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In some legends she is very friendly if approached properly and may even offer advice such as where the best fishing location or hunting spot can be found.
In others she is dangerous, often luring in young men and killing them.
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In Nordic mythology the Huldra is a type of forest nymph / spirit she is very seductive in nature and often described as a beautiful young woman with long flowing hair.
The hair cover's a large hollow area on her back like a old hollow tree...
Art by tobiee on deviantart https://www.deviantart.com/tobiee/art/huldra-283184638
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In most versions she has look's just like any normal human woman, the only way to tell something is different is her tail usually said to resemble a cow's tail and sometimes a fox's.. that can be seen stinking out from the bottom of her dress.
In Norway, she has a cow's tail, in Sweden she usually doesn't have a tail and in other story's she has a fox tail. just depends on what version of the myth you hear.....
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There is a similar creature in Germany called a holda
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Fox tail Huldra
In the norther area's of Sweden, the tail is often left out of the story in favor of her hollow or bark-covered back.
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--------- Hollow Back / cow or fox tail------------
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Being a forest dwelling creature the hulder is also associated with hunting; if she take's a liking to a huntsman she may blow down the barrel of his rifle, causing it never to miss a shot.
Other's she doesn't not like are often loose there minds and spend the rest of there life as a lunatic, if she doesn't just kill them.
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In most versions of the huldra legend she is a seductress.
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The Huldra will lure men into the forest to have sexual intercourse with her, she will reward those who satisfy her and she will kill those who don't.
The Norway the huldra is somewhat less violent most of the time and may just kidnap a man or lure him into the other realm of the Hilda Folk / Hidden Folk.
She has also been know kidnap human infants and replaces them with her own huldrebarn (huldre children similar to fairy changelings).
Sometimes the relationship between the huldra and the man she charmed would result in a child, being presented to the unknowing father.
In some cases, she forces him to marry her afterwards.
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In Norway back in the1980's an elderly man from Valdres claimed he had a child with the hulderpeople on Norwegian radio.
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Sometimes she marries a local village man, but when this happens, the glamour leaves her when the priest lays his hand on her, or when she enters the church reviling to all preset that she was not human.
Some tales leave out this that part, and only relate how her marriage to a Christian man will cause her to lose her tail, but not her looks, and let the couple live happily ever after.
However if she is treated badly it will not end will for the abuser!
Haldra's are very strong !
She can straighten out a horseshoe with her bare hands, sometimes while it is still glowing hot from the forge or even lift up a tree trunk.
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If betrayed, a hulder will punish a man.
In one old tale from Sigdal, A man betrayed her trust and she avenged her pride on a young braggart she had sworn to marry, on the promise that he would not tell anybody of her. The boy instead bragged about his bride for a year, and when they met again, she beat him around the ears with her cow's tail. He lost his hearing and his wits for the rest of his life.
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The hulder were said to be kind to charcoal burners, watching their charcoal kilns while they rested.
Knowing that she would wake them if there were any problems, they were able to sleep, and in exchange they left provisions for her.
A boy in Tiveden went fishing, but he had no luck. Then he met a beautiful lady, and she was so stunning that he felt he had to catch his breath. But, then he realized who she was, because he could see a fox's tail sticking out below the skirt. As he knew that it was forbidden to comment on the tail to the lady of the forest, if it were not done in the most polite manner, he bowed deeply and said with his softest voice, "Milady, I see that your petticoat shows below your skirt". The lady thanked him gracefully and hid her tail under her skirt, telling the boy to fish on the other side of the lake. That day, the boy had great luck with his fishing and he caught a fish every time he threw out the line. This was the hulder's recognition of his politeness -----=-----------------
Norway and other area's of Scandinavia have many famous places named after the Huldra.
Ulddaidvárri in Kvænangen, Troms (Norway) means "Mountain of the Hulders" in North Sámi.
Hulderheim is located southeast on the island Karlsøya in Troms, Norway. The name means "Home of the Hulder"
Hulderhusan is an area on the southwest of Norway's largest island Hinnøya, the name of which means "Houses of the Hulders"
Huldremose (Hulder Bog) is a bog located on Djursland, Denmark famous for the discovery of the Huldremose Woman, a bog body from 55BC
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So the next time you visit Scandinavian be wary of any beautiful young women you meet on the hiking trail, you may come face to face with a Huldra....
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