@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}},
}