The Bergsrå (Mountain
Rå
In Scandinavian folklore, a rå (pl ''rår''), is a spirit who is the keeper or warden of a particular location or landform. The rå is known both in Nordic culture and in the Sami culture, where it is called ''radie''.
It was important for human ...
), ''Bergatrollet'' (Mountain Troll) or ''Bergakungen'' (Mountain King) was a mythical creature of the mountain in
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
.
The ''bergrå'' could be either masculine or feminine. It lived in the mountain with a court of relatives and sometimes surrounded by
troll
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...
s. It was a common phenomena in the mythology about the ''bergsrå'' to trick people into their dwellings in the mountain and to become ''bergtagen'' (literary: "taken into the mountain").
A typical description of such a claimed occurrence was given by
Sven Andersson in 1691, when he was on trial for having sexual intercourse with a female ''bergrå''.
See also
*
Rå
In Scandinavian folklore, a rå (pl ''rår''), is a spirit who is the keeper or warden of a particular location or landform. The rå is known both in Nordic culture and in the Sami culture, where it is called ''radie''.
It was important for human ...
References
Other sources
*Ake Hultkrantz Editor (1961) ''The Supernatural Owners Of Nature Nordic Symposion on The Religious Conceptions of Ruling Spirits (Genii loci, genii speciei) and Allied Concepts'' (Almquist & Wiksell)
Scandinavian legendary creatures
Scandinavian folklore
Norwegian folklore
Swedish folklore
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