naturmytologi

Naturmytologi refers to myths and legends in which the natural world is populated by spirits, gods, and personified forces. It covers landscapes, weather, plants, animals, rivers, and celestial phenomena, using narrative to explain how nature works. The term is common in Swedish and Nordic scholarship, but similar traditions exist across cultures, from Greco-Roman and East Asian myths to Indigenous and folk beliefs.

Motifs include nature spirits—river and forest beings—weather deities and seasonal personifications. Myths may present the earth as a mother figure, explain the origin of seasons and fertility, or recount journeys of the sun and moon. Ritual practices, the consecration of springs and groves, and taboos around resources often accompany these stories and help regulate human interaction with the environment. In many traditions, myths codify agricultural calendars and ecological knowledge.

Scholarly study of naturmytologi draws on folklore, anthropology, religious studies, and literary analysis. It emphasizes animistic or polytheistic views of nature and examines how myths travel, change, and influence values. While not every culture uses the exact term naturmytologi, the category helps researchers compare how societies personify and narrate nature.

In modern contexts, naturmytologi informs literature, art, and eco-spiritual movements. It intersects with conservation, sustainability, and ethical considerations toward non-human nature, providing historical perspectives on human-nature relationships.