The Board’s Dilemma : Bending the Rules to Protect a Local Cryptid
Jansson, Hanna and Händén-Svensson, Sanna LU
(2026)
In Culture Unbound
18(2).
p.128-151
- Abstract
- Cryptids – animals that are sometimes observed but have not been scientifically
verified – can be said to belong to the realms of myth or imagination. They are
often strongly associated with particular regions and landscapes, and are therefore
frequently used for tourism, marketing, and regional branding purposes.
Consequently, public authorities and government agencies must sometime navigate
their relationship to these animals that may – or may not – exist. In this article, we
discuss the Jämtland County Administrative Board’s decision in 1986 to safeguard a
local cryptid, the Great Lake Monster. By following the Board’s handling of the case,
we show how authorities, organizations, and private individuals... (More) - Cryptids – animals that are sometimes observed but have not been scientifically
verified – can be said to belong to the realms of myth or imagination. They are
often strongly associated with particular regions and landscapes, and are therefore
frequently used for tourism, marketing, and regional branding purposes.
Consequently, public authorities and government agencies must sometime navigate
their relationship to these animals that may – or may not – exist. In this article, we
discuss the Jämtland County Administrative Board’s decision in 1986 to safeguard a
local cryptid, the Great Lake Monster. By following the Board’s handling of the case,
we show how authorities, organizations, and private individuals apply conventional
laws to an unconventional case, in unconventional ways. We introduce the term
“playful legal space” to describe the space established by the Board in their attempt
to navigate the tension of two simultaneously overlapping social frameworks –
nature conservation of verified species and heritage preservation of a culturally
important cryptid. The term introduced offers great potential to scholarship of
various fields, and in further developments in understanding creativity in cultural
and social life. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Cryptids – animals that are sometimes observed but have not been scientifically verified – can be said to belong to the realms of myth or imagination. They are often strongly associated with particular regions and landscapes, and are therefore frequently used for tourism, marketing, and regional branding purposes. Consequently, public authorities and government agencies must sometime navigate their relationship to these animals that may – or may not – exist. In this article, we discuss the Jämtland County Administrative Board’s decision in 1986 to safeguard a local cryptid, the Great Lake Monster. By following the Board’s handling of the case, we show how authorities, organizations, and private individuals apply conventional laws to an... (More)
- Cryptids – animals that are sometimes observed but have not been scientifically verified – can be said to belong to the realms of myth or imagination. They are often strongly associated with particular regions and landscapes, and are therefore frequently used for tourism, marketing, and regional branding purposes. Consequently, public authorities and government agencies must sometime navigate their relationship to these animals that may – or may not – exist. In this article, we discuss the Jämtland County Administrative Board’s decision in 1986 to safeguard a local cryptid, the Great Lake Monster. By following the Board’s handling of the case, we show how authorities, organizations, and private individuals apply conventional laws to an unconventional case, in unconventional ways. We introduce the term “playful legal space” to describe the space established by the Board in their attempt to navigate the tension of two simultaneously overlapping social frameworks – nature conservation of verified species and heritage preservation of a culturally important cryptid. The term introduced offers great potential to scholarship of various fields, and in further developments in understanding creativity in cultural and social life. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e9fa1d5e-7cd8-4819-8c09-5442b600fc77
- author
- Jansson, Hanna
and Händén-Svensson, Sanna
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Playful legal space, cryptozoology, Great Lake Monster, Street level bureaucracy, organisations, play theory, nature conservation
- in
- Culture Unbound
- volume
- 18
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 23 pages
- publisher
- Linkoping University Electronic Press
- ISSN
- 2000-1525
- project
- Natursyn i föreställningar om Storsjöodjuret
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e9fa1d5e-7cd8-4819-8c09-5442b600fc77
- alternative location
- https://cultureunbound.ep.liu.se/article/view/6425
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-25 11:16:07
- date last changed
- 2026-08-27 14:25:18
@article{e9fa1d5e-7cd8-4819-8c09-5442b600fc77,
abstract = {{Cryptids – animals that are sometimes observed but have not been scientifically<br/>verified – can be said to belong to the realms of myth or imagination. They are<br/>often strongly associated with particular regions and landscapes, and are therefore<br/>frequently used for tourism, marketing, and regional branding purposes.<br/>Consequently, public authorities and government agencies must sometime navigate<br/>their relationship to these animals that may – or may not – exist. In this article, we<br/>discuss the Jämtland County Administrative Board’s decision in 1986 to safeguard a<br/>local cryptid, the Great Lake Monster. By following the Board’s handling of the case,<br/>we show how authorities, organizations, and private individuals apply conventional<br/>laws to an unconventional case, in unconventional ways. We introduce the term<br/>“playful legal space” to describe the space established by the Board in their attempt<br/>to navigate the tension of two simultaneously overlapping social frameworks –<br/>nature conservation of verified species and heritage preservation of a culturally<br/>important cryptid. The term introduced offers great potential to scholarship of<br/>various fields, and in further developments in understanding creativity in cultural<br/>and social life.}},
author = {{Jansson, Hanna and Händén-Svensson, Sanna}},
issn = {{2000-1525}},
keywords = {{Playful legal space; cryptozoology; Great Lake Monster; Street level bureaucracy; organisations; play theory; nature conservation}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{128--151}},
publisher = {{Linkoping University Electronic Press}},
series = {{Culture Unbound}},
title = {{The Board’s Dilemma : Bending the Rules to Protect a Local Cryptid}},
url = {{https://cultureunbound.ep.liu.se/article/view/6425}},
volume = {{18}},
year = {{2026}},
}