Nordic Mythology - The Huldr

The old Vikings had a closer and more natural relation to darkness than modern people of today. To find their way to the loo and back in darkness could be a challenge. Nine out of twelve months if would be pit dark.  They had to bring a burning piece of wood as torch and hope it lasted till they found their way back. People who didn't make it and went lost without trace were expected taken by the Huldres.

The name come from old Nordic huld, meaning hide/hidden. Stories and observations of  huldres have remained till our own time.

Exactly which family of creatures they were out of is uncertain. Probably a branch of the Jotnes, the Tusses, or Rimtusses as they are referred to in the oldest writings on Nordic Creation Myth from the Icelandic historian writer Snorre Sturlason.

Living mainly, but not solely in the woods and the lower lands. They are always referred to as beautiful women, said to be under-earth creatures. A less common description are given about the male counterpart, the Huldr Karls

The huldres were usually beautiful females with clear alluring voice. They used to call on young men when they were out alone. They are reported both seen and heard at broad daylight too, so the sun was not an issue for them. The only way they could be recognized as non humans was from behind, by the fact that under their skirt they had a tail like a cow or a troll

For a more full reference of the different world in Nordic Mythology:
Nine worlds of the Viking mythology

The stories about the huldres are numerous in folk tradition. They survived the christening of northern Europe and were even more common beliefs than the belief in angels which people only heard about in the church. They literally lived with the huldres.

Every one had a family member willing to swear they had seen or heard the huldres, some even had lost family members to them. There are no relations to what  happened with them under the surface of the earth, obviously since nobody escaped when they once checked in there.

Eventually the belief in huldres faded. Maybe modern man urbanized and the huldres didn't. Some scattered stories still are reported though. Encounters often occur under primitive circumstances like our forefathers lived under.

This story was to read in a major Norwegian paper in 2002 VG, text in Norwegian. Three women claim to see the Huldr
when Chanett Berg Lia (22) and her two friends saw what they were convinced was the Huldra.

They were in a rather remote cabin and all three got a clear vision of the Huldr, her smile and face. When one of them finally got their cam up the Huldr was leaving. There was snow on the ground and, though they didn't dare to go out till the day after, they claimed to find her traces.

With imagination you can, however, see her tail.