Rådande or löfjerskor are tree spirits in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

faerie mythology, similar to the dryads and

hamadryad A hamadryad (; grc, αμαδρυάδα, hamadryáda) is a Greek mythological being that lives in trees. It is a particular type of dryad which, in turn, is a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a certain tree. Some maintain t ...

s of Greek and Roman mythology. In Swedish folklore, a

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 ...

is a spirit connected to a place, object or animal; examples are the

skogsrå The Skogsrå ( sv, skogsrået ; ), Skogsfrun ('the Mistress of the Forest'), Skogssnuvan, Skogsnymfen ('the Forest Nymph'), Råndan ('the Rå') or Huldran, is a mythical female creature (or ''rå'') of the forest in Swedish folklore. It appears ...

(a forest being) and

sjörå The sjörå , (lake Rå) or the ''Sjöfru'' (Mistress of the Lake) was a mythical creature of the lake, or Rå, in Swedish folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, sub ...

(a water being). Thus, the word rådande or råande may derive from

and ''ande'', "spirit". It may also be a corruption of trädande (plural trädandar), meaning ''tree spirit'').

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 ...

and ''råd-ande'' (with a hyphen) are attested in

Jacob Mörk Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

's political satire novel "Adalriks och Göthildas Äfventyr" published in Stockholm in 1742. Benjamin Thorpe translates rådande as "elf" and identifies them with löfjerskor, or grove-folk. He explains that sacred groves were supposed to be protected by deities. A tree that grew unusually fast was a "habitation-tree" or boträd, and an invisible Radande was believed to live in its shade, rewarding those who cared for the tree and punishing any who harmed it.

References

* * Fairies Culture of Sweden Tree goddesses Scandinavian legendary creatures Forest spirits {{europe-myth-stub