care.
- Treat real snakes and wild creatures with care and keep a respectful distance.
What their tales teach
- transformation
- breaking cycles
- courage in relationships
Symbols
- a great serpent with two forelegs
- many shed skins
- rune-stone ribbons
Sources
- Svend Grundtvig, Gamle danske Minder i Folkemunde
- Kvideland and Sehmsdorf, Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend
- Olaus Magnus, Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (1555)
More Norse folklore
- Huldra The hidden woman of the forest
- Nisse The little old man of the farm
- Draugr The restless dead of the sagas
- Trolls The old dwellers in mountain and stone
- Valkyries The choosers of the slain
- Fossegrim The fiddler beneath the waterfall
- Nøkken The fiddler in the still water
- Mara The spirit who rides sleepers