skogsrå, the Foxy forest nymph

 

The northern forest's of Scandinavia are cold and dark, they are also home to many mysterious creatures Gnomes, Trolls, Giants, elves ect.

But there's another creatures that haunts these wood, as deadly as she is beautiful...

The skogsrå.

The skogsrå is a swedish version of the huldra.

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She most often  appears as a beautiful young woman with  a friendly attitude. 

From the front she looks like a normal woman but  from behind she usually has ether a fox or cow tail sicking out of her skirt/dress and a hollow back (but not always).

More often than not, the men that follow her into the forest are never seen again.

 In some folktales any man  that had sex with her and returned would be like a hollow shell of his former self as his soul remained with her.

 However if the  man is a hunter or someone that was kind to her, he may be rewarded with good luck in the hunt or fishing trip but should he ever be unfaithful to her, he will be struck with extreme bad luck and  accidents. In some cases the bad luck may end if the hunter fires a shot into the woods.

 Nyland, Finland Folklore says firing  silver bullets  can kill a skogsrå

In Norway, the word huldrefolk or huldre (plural)  comes from Old Norse huldr meaning ‘hidden’ it's used for all kinds of supernatural creatures. Hulder, or Huldra in the singular, signifies a female forest spirit, though she may also appear in mountains.

 These forest spirits act alone, instead of in.large group's or families like other supernatural beings, like the vittra. In northern Sweden, the name vittra refers to a group of supernatural beings that lives underground that have many traits in common with fairies from folklore of the British Isles, as well as with the ellefolk in Danish tradition or the huldrefolk /Hilda folk in Norwegian tradition.     

 Finland also has a version of the Huldra/ skogsrå, Some names in the Finnish language, mainly from the west coast, also show a link to the Swedish traditions, metsänpiika ‘forest girl’ or metsänneito ‘forest maid’ are the most often used names for the female forest spirit. However, there are also other localised names such as haapaneitsyt ‘aspen-maid’ or sinipiika ‘blue maid’.          

 

Her other Swedish names are  skogsrå, skogsrådan, skogsråa ‘forest ruler’, råan, rådande ‘the ruler,/the ruling spirit’, skogsjungfru ‘forest maiden’, skogsfru, skogssnuva ‘forest woman’, skogskäringen ‘the forest hag’, or with a nickname such as Grankotte–Maja ‘Spruce cone-Maja’, Talle-Maja ‘Pine tree-Maja’. She is also known by many different local variants like.. Gonna, Besta, Rånda, Skogela, Lanna-frökna ‘The lady of Lanna’ or Ysäters-Kajsa ‘Kajsa of Ysäter’. On the island of Gotland, there are records of a female troll called Torspjäska that plays the same role and has the same function as forest spirit on the mainland.      Germany has a legend of a long-haired beautiful fores spirits too,.  Called  Holzfräulein ‘the tree lady’, who was dressed in leaves, or as Moosweiblein ‘the moss woman’. 

If you're heading into the woods soon, be weary of any beautiful strangers that may approach you ...... 

 🖤💕Also Happy Valentines Day.💕🖤

Demons of Love: The Huldra

            

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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 -----

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 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....


                                                

Christmas Myths: Norwigian Nisse

 Nisse are believed to be spirits but some see them as a type of house elf or gnome's...

 In ancient times the Nisse  was believed to be an ancestors or spirit and are often believed to be spirite of  the farmer who originally cleared the forest to build the farm. in other words a  spirit that never leaves the farm or homestead they built in their day.


 The name Nisse may be derived from the Old Norse word “niðsi”, meaning (dear little relative)

In pre-Christian times, the original farmer / land owner was  often buried on his farm in a mound.

He was sometimes referred to as the haugkall or haugebonde, from the Old Norse haugr meaning mound.  Mounds are common places in Scandinavian folklore as the resting places for ancestral spirits .
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Other legend's describe them as a member of the Hilda Folk / hidden folk a type a fairy or gnome like creature, humanoid in appearance and small in stature usually no more then 3 feet in height....
Modern day  nisse are often associated with Christmas and the yule time.

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Nisse are believed to live in the houses and barns of the farm and secretly act as their protector.

If treated well, they will protect the family and animals from bad luck and misfortune and may even help out with the farm work and animal care.

However, they are very strong for there size and known to be short tempered, especially when they fill offended, once insulted they will usually play tricks, steal items, and may even maim or kill.  


 
Traditionally, Blots are held every solstice and a gift (never payment) is left for the nisse, for protecting the home and family.

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  A blót is a type of offering / sacrifice it could be dedicated to any of the Norse gods, the spirits of the land, or to ancestors. The sacrifice involved aspects of a sacramental meals or feast.
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And you must ALWAYS remember to put out a bowl of porridge with butter and honey  for him on Christmas Eve (Winter Solstice or Jul) to show your appreciation for his watchfulness!



 This  tradition is   similar to the way cookies and milk are put out for Santa Claus.

Just like Santa's cookies  the porridge would be gone in the morning  the nisse also brings  presents sometimes .

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                                                        .....Christmas Card from 1885....

The nisse is also known as a tomte in some area's it's seen as a small gnome like creature most commonly found on or near farms and is often associated with Christmas.

Norwegian Julenissen, Sweden  has the Jultomten, the Finish Joulutonttu and the Danish Julemanden

The nisse is also sometimes accompanied by the Yule Goat  (Julbocken).

The pair appear on Christmas Eve knocking on the doors of people's homes and handing out presents.


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19th century Swedish Christmas card by Jenny Nystrom

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In the 1840s the farm nisse became one of  the main image's of Christmas in Denmark, and was then called julenisse (Yule Nisse).

In 1881, the Swedish magazine Ny Illustrerad Tidning published Viktor Rydberg  poem "Tomten", where the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night, pondering the mysteries of life and death. This poem featured the first painting by Jenny Nystrom which was later made into a Christmas Card (Picture Above)  which she depicted as a white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure and he has been associated with Christmas ever since.

Not long after this other regions started adopting this nisse as a Christmas figure along with  the emerging Father Christmas /Santa traditions ..

 the new Danish tradition, a variant of the nisse/tomte, called the jultomte in Sweden and julenisse in Norway, started bringing the Christmas presents in Sweden and Norway, instead of the traditional julbock  (Yule Goat).

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  Other appearances ...

An angry nisse is featured in the popular children's book by Swedish author Selma Lagerlof called Nils Holgerssons suderbara resa genom syerige (Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden). The angry nisse turns the naughty child Nils into a nisse in the beginning of the book, and Nils then travels across Sweden on the back of a goose.

 In The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, hobs / nisse/ house elf's ...are eyeless creatures who burn in light. They serve the Queen Mab of The Winter Court of the Sidhe.


In Njord Kane's : The Hidden Hollow the  nisse are part of nature’s hidden folk who are both helpful and manipulative.

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Have a great Christmas! and Don't forget to leave out a bowl of porridge :)

:D God Jul :D

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May not be a post next week, if i don't the week following will have two posts.... hope you all have a great weekend :)
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Merry Christmas ! 

 
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