Theskogsrå[1][2] (Swedishdefinite form:skogsrået[ˈskʊ̂ksˌroːɛt]ⓘ;lit. 'the forestrå'),skogsfru[1] (definite:skogsfrun,[3] 'the mistress of the forest'),skogsjungfru (definite:skogsjungfrun,[4] 'the maiden of the forest'),skogssnua,[2]skogssnuva,[1] orskogsnymf (definite:skogssnuvan,[3]skogsnymfen, 'the forest nymph'), is a mythical female creature (orrå) of the forest in Swedishfolklore.[5][6][7]
Theskogsrå/skogssnua/skogssnuva appears in the form of a beautiful woman with a seemingly friendly temperament. She appears like a woman from the front but seen from behind she often has a tail[1][3] and a hollow, rotten back,[1][2][3] a human foot and a horse foot,[2] and skin like tree bark.
The men who are enticed into following her into the forest are led astray,[8][9] and she laughs at the victim.[3][10] A beguiled man thought he was led back home, when everything disappeared and found himself in a swamp.[3] The seduced man may become ruined,[1] that is, ruin his health (and sanity) after repeating visits to her (cf. tale below[11]). Or, the man who hadintercourse with the Skogsrå may turn into anintrovert, as his soul had remained with her.[citation needed]
If the seduced man is a hunter, he may be rewarded with good luck in the hunt,[2][8] but should he be unfaithful to theskogsrå, he will be punished with dire inconveniences.[2] She is also said to bestow her affection and bounty upon thecharcoal maker,[8][9] orwoodcutter.[9]
Anecdotes often tell of how the men eventually gets rid of theskogsrå, and one straightforward way is to shoot her,[12] perhaps by a friend,[a][13] or tricking her into revealing the secret to hit his mark.
The victim tricking theskogsrå to gain his freedom is acommonplace[3] motif (ML 6000, "Tricking the Fairy Suitor"[14]). This migratory motif usually involves learning a secret herbal recipe. For example, theskogsrå who seduced a man from his wife is tricked into revealing a cure of his love-craze, and there is usually inserted lines of verse naming thedaphne (Swedish:tibast) andvalerian (vändelrot).[15][16][b] These two plants can be used as talisman to protect against her.[3]
The hunter who decides to reject her right from the beginning can fire a shot at her, but after having to suffer a gloomy stormy night, his flames (of attraction) will be extinguished.[2] It is said she can be killed by asilver bullet or with a gun loaded by herself.[3] Thesilver bullet requirement to slay theskogsjungfrau is recorded even in Nyland (Uusimaa), Finland, where charcoal-burning laborer, and a farmhand making charcoal are captivated.[17]
The hiker may also turn his coat or sweaterinside-out to ward against her seduction,[2] or advised to do so when he loses his way on her account.[3]
It is said theskogsrå owns the beasts of the forest,[3] indeed theranda (an alias or cognate) has dominion over all the trees and everything in the forest, granting game (successful hunt) only to those who do not rebuff her companionship.[18]
In some parts of Sweden, theskogsrå is considered to be one of the prey being chased by theWild Hunt by some singular spirit[12] or Odin's [wild] hunt, or by thunder.[3]
In one tale, a man fallen under the spell of theskogsrå, and became gaunt and tormented. His friends restrained him to prevent his visit, but as the wood sprite approached, the man turned wild and started biting. An elder friend shot at her, and the other sprites carried her away. The shooter lost his eye, which was completely gone, but did not regret the decision.[11]
In another tale, a man tricks hisskogsrå into revealing the trick to make a sureshot at an elusive mark (to admix thegunpowder with roots and grass collected from the north face of thechimney), then affirms he will indeed use the trick to shoot her.[13]
Another man tricked hisskogsrå into revealing an herbal recipe (tibast or daphne, andvändelrot or valerian, aforementioned) for counteracting sexual attraction, claiming that he had an oversexed bull harrassing the cows. Then he used the recipe to dispel her allure.[16]
In one anecdote, a man encountered askogsrå inFrämmestad, whose back was hollowed out like atrough forkneading bread, and she told him where to locate his horses.[19][c]
Theskogsrå may help the charcoal maker with his wood-fuel stack (mila), but will not reveal how it is done.[21] She bears children with the charcoal-maker, but instructs him to always knock on the pine thrice before coming home to approach her. When he forgets the routine, he sees her true form, and he is rid of her.[3] There is another ending to the relationship, when the coal-maker casts a firebrand orember and she screams "Sjálf (Self) burnt me", taken to mean "I burnt myself", as the coal-maker had passed off Sjálf as his name.[3][22][d]
Comparable beings in Swedish lore include therånda[3](definite:råndan[23] ('therå'), thevittra[3] thelanda,[3] andhuldra (definite:huldran, 'thehulder' or 'hidden/invisible folk').
Sightings of the so-calledlövjerska (pl.lövjerskor), practitioners oflövjeri [sv] (herb lore or "leaf magic"),[24] in the woods have been grouped with encounters withskogsrå.[25]Sydow considerslövjerska to be a "troll-woman" comparable tolöviska[n] that is connected to trees, but lacks much lore, and segregates it from theskogsrå group.[26][e]
Directly borrowed from the Swedish version is the Norwegian version,[27] orSkogs-raa, described in one tale as being like thehulder, and in the tale she helps a man by waking him up in time to catch up with the horses which had gone ahead of him.[20]
Legend of the skogsrå also spread toWestern Finland, where she is calledmetsänneitsyt 'Maiden of the Forest' orhaapaneitsyt 'aspen maiden' inFinnish. TheFinns of Northern Sweden called hermetsänemäntä 'Mistress of the Forest'.[28]
The Skogsrå has been featured on commemorative stamps of Sweden. In the Europa 1981 series, skogsrå was part of a two stamp set paired with atroll stamp, based on illustrations bySvenolov Ehrén [sv].[29] It had been taken from an earlier work illustrating a book.[30]
Later in March 2006, the creature became part of a two-stamp commemorative set featuring "Skogens mytiska väsen (mythical forest beings)", which featured the skogsrå ("Siren of the Woods"[f]) and the näcken (neck, nixie).[g][1][h]
Media related toSkogsrået at Wikimedia Commons