The Board's Dilemma

Bending the Rules to Protect a Local Cryptid

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 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.