Norwegian folklore Nordic folklore is the folklore of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It has common roots with, and has been under mutual influence with, folklore in English folklore, England, German folklore, Germany, the Folklore of the Lo ...

, Selma (, "Seljord serpent") is a legendary

sea serpent A sea serpent is a type of sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably in Mesopotamian cosmology (Tiamat), Ugaritic cosmology ( Yam, Tannin), biblical cosmology (Leviathan, Rahab), Greek cosmology (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scy ...

said to live in the Lake Seljord () in

Seljord Seljord is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. Other villages in the municipalit ...

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

, Norway.

The sea serpent Selma has been depicted in the coat of arms of Seljord since 1989. Designed by sculpturer, Trygve Magnus Barstad, the arms show Selma in a gold-color on a red background. The sea serpent has been discussed for a long time and there have been witness descriptions of encounters, especially on hot, quiet summers. The oldest written account of the creature dates from 1750, when it was said to have rounded a rowboat belonging to a man from Bø rowing across from Ulvenes to Nes.

References

External links

Article from Aftenposten

(Norwegian, 2012) {{Scandinavian folklore Sea serpents Germanic dragons Culture in Telemark Norwegian legends Scandinavian legendary creatures Seljord Aquatic cryptids