A goddess who was attended by wood nymphs. They had cow tails which could be seen hanging out from beneath their white robes. They were the protectors of cattle, and sang beautifully. She is an aspect of Frigg.
In Scandinavian folklore, the Huldra (in Norwegian culture, derived from a root meaning "covered" or "secret"), or the skogsrå or skogsfru/skovfrue (meaning "Lady (read, counterpart of a Lord) of the forest") or Tallemaja (pine tree Mary) in Swedish culture, is a seductive forest creature. Her name suggests that she is originally the same being as the völva Huld and the German Holda. A male hulder is called a huldu, or in Norway a huldrekall.
The word huldra/huldri/hulderen is the definite form in Norwegian ("the hulder") – the indefinite form is en/ei hulder ("a hulder"). The plural indefinite form is huldre(r) ("hulders"), and the plural definite form is huldrene ("the hulders"). In the plural one could also use huldrefolk (indefinite) and huldrefolket (definite) meaning "the hulder people" to refer to all huldrer as a single entity. There is also an adjective connected, to be huldren, which can be interpreted as uncanny, or often "being under the hulder's spell" (i.e. suffering from inexplicable madness).
Male hulders do appear, called Huldrekall. This being is closely related to other subterrestrials, usually called tusser. Like the female counterpart, the huldrkall is a shapeshifter who often lures girls under a fair countenance (Glamour). Both male and female hulder could be revealed as rather ugly when the glamour was lifted from them.
Features
The huldra is a stunningly beautiful, sometimes naked woman with long hair; though from behind she is hollow like an old tree trunk, and has an animal's tail. In Norway, she has a cow's tail, and in Sweden she may have that of a cow or a fox. Further in the north of Sweden, the tail can be entirely omitted in favor of her hollow or bark-covered back.
In Norway, the huldra has often been described as a typical dairymaid, wearing the clothes of a regular farm girl, although somewhat more dazzling or prettier than most girls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Huldra's_Nymphs.jpg
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