Lake Storsjön has its own monster. The Storsjöodjuret — the Great Lake Monster — has been reportedly sighted since 1635, making it one of the oldest documented lake creature legends in Scandinavia. Described variously as a serpentine creature with a dog-like head and a horse-like mane, it occupies in Jämtland something of the same cultural space that Nessie holds in Scotland: a beloved regional myth, a tourist magnet, and a source of genuine local pride with no requirement that anyone actually believe in it.
The city of Östersund leans into the legend with an enthusiasm that stops just short of credulity. A giant sculpture of the creature on the waterfront by the town hall provides the obligatory photo opportunity. The Swedish Society for Investigating the Great Lake Monster conducted formal surveys of the lake in the 1980s and 1990s, finding nothing definitive. The lake is large (456 km²) and deep enough that something substantial could theoretically exist in it, which is roughly the position most locals take: probably nothing there, but you never quite know. Take a boat out on the lake in summer and keep an eye out.