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51-639: A hulder (or huldra ) is a seductive forest creature found in Scandinavian folklore . Her name derives from a root meaning "covered" or "secret". In Norwegian folklore , she is known as huldra ("the [archetypal] hulder", though folklore presupposes that there is an entire Hulder race and not just a single individual). She is known as the skogsrå "forest spirit" or Tallemaja "pine tree Mary" in Swedish folklore , and ulda in Sámi folklore. Her name suggests that she

102-427: A "Vittra-way", or moved from houses that are deemed a "Vittra-place" (Vittra ställe) because of bad luck – although this is rather uncommon. In tales told in the north of Sweden, Vittra often take the place that trolls, tomte and vättar hold in the same stories told in other parts of the country. Vittra are believed to sometimes "borrow" cattle that later would be returned to the owner with the ability to give more milk as

153-434: A Mara. Nøkken , näcken , or strömkarlen , is a dangerous fresh water -dwelling creature. The nøkk plays a fiddle to lure his victims out onto thin ice on foot or onto water in leaky boats, then draws them down to the bottom of the water where he is waiting for them. The nøkk is also a shapeshifter , who usually changes into a horse or a man in order to lure victims to him. Storsjöodjuret , often referred to as

204-447: A Swedish story in which a farmer and his wife entered their barn early in the morning and found a little, old, grey man sweeping the floor. They saw his clothing, which was nothing more than torn rags, and the wife decided to make him some new ones; when the nisse found them in the barn, however, he considered himself too elegant to perform any more farm labour and thus disappeared from the farm. Nisser are also associated with Christmas and

255-524: A boy is born to the mother of the brothers and leaves home to find their whereabouts. On his way, he shares his food with a ram and a dove, which, in return, give him a hair and feather to summon the animals should the boy need. The story was retold by John Hurt as an episode in Jim Henson 's The Storyteller . It takes on a sadder tone, as the prince befriends the giant after freeing him from years of captivity in his father's castle, and after journeying to

306-414: A cottage, where an old man lets them spend the night. When they leave the next day, the old man asks them to find him a bride. The brothers go to a kingdom, and marry three princesses. On their way back, the couples pass by the old man's cottage. He petrifies five of them and takes the youngest princess for his wife. He reveals to her his heart is located inside a bird inside a mountain, far away. Years later,

357-639: A cow's or a fox's) and/or a back resembling a hollowed-out tree. The hulder is one of several rå (keeper, warden), including the aquatic sjörå or havsfru , later identified with a mermaid , and the bergsrå in caves and mines who made life tough for the poor miners. More information can be found in the collected Norwegian folktales of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe . The hulders were held 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 in

408-456: A daily basis.) There was some discrepancy as to how they came into being. Some stories say that the Maras are restless children, whose souls leave their body at night to haunt the living. Another tale explains that if a pregnant woman pulled a horse placenta over her head before giving birth, the child would be delivered safely; however, if it were a son, he would become a werewolf, and if a daughter,

459-401: A fit of rage. When they did not return, the king, their father, tried to prevent the youngest brother from following, but he went. On the way, he gave food to a starving raven, helped a salmon back into the river, and gave a starving wolf his horse to eat. The wolf let the prince ride on him, instead, and showed him the giant's castle, telling him to go inside. The prince was reluctant fearing

510-582: A fox, which she ties under her skirt in order to hide it from men. If she can manage to get married in a church, her tail falls off and she becomes human. The Huldufólk are a race of fairies or elves who are said to live in the mountains, hills, and rocks of the Faroes. They are said to be similar in appearance to humans, but they are much smaller and have pale skin and long, dark hair. The huldufólk are generally benevolent creatures, but they can be mischievous if they are angered. In Scandinavia, there has been

561-669: A mix thereof. They are closely linked to the mist and it is often said in Sweden that, "the Elves are dancing in the mist". The female form of Elves may have originated from the female deities called Dís (singular) and Díser (plural) found in pre-Christian Scandinavian religion. They were very powerful spirits closely linked to the seid magic. Even today the word "dis" is a synonym for mist or very light rain in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Particularly in Denmark,

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612-567: A sign of gratitude. This tradition is heavily influenced by the fact that it was developed during a time when people let their cattle graze on mountains or in the forest for long periods of the year. The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body George MacDonald retold it as "The Giant's Heart" in Adela Cathcart . A version of the tale also appears in A Book of Giants by Ruth Manning-Sanders . A king had seven sons, and when

663-528: A special place. A tale from Närke illustrates further how kind a hulder could be, especially if treated with respect (Hellström 1985:15). A multitude of places in Scandinavia are named after the Hulders, often places by legend associated with the presence of the "hidden folk". Here are some examples showing the wide distribution of Hulder-related toponyms between the northern and southern reaches of Scandinavia, and

714-804: A troll king, lives inside the Dovre Mountains with his court, as described in detail in Ibsen 's Peer Gynt . Elves (in Swedish, Älva if female and Alv if male, Alv in Norwegian, and Elver in Danish) are in some parts mostly described as female (in contrast to the light and dark elves in the Edda), otherworldly, beautiful and seductive residents of forests, meadows and mires. They are skilled in magic and illusions. Sometimes they are described as small fairies, sometimes as full-sized women and sometimes as half transparent spirits, or

765-452: A troll. Sometimes saints' legends involve a holy man tricking an enormous troll to build a church. Trolls come in many different shapes and forms, and are generally not fair to behold, as they can have as many as nine heads. Trolls live throughout the land. They dwell in mountains, under bridges, and at the bottom of lakes. Trolls who live in the mountains may be rich and, hoarding mounds of gold and silver in their cliff dwellings. Dovregubben ,

816-413: A villain who hides his life force or "heart" in a place outside his body, in a box or inside a series of animals, like a Russian matryoshka . The hero must seek and destroy the heart to vanquish the villain. With the help of the villain's wife or female prisoner (a princess), he locates the ogre's weakness and, aided by grateful animals, destroys the heart. In regards to the aid of animals, in some variants

867-506: A widespread belief in the Mara . The Mara (or, in English, " nightmare ") appears in many different forms, but would terrorize the sleeping by "riding" on their chest, thus giving them nightmares. (This appears to describe "apparitions" commonly seen and/or felt during episodes of sleep paralysis .) The Mara traditionally could ride on cattle, which would be left drained of energy and with tangled fur at

918-525: Is a legendary creature from Faroese folklore. It is said to be a type of undead being that inhabits the mountains and hills of the Faroe Islands. The dreygur is typically described as a large, strong creature with pale skin and long, dark hair. It is often depicted as being cannibalistic . The Nisse (in southern Sweden, Norway and Denmark) or tomte (in Sweden) is a benevolent wight who takes care of

969-534: Is a designation for several types of human-like supernatural beings in Scandinavian folklore. They are mentioned in the Edda (1220) as a monster with many heads. Later, trolls became characters in fairy tales, legends and ballads. They play a main part in many of the fairy tales from Asbjørnsen and Moes collections of Norwegian tales (1844). Trolls may be compared to many supernatural beings in other cultures, for instance

1020-683: Is a sea creature that looks like a man with three toes on each foot. Its skin is black and red. It has a long left foot and a small right foot which drags behind, making it lean left when walking. The Kraken is a legendary sea-monster, resembling a giant octopus or squid said to appear off the coasts of Norway . The Selkie is a mythical creature that is part-human and part-seal. According to legend, Selkies can shed their seal skins and transform into humans. There are many stories in Faroese folklore about Selkies falling in love with humans and leaving their sea life behind to live on land. The dreygur

1071-489: Is originally the same being as the völva divine figure Huld and the German Holda . The word hulder is only used of a female; a "male hulder" is called a huldrekall and also appears in Norwegian folklore. This being is closely related to other underground dwellers, usually called tusser (sg., tusse ). Though described as beautiful, the huldra is noted for having a distinctive inhuman feature—an animal's tail (usually

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1122-465: Is terrorizing. Mario learns the secret to his "invincibility" and battles the heart of Tubba hidden at the bottom of a well, followed by Tubba Blubba himself after it returns to his body and he becomes vulnerable again. Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal also includes an evil giant who cannot be defeated until his heart is located and destroyed. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World includes

1173-608: Is the folklore of Denmark , Norway , Sweden , Iceland and the Faroe Islands . It has common roots with, and has been under mutual influence with, folklore in England , Germany , the Low Countries , the Baltic countries , Finland and Sápmi . Folklore is a concept encompassing expressive traditions of a particular culture or group. The peoples of Scandinavia are heterogenous, as are

1224-525: Is the tale collected by folklorist Josef Haltrich ( de ) from the Transylvanian Saxons . In this tale, titled Von den zwölf Brüdern, die zwölf Schwestern zu Frauen suchen ("About twelve brothers that sought twelve sisters as wives"), eleven brothers depart home to seek work and brides for themselves, leaving their youngest brother with their father. They arrive at an old man's hut and refuse to work for him. They continue on their travels until they reach

1275-410: Is very popular, with 250 tales recorded throughout Europe, Asia, America and North Africa. Scholarship acknowledges the considerable antiquity and wide diffusion of the motif of the "external soul" (or life, "death", heart). For instance, folklorist Sir James George Frazer , in his book The Golden Bough , listed and compared several stories found across Eurasia and North Africa where the villain of

1326-522: The Cyclopes of Homer 's Odyssey . In Swedish, such beings are often termed 'jätte' (giant), a word related to the Norse 'jotun'. The origins of the word troll is uncertain. Trolls are described in many ways in Scandinavian folk literature, but they are often portrayed as stupid, and slow to act. In fairy tales and legends about trolls, the plot is often that a human with courage and presence of mind can outwit

1377-650: The "Great Lake Monster," is steeped in the folklore of Sweden, specifically with Lake Storsjön . Notably the legendary creature was briefly granted a protected status by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency , but this was later removed by the Swedish Parliament . Selma is a legendary sea serpent said to live in the 13-kilometre-long (8-mile) Lake Seljord ( Seljordsvatnet ) in Seljord , Vestfold og Telemark , Norway . The circhos

1428-558: The Mara's touch. Trees would curl up and wilt at the Mara's touch as well. In some tales, like the Banshee , they served as an omen of death. If one were to leave a dirty doll in a family living room, one of the members would soon fall ill and die of tuberculosis . ("Lung soot", another name for tuberculosis, referred to the effect of proper chimneys in 18th through 19th century homes. Inhabitants would therefore contract diseases due to inhaling smoke on

1479-480: The boy might pose and reveals that her "life" is a light inside an egg, inside a duck that wades about a lake hidden in a faraway mountain. The video game Paper Mario tells a variant of the story when Mario must battle the villain Tubba Blubba, a giant Spike whose heart was removed by Bowser to gain invincibility. Mario is forced into dispatching him by Bow, the leader of a town populated by ghosts whom Tubba

1530-483: The context of Norway's evolving cultural landscape, these churches endure as emblematic symbols of enduring identity and heritage, encapsulating the nuanced interplay between religious, mythological, and societal dimensions. A large number of different mythological creatures from Scandinavian folklore have become well known in other parts of the world, mainly through popular culture and fantasy genres. Some of these are: Troll (Norwegian and Swedish), trolde (Danish)

1581-439: The cottage of an old witch that petrifies them. Meanwhile, the youngest brother leaves home and on his journeys spares the life of a lion, an eagle and a fish, which promise the youth to help in the future. The youth later reaches the cottage of the old man and works for him for a year; when he is paid his wages, his employer informs him of the witch's threat. The youth meets the witch and tries to shoot her, but she scoffs any danger

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1632-687: The cultural fabric of the region. An exploration of these dances unveils insights into social dynamics, community cohesion, and the perpetuation of mythological themes across generations. Stave churches in Norway represent a unique synthesis of Christian and Norse cultural influences, evident in their architectural and ornamental features. These wooden structures, characterized by intricate carvings, serve as tangible artifacts linking contemporary communities to historical narratives. Beyond mere historical relics, Stave churches function as active centers for cultural preservation, hosting various ceremonies and events. In

1683-444: The elves. In more modern tales, it isn't uncommon for a rather ugly male Tomte, Troll, Vätte or a Dwarf to fall in love with a beautiful Elven female, as the beginning of a story of impossible or forbidden love. The Huldra , Hylda, Skogsrå or Skogfru (Forest wife/woman) is a dangerous seductress who lives in the forest. The Huldra is said to lure men with her charm. She has a long cow's tail, or according to some traditions, that of

1734-551: The female elves have merged with the dangerous and seductive huldra, skogsfrun or "keeper of the forest", often called hylde. In some parts of Sweden the elves also share features with the Skogsfrun, "Huldra", or "Hylda", and can seduce and bewitch careless men and suck the life out of them or make them go down in the mire and drown. But at the same time the Skogsrå exists as its own being, with other distinct features clearly separating it from

1785-562: The first chapter is devoted to the Huldra. In chapter 40 (chapter XL: "A day in Hälsingland", section: "The Animals' New Year's Eve") of the novel "Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey through Sweden", a narrated legend mentions the Huldra. In the video game "Bramble: The Mountain King," developed by Dimfrost Studios in 2023, the boss Skogsrå is a Huldra. Scandinavian folklore Nordic folklore

1836-413: The giant promised anything if he would spare his life. The prince told him to change his brothers and their brides back to life, and the giant did so. Then the prince squeezed the egg into two and went home with the princess as his bride; accompanying him were his brothers and their brides, and the king rejoiced. In a harsher version, the boy splits the heart in two and eats it with the wolf, chopping off

1887-424: The giant returned, the princess hid the prince, and asked the giant where he kept his heart. He told her that it was under the door sill . The prince and princess dug there the next day and found no heart. The princess strewed flowers over the door sill, and when the giant returned, told him that it was because his heart lay there. The giant admitted it was not there and told her it was in the cupboard. As before,

1938-512: The giant's head and keeping it as a trophy. The tale was translated as Cinder-Lad and his Six Brothers and included in the compilation Fairy stories my children love best of all . A Hungarian variant of the tale was adapted into an episode of the Hungarian television series Magyar népmesék ("Hungarian Folk Tales") ( hu ), with the title A kõszivü ember ("The Man with a Heart of Stone"). In this version, three brothers depart home and arrive at

1989-523: The hero gains feathers and tufts of hair from the animals with the ability to shapeshift and with this power infiltrates the villain's den to listen to his weakness or transforms into animals to destroy the egg that houses the monster's soul. According to professor Stith Thompson , the giant's heart, in Asian variants, is hidden in a bird or insect, while in European tales it is guarded in an egg. The tale type

2040-427: The house and barn when the farmer is asleep, but only if the farmer reciprocates by setting out food for the nisse and he himself also takes care of his family, farm and animals. If the nisse is ignored or maltreated or the farm is not cared for, he is likely to sabotage the work instead to teach the farmer a lesson. Although the nisse should be treated with respect, some tales warn against treating him too kindly. There's

2091-410: The lake, and the wolf jumped to the island. The prince called upon the raven he had saved from starvation, and it brought him the keys to the church. Once inside, he coaxed the duck to him, but it dropped the egg in the well first, and the prince called on the salmon to get him the egg. The wolf told him to squeeze the egg, and when he did, the giant screamed. The wolf told him to squeeze it again, and

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2142-524: The mountain to get the egg and eventually releasing his brothers, beseeches them not to break the egg containing the giant's heart, as he promises now to be good. The brothers break the heart, and a hill forms where the giant falls. This tale is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index type ATU 302, "The Giant (Ogre) who had no heart in his body" or "Ogre's Heart in the Egg". These stories tell of

2193-700: The oral genres and material culture that has been common in their lands. However, there are some commonalities across Scandinavian folkloric traditions, among them a common ground in elements from Norse mythology as well as Christian conceptions of the world. Among the many tales common in Scandinavian oral traditions, some have become known beyond Scandinavian borders – examples include The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body . Nordic folklore's traditional dances, intricately linked to celebrations, rituals, and communal assemblies, exhibit specific movements, patterns, and music deeply ingrained in

2244-402: The other six went off to find brides, he kept the youngest with him because he could not bear to be parted from them all. They were supposed to bring back a bride for him, as well, but they found a king with six daughters and wooed them, forgetting their brother. But when they returned, they passed too close to a giant's castle, and he turned them all, both princes and princesses, to stone in

2295-428: The princess and the prince searched, to no avail; once again, the princess strewed garlands of flowers on the cupboard and told the giant it was because his heart was there. Thereupon the giant revealed to her that, in fact, in a distant lake was an island, upon which there sat a church; within the church was a well where a duck swam; in the duck's nest was an egg; and in the egg was the giant's heart. The prince rode to

2346-536: The tale (ogres, witches and giants) willingly extracts their soul, hides it in an animal or in a box (casket) and therefore becomes unkillable, unless the hero destroys the recipient of their soul. The tale sometimes is combined with other tale types as its introduction: ATU 552, " The Girls Who Married Animals "; ATU 400, "The Quest for the Lost Wife"; ATU 303A, "Seven Sisters as Wives for Seven Brothers" or ATU 554, "The Grateful Animals". One example of this combination

2397-582: The terms usage in different language groups' toponyms. In the mobile game Year Walk , one of the Watchers is a Huldra. They are mentioned in Seanan MacGuire's October Daye series in the book "A red-rose chain". Neil Gaiman 's novella The Monarch of the Glen , published in the collection Fragile Things , includes references to Hulder legends. In the subsequent Year Walk: Bedtime Stories for Awful Children,

2448-409: The toilet so they can move out of the way) or building your home too close to or, even worse, on top of their home, disturbing their cattle or blocking their roads. They can make your life very very miserable or even dangerous – they do whatever it takes to drive you away, even arrange accidents that will harm or even kill you. Even in modern days, people have rebuilt or moved houses in order not to block

2499-673: The wight Tomten originates from some sort of general house god or deity prior to Old Norse religion . A Nisse/Tomte is said to be able to change his size between that of a 5-year-old child and a thumb, and also to have the ability to make himself invisible. A type of wight from Northern Sweden called Vittra lives underground, is invisible most of the time and has its own cattle. Most of the time Vittra are rather distant and do not meddle in human affairs, but are fearsome when enraged. This can be achieved by not respecting them properly, for example by neglecting to perform certain rituals (such as saying "look out" when putting out hot water or going to

2550-421: The wrath of the giant, but the wolf persuaded the prince to enter the castle, for there he would encounter not the giant, but the princess the giant kept prisoner. The princess was very beautiful, and the prince wanted to know how he could kill the giant and set her and his family free. The princess said that there was no way, as the giant did not keep his heart in his body and therefore could not be killed. When

2601-490: The yule time. Farmers customarily place bowls of rice porridge on their doorsteps to please the nisser, comparative to the cookies and milk left out for Santa Claus in other cultures. Some believe that the nisse brings them presents as well. In Swedish, the word "tomten" (definite form of "tomte") is very closely linked to the word for the plot of land where a house or cottage is built, which is called "tomten" as well (definite form of "tomt"). Therefore, some scholars believe that

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