Mortiis is a project from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen. The name is a misspelling of the Latin word "mortis" (the genitive singular form of the word "mors", meaning "death"). Mortiis started in 1993 as the solo project of Ellefsen as a means to convey a story. This aspect was lost over time and Mortiis slowly changed into a band. Håvard Ellefsen, often referred to as Mortiis, is the only constant band member. He was born in Skien, Telemark.