Norwegian folklore and legends: The hulder

The hulder

is a supernatural female being in Norwegian folklore and legends.

She is stronger and more beautiful than human women but has a hollow back and cow tail.

A hulder is seductive and has a beautiful voice.

She can bewitch people,

luring them to her and keeping them captive.

Hulders are invisible but can suddenly appear and then disappear just as quickly.

In the 19th century,

several authors and artists portrayed hulders in poems,

plays,

and fairy tales.

Often,

the huldra personified the Norwegian nature.

In modern times,

huldras have also been attributed positive qualities and values that modern women aspire to,

such as strength,

courage,

and boldness.

A huldra mostly appears alone but is also part of a community called “huldrefolket,”

which is a collective term for various supernatural creatures.

They are also known as the underground people.

The huldrefolk have magical abilities and live longer than humans.

They live in close connection with nature and rural life.

Most of them lead lives similar to humans,

having families and running farms,

fishing,

or engaging in trade.

Unlike humans,

the huldrefolk live in an “ideal world.”

They often possess great wealth and abundance of food.

Huldres have beautiful voices and are exceptionally skilled at charming their livestock.

Huldre cows come in black, white,

or rosy colors.

They are larger,

more magnificent,

and better groomed than regular cows.

Stories about hulders originated in the pre-modern peasant and fishing communities.

They were orally transmitted and written down in the 18th and 19th centuries.

There are numerous legends and reports about huldra and huldrefolket in the Norwegian Folklore Collection and other traditional collections.

Asbjørnsen and Moe’s “Norske Huldre-Eventyr og Folkesagn” is the most famous collection.

The belief in an invisible folk closely tied to nature is found in various countries and cultures,

such as nymphs and dryads in Greek mythology,

jinns in Arabic tradition,

and peris in Persian folklore.

In Europe,

fairies and elves from Britain and Ireland are well-known variations.

Background:

The origin of the Norwegian beliefs in an invisible folk is unknown,

but there are several theories.

It may come from Norse mythology,

which includes ideas of dark and light elves,

although the term “elves” is not widely used in Norwegian folklore.

The huldrefolk also resemble the landvættir,

a people described in the sagas.

In the saga of Olav Tryggvason,

it is mentioned that mountains and mounds in Iceland were full of landvættir,

some big and others small.

The oldest Norwegian ecclesiastical law from around 1200 prohibited people from believing in landvættir.

The belief in hulderfolk can also be associated with an ancient cult of ancestors.

In the Eyrbyggja saga,

it is mentioned that Torolv Mosterskjegg believed he and his relatives would end up in a mountain he considered sacred after they died.

In the pre-modern peasant and fishing communities,

there were many beliefs associated with huldrefolket.

It was believed that they mostly revealed themselves to people with special abilities.

Although the huldrefolk possessed goods and qualities that people desired,

they also represented something people feared.

The name of the supernatural beings varies from place to place and often indicates where people imagined they lived,

such as in mounds,

rocks,

or underground.

They can be called huldrefolk,

mountain folk,

mound folk,

trolls,

the underground ones,

or the invisible ones.

Bergtaking:

If one came too close to a huldra,

they risked being “bergtaken,”

which means being captured in the forest,

mound,

or rock forever.

Hulders could lure hungry shepherds with food.

They could also offer young boys or girls marriage to a beautiful hulder girl or hulder man.

Those who were tempted were usually “bergtaken.”

Those who escaped did not always emerge unharmed.

They could lose their sanity,

become “foolish,”

or seriously ill.

The underground beings in the wilderness attracted vulnerable men mostly.

People were particularly susceptible to hulders during transitional phases.

Females who had just given birth and had not yet baptized their child,

or marriage was at risk.

To protect themselves,

people could say “Jesu navn” (Jesus’ name) or recite the Lord’s Prayer.

The sound of church bells could help people who had been “bergtaken.”

Byttinger:

A belief in folklore was that the underground beings could sneak into houses with babies and exchange the human child for one of their own.

 A “bytting” or “bortbyttet.” (Unwanted Child.)

A bytting was repulsive to look at,

ravenous,

or screaming extremely ugly and loudly.

They did not develop like a normal child and often did not learn to speak or walk.

To get their own child back,

parents had to mistreat the bytting.

They would let it scream or starve,

throw it out into the snow or on the dung heap,

or spit on it.

Then,

the underground beings would come to retrieve their child.

Nature’s Protectors:

The wild nature beyond the protection of the farm was the domain of the huldrefolk.

They governed the animals in the forest and mountains and the fish in the water.

When people arrived at the mountain pasture or went out to fish,

they would often perform rituals and make offerings to appease the huldrefolk and show respect for their domain.

For safety of good luck,

a bountiful catch,

and protection from harm.

The huldrefolk was both benevolent and malevolent towards humans.

They could bring good fortune,

such as helping with farm work or providing valuable knowledge and guidance.

However,

they could also cause mischief,

play pranks,

and inflict harm if they felt disrespected or treated unfairly.

To avoid attracting the attention of the huldrefolk,

people would adhere to certain customs and superstitions.

For example,

they would refrain from whistling in the forest,

It would attract the hulders.

They would also leave spinning wheels or farm work unfinished overnight to show respect for the huldrefolk’s work and avoid their displeasure.

In some cases,

some people had a special connection to the huldrefolk and possessed supernatural abilities.

Well, I mean they belived so.

These individuals,

known as “huldrekall” or “hulderkall,”

could communicate with the huldrefolk,

gain their assistance,

and even create magical objects such as healing potions or charms.

While belief in huldrefolk and their influence has diminished over time with the spread of Christianity and modernization,

their folklore and superstitions elements,

you can find in Norwegian culture today.

They continue to be a fascinating part of Norway’s rich and diverse folklore tradition.

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wiki/Hulder

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