The Huldra · The Girl in the Forest Without a Tail

The huldra lives in the woods and the mountains. She looks like a young woman, plainly dressed, sleeping on the moss; the only difference is a cow’s tail behind her.

She sings, and the singing draws people into the forest. Herders said that anyone who followed the singing would wake on some hillside with the cattle gone and no sense of direction. There is only one way to tell her: look behind her.

So the old rule in Norway is — if someone calls you in the forest, look first, then answer.

Folklore / Nordmarka · Norway / Time immemorial