One of the myths about Tordenskiold has entered into the Danish and Norwegian languages. During the negotiations for Marstrand's surrender in 1719, it is told he had his men move from block to block as he was walking the Marstrand commander through his positions, thus convincing the commander that his strength was much greater than it actually was. This gave birth to the idiom "Tordenskjold's soldiers" (), denoting the same group of people (feeling compelled to) repeatedly taking charge and fill multiple roles.
