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lindworm
EntityQ287065· pop 20· linked from 512 articles

Also known as lindwyrm, lindwurm

The lindworm (worm meaning snake), also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm, is a mythical creature in Northern, Western and Central European folklore that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster which lives deep in the forest. It can be seen as a sort of dragon.

Key facts

Mythical creature.name
Lindworm
Mythical creature.AKA
Lindwurm, lindwyrm, lindorm
Mythical creature.image
John Bauer, 1911 (cropped, no signature).jpg
Mythical creature.image_size
250px
Mythical creature.caption
Swedish lindworm drawn by Swedish illustrator John Bauer, 1911. The Swedish lindworm lacks wings and limbs.
Mythical creature.Folklore
Mythical creature, legendary creature
Mythical creature.Grouping
Monster
Mythical creature.Sub_Grouping
Dragon
Mythical creature.Family
Worm (dragon), , Basilisk, Guivre, Vouivre, Wyvern, Sea serpents, Jörmungandr
Mythical creature.Region
Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe
Mythical creature.First_Attested
Viking Age

via Wikipedia infobox

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Swedish lindworm (lindorm)
  • Brooding over treasure
  • Late belief in lindworms in Sweden
  • Central European lindworm (lindwurm)
  • Lindworm offshoots (guivre, vouivre, wyvern)
  • In heraldry
  • In tales
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

The lindworm (worm meaning snake), also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm, is a mythical creature in Northern, Western and Central European folklore that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster which lives deep in the forest. It can be seen as a sort of dragon.

In Central Europe and beyond, it is often depicted as a serpent with forelimbs, often also with wings and sometimes even hindlimbs, but in some traditions, especially Swedish folklore, it is foremost limbless; however, the various traits are generally just considered variation within the "species", and a lindworm is not defined by limbs or lack thereof. A broad definition is any western dragon with heavy serpentine features.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “lindworm” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (14)