RåIn Scandinavian folklore, a (in Swedish) (pl.rår), short for rådare ("ruler") from (to rule, to advise) from old Norse , 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.
Nordic folkloreNordic folklore 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 the oral genres and material culture that has been common in their lands.
Peter Christen AsbjørnsenPeter Christen Asbjørnsen (15 January 1812 – 5 January 1885) was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe". BackgroundPeter Christen Asbjørnsen was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway.
SkogsråThe skogsrå (Swedishdefinite form: skogsrået; lit.'the forest rå'), skogsfru (definite: skogsfrun, 'the mistress of the forest'), skogsjungfru (definite: skogsjungfrun, 'the maiden of the forest'), skogssnua, skogssnuva, or (definite: skogssnuvan, skogsnymfen, 'the forest nymph'), is a mythical female creature (or rå) of the forest in Swedish folklore.
TromsTroms (Norwegian: [trʊms] ; Northern Sami: Romsa; Kven: Tromssa; Finnish: Tromssa) is a county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean). The county had a population of 169,610 in 2024.BergsråThe Bergsrå (Mountain Rå), Bergatrollet (Mountain Troll), or Bergakungen (Mountain King) was a mythical creature or spirit of the mountain in Norse mythology. The bergsrå could be either masculine or feminine. It lived in the mountain with a court of relatives and sometimes surrounded by trolls. It was a common phenomenon in the mythology about the bergsrå to trick people into their dwellings in the mountain and to become bergtagen (literary: "taken into the mountain").
MermaidIn folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events, such as storms, shipwrecks, and drownings (cf. § Omens).
SjöråThe sjörå (in Swedish), (lake Sjö) or the Sjöfru (Mistress of the Lake) was a mythical creature of the lake, or sjö, in Swedish folklore.
HuldIn Scandinavian mythology, Huld is only referenced by völva or seiðkona, that is a woman who practiced the seiðr. She is mentioned in the Ynglinga saga, Sturlunga saga and a late medieval Icelandic tale. In the latter source, she is Odin's mistress and the mother of the demi-goddesses Þorgerðr and Irpa. As her name suggests, Huld may be in origin the same being as the Hulder and the German Holda.
Frau Holle"Frau Holle" (; German:; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Children's and Household Tales in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480. Frau Holle (also known in various regions as Holla, Holda, Perchta, Berchta, Berta, or Bertha) was a folk figure whom the Grimms claimed survived in popular belief well into the 19th century.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.