#illhveli

[a-book-of-creatures]

Question to distract from the world falling apart, in case you also want those: Which of the evil whales are your favorite? I have a soft spot for the Hrosshvalur.

The hrosshvalur really is the complete package. It's evil. It hates everyone (especially you. Yes, you, the reader). It will go out of its way to kill. It's inedible. It jumps like the stokkull. It has a red mane like the raudkembingur. It's a water horse. It's a seahorse. It's a hippocampus. It's a walrus. It's all of those and none of those.

[dawginabottle]

Múshveli 🐁🐋 one of the bloodthirsty Illhveli of Iceland 🇮🇸

[briefbestiary]

Interestingly, hrosshvalur are also considered suitable allies for destruction-seeking sorcerers and witches due to their strong and aggressive nature.

[kaesaaurelia]

Hey guys, I'm excited to show off some snippets of the monster descriptions I've been writing for the 13 Days: Monsters & Myths zine! The third and final sample I have for you is illustrated by @feusus and is about a collection of Icelandic sea monsters known as the illhveli, or evil whales.

If you want to see the full piece and all! six! malevolent! whales! (plus a free bonus fish) go check out @13daysadvent and buy a copy of the zine & advent calendar before August 2!

[probablybadrpgideas]

Some lesser-known members of the illhveli, Icelandic folklore's "evil whales", including the byssahveli, with a machine gun for a head, the keðjusögfiskur, with all its fins edged by dozens of chainsaws, the simpansahvalur, which has the arms and the vocal chords of a chimpanzee, and the typpiðhveli, a Moby Dick in the most literal sense imaginable.

­

[feusus]

My pages for @13daysadvent with @kaesaaurelia! I loved working on this medieval-like manuscript and learn about these crazy whales from Iceland! Leftovers are still available here: https://13daysadvent.bigcartel.com/

Full text by Kaesa:

The illhveli, or evil whales, patrol the waters surrounding Iceland in search of ships to sink. There are many kinds of illhveli, all strange, fearsome, and wicked. The Hrosshvalur, for example, is an enormous whale with the head and tail of a horse. It neighs like a horse, and when herds of them descend upon a ship, they bring a terrible smell and bad weather with them. And when they descend upon a ship, they do so literally—a Hrosshvalur may destroy a whole ship by leaping from the water and landing on it, crushing it.

Several other evil whales have a hybrid appearance like the horse-headed Hrosshvalur. The Katthveli, for example, has a cat's head, and like a cat, it plays with its food, diving beneath vessels and surfacing beneath them to break them apart from below. The cow-like Nauthveli, meanwhile, shatters ships with the sound of its deep, far-reaching underwater lowing.

The Hrosshvalur is not the only jumping evil whale, either; the Stökkull, which also leaps on ships to destroy them, has large flaps of skin growing from its face and over its eyes. It can only see when the flaps of skin fly upwards as it falls back into the water; as such, it is blind most of the time, although as it can jump a mile in one leap, it has plenty of time to study its prey while falling.

The Raudkembingur, the most bloodthirsty of the illhveli, has a crest the color of blood, and is so cruel that if a vessel escapes it, it must find and destroy another one that day or it will kill itself in despair. It is not very bright, however, and can be fooled by dressing a log up in sailor's clothes and throwing it into the sea; it will pounce upon the log and be frustrated that this strange sailor always floats.

The Múshveli has the head and forelegs of a mouse, which may not sound very fearsome, but because of its mouse legs, it can clamber up onto land after a ship's crew. And the massive Lyngbakur makes land feel even less safe! The largest of the illhveli, the Lyngbakur hunts by floating motionless on the surface of the water, where its hairy back looks just like an island overgrown with heather. Once unsuspecting sailors have left their ship to explore, the whale submerges, drowning them.

All illhveli are drawn to the sound of their own names, and a sailor should never speak of them at sea lest they be summoned. Even whaling vessels avoid these monsters; some have poisonous flesh, and others' flesh will melt away in cooking, but none are good for eating.

[13daysadvent]

Contributor Spotlight: An otherworldly hum alerts you to Eliane T.!

Eliane T. is our next Spread and Spot Illustrator who will be creating illustrations with two writers, including the glawackus 🦡 and an illuminated manuscript for the illhveli. 🐋

You can find her on Carrd, Instagram @/eliane.torralba, and on Tumblr @feusus

[viking-illustrator]

Business as usual

[a-book-of-creatures]

I can’t remember if I already sent you this and forgot, but your website is genuinely one of the coolest projects I’ve ever had the delight to come across. The artistic interpretations of the creatures are all so creative and exciting, and the descriptions are really engaging and informative. It must have been a lot of work and I’m still completely blown away by the scale of it. My only disappointment is that I didn’t find it when it was still updating, as it must have been fun to get to look forward to new creatures. :)

Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say 🤩

Maybe I’ll get back to it someday… who knows?

In the meantime here is a paper cutout of a svinhvalur (pigwhale), it is found in Icelandic waters and is very fat - in fact its fat oozes out through the skin of anyone who eats it! Yummy.

[evolutionsvoid]

The sight of a shark's fin piercing the water's surface is a terrifying one to many folk, especially those not familiar with the sea. However, sailors further north would find such fears comical, as a simple shark is no threat to a sturdy boat and a hardy crew. They will tell you what fin is the worst to see in those frigid waters, and it belongs to the Sverdhvalur. Seeing that slicing through the ocean causes many local sailors to break out the prayers, especially if it starts heading straight for their ship. The terror that comes from the mere sight of it should be enough to tell you that this species is one of the infamous Illhveli. The Sverdhvalur (or Sword Whale, if you are on the seas) fits in with the name of Illhveli since it is indeed a whale. It calls the icy waters of the north home, prowling the ocean in search of prey. Though they can hold their breath for almost twenty minutes, this species tends to stick near the surface and rarely does super deep dives. A streamlined body and powerful fins make them fast swimmers, practically slicing through the water like an arrow. Since they spend so much time in the upper waters, they are easy to spot and identify. Their brown coloration and gorgeous pattern is an easy tell, and a good look at their face will show some key features. Their snout is very beak-like, which hides a row of sharp teeth. Their head is also a dark red, eventually giving way to their ochre break. Though I bring up all these neat details, they all pale compared to the real identifier of the Sword Whale: its deadly fin! It juts from their back like a knife, which is a fitting comparison. Following behind is an array of spines and rays, adding to its majesty. There is little confusion of what lurks below when you see that magnificent fin cut through the surface! Some have said that one may get confused when telling the difference between a Sverdhvalur and a Raudkembingur, due to prominent dorsal ornaments and a reddish head, but I feel that confusion will disappear the second you get a real good look at either of them. The Sverdhvalur fin has no equal in terms of size and shape, and a beaked maroon head looks quite different from the crimson jaws of the red crest. And if there is still a mystery to identifying this whale, just you wait until you see it in action!

Being a toothed whale, they go after larger meatier things than their baleen cousins. They target fish, seals, squid and porpoises, but their teeth isn't what puts food on the table. Look once again to that incredible fin, and realize the deadly weapon it truly is. From a distance, it looks to be made of the same stuff as the rest of the Sverdhvalur, but closer inspection will reveal its secret. The fin is actually covered in a keratin sheath, hardened and specialized for one thing. Along the front edge of the fin, this layer comes to an incredibly fine edge, making it razor sharp! While its beak and other fins do possess this same keratin covering, they are not as specifically honed as the dorsal fin. This one is aligned just perfectly that it practically becomes a sword, built for slicing and cleaving. Running your hand across this fin would result in a deep nasty cut, which goes to show its potential when it is put into action. Swimming at top speed, the Sverdhvalur uses this weapon to slice through prey and eviscerate foes. When targeting schools of fish or squid, the Sword Whale will launch forward into the group with its mouth. This is merely a ruse, a false attack that forces its prey to take evasive actions. At the last second, though, the Sverdhvalur will twist its body and whip itself around, practically swinging its fin like a sword. Prey will be caught off guard with this strike, as they are in the middle of evading this supposed bite. With them slicing into a whole school, it is almost guaranteed that an unlucky member will be struck with this attack. Prey doesn't need to be killed in a single blow, just wounded enough for the Sverdhvalur to swoop in and gobble them up! When they hunt like this, expect the water to soon be filled with severed tentacles and fins. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that other smaller sea creatures follow after the Sverdhvalur, ready to nab these chopped bits.     Simple fish and squid are a fine treat, but the Sverdhvalur certainly has its eyes on larger prey. Seals and porpoises are hefty meals on the fin, and no capable beast like the Sword Whale would ever pass up such an opportunity. When going after something bigger, their strikes are more calculated and brutal. They use their speed and agility to outmaneuver prey, and get the right angle to slice into them with their fin. They rarely chase behind their prey, rather they come from the sides so that they can blindside them and cleave them in two. They may also come from below, looking to impale them or slice open their bellies. For those that can't be cleanly cut into halves, the Sword Whale will target flippers and tails, looking to cut off their methods of escape and slow them down for the fatal blow. Near seal colonies, the Sverdhvalur will lurk on the sidelines, waiting for the adults to go out hunting. When the mad rush to the open ocean begins, these whales will launch themselves straight into the chaos. Coming at the swimming pod perpendicularly, they aim themselves so that their fin slices a clean line through the water and, hopefully, a few bodies. It is a fascinating sight if you wish to see the Sword Whales hunt, but a horrifying one if you came for the seals. I have heard of a few tour boats that got a morbid show when one of these beasts showed up to spoil the magic. 

Since they have swords on their backs, many are quick assume that males duel to win their mates. This is not the case, as such a fight would probably injure or outright kill most males involved. If you are trying to spread your kind and make your species strong, you should try to avoid cleaving each other in half while doing so. Instead, the Sverdhvalur win over their mates by doing intricate swirling dances in the water. The cutting fin becomes a prop in this dance, slicing through the water as they twirl and spin to show off the male's grace and health. These are beautiful dances, but take after the female Sword Whales and watch this show from a safe distance.

While the fin blade of the Sverdhvalur is impressive and their hunting strategies are wonderfully unique, not many others share the same wonder as I. As a member of the Illhveli, it is obvious that they are despised and feared, and it is precisely because of that fin blade. The dorsal sword that cuts fish in two and chops seals into chunks also does a number on nets, lines and small boats. Rope is mere string to them, allowing them to turn fishing nets into useless ribbons. This would be bad enough if the Sword Whale was just passing through, but this species has a fondness for fishing ships. The prey they have to chase and outsmart is now bundled up like a neat package, someone just needs to open up the wrapping. When trawlers and vessels start pulling in a heavy load, the Sverdhvalur swoops in to claim the prize. In an instant, all that hard work will be reduced to an empty net. Whalers can also run into a similar issue. When they are hauling in a kill, the Sverdhvalur may see it as an opportunity to take a cut. The sudden flash of a brown blade, and suddenly your catch is missing a flipper or a fillet. These encounters are infuriating for the locals, who rely on these trades to feed their families and keep their homes warm, but that isn't all the problems that come from this species. After so long of stealing fish and flesh from ships, the Sverdhvalur have lost their fear of these vessels and the creatures that man them. To them, these strange floating things hold the promise of an easy meal, so they don't think twice about rushing in. When the fishermen fight back or have nothing to offer, the Sword Whale grows angry and violent. They lash out and attack the ship, using their blade to carve into the boats. Smaller vessels like row boats and whale boats can easily be cut in two by a charging Sword Whale, their speed and bulk powering their blade through the wooden hull. This dumps the crew into the icy waters, and into the realm of an irate and hungry Illhveli. If cutting through a boat like that is no trouble, then imagine what happens to body and limb when that fin is turned on them. Against larger vessels, the Sverdhvalur will target the underside, trying to slash it open as if it was the belly of a great whale. In some cases, this can succeed in breaching the hull and letting water in, but this a rare occurrence. What it does do is heavily damage the ship and leave it susceptible to another disaster now that the hull is weakened. Go to any dock or marina, and you will find at least one boat that boasts these terrible scars. Though they do not fear these vessels, there is time that these actions take a deadly toll. While the blade fin of the Sverdhvalur is sharp, it isn't unstoppable. When faced with an extra thick hull, their sword may get stuck during the strike. A wrong move will cause them to be lodged into the underside of ship, where they will struggle to free themselves. Stronger, older Sword Whales may succeed in wrenching themselves free, but the young often drown once they are caught. Even those who do escape may cause serious injury to their fin, which hurts their hunting chances. Sadly, this often means they will be desperate for easier to catch meals, which tends to be found in the nets of an unwary fishing vessel.     Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian ------------------------------------------- Keeping it going with more evil whales!

[briefbestiary]

One of the illhveli, raudkembingur are particularly driven by their hatred for humanity. They have incredibly single-minded aggression, making them both dangerous and surprisingly simple to trick given the right tools. Once focused on wrecking ships and drowning humans, it will not rest until satisfied with its destruction and all human life in its sights is snuffed.

[doubtspirit]

Raudkembingur "Redcomb" (Illhveli “evil whales”)

The raudkembingur (redcomb) is especially cruel and bloodthirsty even by illhveli standards. Icelandic folklore requires you avoid saying the names of evil whales, so instead you use all sorts of euphemisms for their names. Otherwise they will hear you and come to kill you. If you manage to escape it, it will die of frustration. Their greatest enemy is the steypireydur (the blue whale).

[dwollsadventures]

This is a page out of my sketchbook that I drew over the top of because I didn't want to subject anyone to the mess beneath. Just trust me on this. Most of what I have on Huldufolk, the Hidden Folk, or Icelandic Elves, comes from both Icelandic Folkatales & Legends and The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, And Other Little People. One day I'll get around to writing a proper Myth Stuff Entry for them, but for now here's the limited information from the sketchbook: "Instead of a philtrum (the small indent line on your upper lip) they have a small cartilage ridge. Or, they have no division between their two nostrils. Or not, they seem to appear human for the most part with one single trait giving them away. Their dress, when not explicitly hiding among humans, is green and reminiscent of local flora. For instance, the Elf Queen Hild is drawn with puffy shoulders of hvönn, or Angelica archangelica. Unlike English fairies, Icelandic elves bare no resemblance to insects or other animals and are usually humanoid, like their ancestors the alfar. Not mentioned is the fact that huldufolk tend to be described as tall for humans. Not giant, just tall. And, in some other, mostly modern portrayals, elves are described as quite small. Which shouldn't pose too much of a problem for them. The problem is mostly on our part, as we fail to see how an individual can exist at two different sizes at the same time. Elfs don't seem to have any trouble with it though. Neither do giants. In a lot of old stories, Norse sagas and the Eddas especially, giants are simultaneously enormous giants and human-sized enough to interact with the gods on a personal level. Three individuals are drawn up top: the forlorn elf lover from the story of the same name, the Elf Queen Hild, and Thievin' Kidhus. The Forlorn Elf lover is a story where a romantic/sexual relationship between an supernatural being and human is actually wholesome, even if it has a bitter ending for the lovers. The lover is a tall, richly dressed man, travelling with a smaller man that turns out to be his half-human son. 

Hild is stated to be the queen of the elfs, or at least a faction of them. There doesn't seem to be a ruler of /all/ of the elfs of one contiguous area as we'd expect in human nations. She was cursed by her step-mother to work as a servant for a human family. Only one night of the year, Christmas, could she return to her elf family and live an hour or two of luxury before being forced back, until her curse is broken that is. 

And Kidhus is just an asshole that steals stuff. That's it. One time someone caught him invisibly stealing stuff, so he gave the guy who caught him a ladder that would carry him and his wife to Heaven. Presumably as a moral test, as they die before they get there by a lack of oxygen making them fall. (Not making that up either, it's in the original text that the got light-headed and fell from the ladder). 

One not illustrated, but still interesting was a tall elfin bride who cursed her good for nothing baby daddy after he refused to baptize their child. In return, he leapt into the ocean mad, turning into a Rauðkembingur, or Red-crest, an evil whale.

[klarastjarnljus]

Could we get illhveli into this somehow?

they should make a moby dick anime that has barely anything to do with the actual plot. new whale every week. and it should go as hard as gurren lagann

[shadow-heart-077]

Could you draw some Pokemon based on illhveli (evil whales in Icelandic folklore)?

Prepare yourselves....

Sorry this took so long, anon! There was a lot of different illhveli so yeah- and I hope you don't mind that I did it in a more sketchy style. If one of the designs is particularly liked, I'll fully illustrate it!

I, uh, didn't know what I was doing for at least half of them so, sorry if they're shit-

[13daysadvent]

Contributor Spotlight: A combination of wit and words: Kaesa!

Kaesa is writing monster descriptions, including those for the Illhveli and Leucrota. 🐳

You can find Kaesa on Tumblr and Twitter @kaesaaurelia and on AO3 as Kaesa.