High Culture Folk Tales and Legends
The folklore and legends of the high culture means the traditional Scanderan folklore which encompases Imeriata, Vedian, Eteisrannikko, Karmanjaka, Jarnarna, Suderland and The northern iceplains. Often so is the folklore of the Scanderan people almost inseparable from the ones taught in the holy chronicles as most of the stories and songs are also part of the holy chronicles, either to depict faithful heroes or telling the story of the land and the people. There are also secular sources as books and runestones that tells of heroes from a non-religious viewpoint and especially the book collection called "Gryning sägenerna" or "The tales of the dawn" is a large collection of most of the old stories that were made in the early 17th century on royal decree. To a degree so can one also call the folklore that evolved in Imerian Africa and Sydvinland part of Scanderan folklore as it has it's part in the holy chronicles and due to the noticeable mixture of the native people and Scanderan colonist to the degree that large parts of Sydvinland is Scanderan in culture with influences from the natives or native with noticeable Scanderan influences or like Imerian Africa where the Native influenced Scanderan culture have almost taken over entirely.
Gods and Goddesses
Gods and Goddesses have a very important part in Scanderan folklore just as they have in religion as the old tales either mentions them or have them as the main protagonist, supports him actively or inactively or just downright the antagonist that the hero have decided to defeat or trick for one reason or another.
Heroes
Old heroes is also an important aspect of the old folktales and often does one hero take part in many stories and experiences several adventures during his life. Several of these old heroes are immortalised in the holy chronicles and "Grynings sägnerna" where their stories are written down. Important heroes includes Imer the great, Belron Silferssen, Halfyr "armborstsman" Falkerssen that all had important part in the old stories.
Beings of Scanderan folklore
Besides the creatures that exists in Scandera that takes a part of the folklore so can three beings be found, demons or "Mörkerväsenden", divine creatures "Guda tjänare" and spirits or "Andar". The first being is described as a creature for the underworld that are clear malevolent beings. They often trick people to war, sin and their horrible deaths. Guda tjänare or directly translated "Servant of the gods" are mostly good creatures but they also have a trickster side and can both help people in the story as well as outright work against them for one reason or another.
The last kind of creatures, the spirits are manifestation of nature and the elements, they are chaotic and short sighted often just caring for themselves and can either help of work against the heroes of the story for their own mysterious reasons. These spirits can be divided into a five kinds of spirits "mountain spirits", "nature spirits", "water spirits", "local spirits" and "Greater spirits".
Mountain spirits are spirits of the mountains and lives deep down in mines where they forged marvels made out of gold and made awesomely powerful enchanted items. The best example of this kind of spirit is the twin spirits in the tale of "princess Hylfrida and the suitors" that made several magical artefacts that made her able to trick several of her too be husbands and finally were able to trick a god to marry her.
Nature spirits are spirits of forests, plains, hills and the landscape. A good example of this is the forest spirit of Totenskog that demanded to know who had cut down his trees and demanded to be presented with the head of the man responsible in "The tale of Lardin Ingen and the elven queen" where the lardin (in the English versions named "nobody") that renamed himself and truthfully said that it was "nobody that had caused the destruction".
Water spirits are mostly evil beings that tries to trick people into drowning, they can come in many shapes and forms and especially the dangerous "Becka hastarna" that is even today feared and a known horrible spirits in the federation are a well known water spirit both from the tales and from real life.
Local spirits on the other hand are small and less powerful and tends to be the spirit of a tree or a house, they often are found helping farmers on their farms if they are given enough respect in the old tales as well as being kind to people using the thing they live in. They can however play tricks or downright cause injury and horrible accidents if they are disrespected.
The final category is great spirits that are kings of spirits just as old kings ruled over men. They are part of many tales and tends to be tricksters and speaks in half truths and riddles, what roll they play in a tale can vary greatly from tale to tale as they just as their lesser subjects can be odd and quick to change their minds.
There are also one last groups of being in the histories called "beasts" which are physical beasts of great power that often either had to help the heroes or be the creature they had to defeat. Known examples of this is the sea dragon Hylfrid the river prince that was a oldest prince and first in line for the old river kingdom that later on became the kingdom of Imeraita and in time the absolute royal federation that was cursed in the old times long before the unification by a demon jealous of his beauty and saddened by his reaction, he was cursed to turn into a horrific Seadragon and locked to a large rock in the middle of Innanhafet. Cursed to forever pray on ships once every month when the full moon rises up high above the stars and to lament his horrific faith.
While many heroes tried to break the curse or put him out of his misery so did nobody succeed and did not have the luck to succeed, However did his brothers and father band together and took vengeance by attacking the home of the demon and his hold where they slew everyone by the means of quickfire.
Scanderan folklore in popular media
- In
Crystal Spires The story of Hylfrid the river prince was retold in the popular Spirean Film "Bound in Tears", the role of Hylfrid was played by popular Changeling Actor Savron Regulon
- In
United Pony States The tale of "Princess Hylfrida and the suitors" was retold into a popular Legokilleran romantic comedy called "Goddess and Me", which Hylfrida played by Spot Light, tricks Princess Celestia into marrying her.
