#marsh witch

Monstober Day 10

Mosekonen brygger // The bog wife is brewing. -Danish Idiom

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First off, thanks to @mahouwl my beloved for this one I had a GREAT time looking her up!

Mosekonen (translated to Bog Wife or Marsh Witch) is troll-like old woman in Danish folklore. She lives a hidden cabin in the marsh and brews something (no one knows exactly what) in a big kettle. Some say it's a special brew for Walpurgis Night.

Mosekonen was an explanation for the heavy mists that hung above the moor. The idea was that it was caused by the steam from her kettle, hence the expression "Mosekonen brygger" or "The bog wife is brewing" is used on days of heavy fog or mist.

She also appears in a Hans Christian Anderson tale "The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf". Let's do a quick throwback to last year, shall we?

The story has no ATU number, as it seems to be a uniquely Danish tale, without mirrors in other cultures. In it, a poor girl named Ingrid is taken in as a servant by a rich family who treats her well and buya her many nice things. She soon becomes ashamed of her poor background. One day she decides to go home, and the rich family give her a loaf of bread to give her mother. When crossing the marsh she tosses the loaf on the ground and steps on it to keep her fine shoes from getting dirty.

Her feet become stuck to the loaf and the ground opens up and drops her in the home of the mosekonen. There the devil's great-grandmother takes her for a statue and claims her to decorate the devil's great hall. She becomes a cautionary tale for other children, until one girl hears her story and feels sympathetic. The girl grows up, and on her deathbed cries for Ingrid. Ingrid feels humility at this, and is turned into a mute bird. At Christmas she collects crumbs to share with The Other birds, and when she had collected enough to equal the weight of the original loaf, she turns white and flies into the sun and disappears.

In this story, and my other research, mosekonen is positioned as a pretty neutral figure, neither good nor evil, mostly just minding her own business. There is a bit of danger though - her fire is tended by Lygtemænd (similar to will o' the wisps... more on those later), so it's ill advised to go searching for her, as you may drown.

Also huge shout out to @sinistercarnival for this Danish Folklore post, it was super helpful for this one.