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Chapter 3. Midgard 79
of Eve, or of Eve’s predecessor, Lilith, and although they were under the dominion
of the Christian God, they did not possess a Christian soul and had no chance of
salvation at the end of time; they were part of the earth and were to perish with
the earth during the Apocalypse. As creations of the Gods or of the Christian God,
however, the lineages of both man and land-spirit are similar, and as a consequence,
interactions between the two are common even in the most current folklore.
There is much power in these interactions between lineages. Of all the Heathen
knowledge and customs that the Church tried to eradicate, those dealing with local
nature-spirits were by far the most difficult either to alter or get rid of. Knowledge
of some of these non-organic forces is still alive and well in all countries having
European ancestry, although in some cases, like the United States, European beliefs
have meshed with those of the indigenous peoples. The popularity of these beings
can be gleaned from any trip to the local bookstore, knick-knack shop, or even by
watching children’s cartoons on an afternoon after school. Gnomes, fairies, unicorns,
gargoyles, nisses, necks, devas, dryads, naiads, mermaids, elves, and pixies can be
seen every day in some of the most unlikely places. Even Christian angels of the
20th century are little more than elves with wings. Sometimes, to be as ”politically
correct” as possible and not to offend Fundamentalist Christian groups, Huldrafolk
are given made-up names like The Smurfs in the hope that fewer Fundamentalists
will take notice. Knowledge of nature-spirits is part of the living folk memory, and
as long as Disney Cartoons, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and the Wizard of Oz are still
around, there is no chance of the memory being erased.
The early Germanic concept of these hidden beings, however, was much different
than the 20th century version. For them, they were truly forces with power for both
good and evil. Interaction with the beings was inevitable for they not only dwelt in
the wilds of the mountains and forests, but everywhere on the land-holding. Hearths,
bath-houses, cellars, thresholds, barns, stables, mounds, ponds, streams, and trees
were all likely abodes for the “Hidden People” as the Huldrafolk were known, and
their individual names depended on their abode.
Of all the different branches of the Teutonic folk, the Scandinavian people have
left the most detailed record of non-organic beings and by far the largest number
of number of names for these beings. The names, however, are not usually personal
names of the beings, which by tradition the beings themselves did not give away
for fear of giving away their own personal control and power, but are “noa-names”
which describe only their roles or places of residence. Kvideland and Sehmsdorf in
Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend describe them as being probably of the same
species with names varying according to their roles:
“The protection and welfare of the farmhouse and its immediate surround-