The Skogsrå ( ; ), 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 Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. It appears in the form of a small, beautiful woman with a seemingly friendly temperament. She appears like a woman from the front but seen from behind she often has a tail and a hollow back or skin like tree bark. Those who are enticed into following her into the forest are never seen again. It was said that any human man who had intercourse with the Skogsrå became an introvert, as his soul had remained with her. If the seduced man is a hunter, he may be rewarded with good luck in the hunt, but should he be unfaithful to the Skogsrå, he will be punished with numerous accidents. He may put an end to a stormy night caused by her vengeance by firing a shot against her. Late folklore in Nyland, Finland, describes

silver bullet Silver Bullet(s) or The Silver Bullet may refer to: * Silver bullet, in folklore, a weapon against supernatural creatures; metaphorically, a simple, effective solution to a problem Film and television * The Silver Bullet (1935 film), ''The Silve ...

s as effective means of killing a skogsrå. Legend of the skogsrå also spread to

Western Finland Western Finland (, ) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province. Histor ...

, where she is called ''metsänneitsyt'' ("Maiden of the Forest") or ''haapaneitsyt'' ("

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

maiden") in Finnish. The

Finns Finns or Finnish people (, ) are a Baltic Finns, Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these cou ...

of Northern Sweden called her ''metsänemäntä'' ("Mistress of the Forest").

Popular culture

* The character Esmeralda (played by Happy Jankell) in SVT's thriller television series '' Jordskott'' is called "what traditionally would be described as a skogsrå". She is shown having a hollowed back and the ability to drive people to suicide. * In 1877, Swedish poet

Viktor Rydberg Abraham Viktor Rydberg (; 18 December 182821 September 1895) was a Swedish writer and a member of the Swedish Academy, 1877–1895. "Primarily a classical idealist", Viktor Rydberg has been described as "Sweden's last Romantic" and by 1859 wa ...

published a poem titled "Skogsrået." ** Between 1894 and 1895, Finnish composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

composed a

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement (music), movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. T ...

based on Rydberg's poem, bearing the same title. ** French Nordic folk group Skáld adapted Rydberg's poem for their 2022 single "Då Månen Sken." * In the game Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn, a skogsrå roams the forest where she bites her victims and turns them into trees, eventually Linn encounters the forest spirit and gets bitten, however she manages to be free of the infection with the help of the Näcken. * In the video game '' Bramble: The Mountain King'', a skogsrå appears as a boss. * Skogsra appears as a demon in multiple games of the ''

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...

'' series. * In Nghi Vo's 2022 novel '' Siren Queen'', Greta's character is a skogsra.

References

External links

* Scandinavian legendary creatures Swedish folklore Female legendary creatures Forest spirits {{Legendary-creature-stub