Askafroa

nature_spirit forest Scandinavian folklore single tradition · 1

The Askafroa (Swedish: wife of the ash tree), also known as the Danish Askefrue, is a type of legendary creature in Scandinavian folklore, similar to the Greek Hamadryads. The Askafroa is the guardian (tutelary deity) of the ash tree. She was thought to be a malicious creature that did much damage, and to appease her, it was necessary to make a sacrifice to her on Ash Wednesday.

When

Attested period
1800 – 2020
Historical notes
Beliefs recorded in 19th-century ethnographic work Wärend och Wirdarne.

Relationships

co occurs with
Askefruer

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“The online role-playing game Dark Age of Camelot features enemies in the form of Askefruer/Askafroa. A similar narrative is found in the Swedish children's book Furan by Lisen Adbåge where a family moves to a cottage and starts cutting down trees, whereupon the trees take revenge and start invading the cottage”

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