-... Han Kunde ju Kläda Sig så Grann...-

[regndoft]

Found this interesting little record of south-Swedish folklore in the ethnological study on Näcken and thought I'd share it with you. It was recorded in Skåne in 1881, and is relating to how women who haven't yet been to church after childbirth are extra vulnerable to the menacing watersprite:

"Some wives are, when they have yet to be taken to church, so vulnerable to the Stream man's intrusiveness that they, for protection, when there is nothing between them and the sky, wear one of their husband's clothes; for if they wear as much as his hat, the rascal doesn't have any power over them. In Rebbelberga parish, Bjäre county, the village of Skörpinge, there served a farm maid many years ago now, I knew her very well, who was always so exposed to the Stream man's impudence, that she always walked around dressed in men's clothing and couldn't stand anyone calling her by her real name."

Now, I'm not going to draw any conclusions here. These beliefs are spread by oral tradition; it's impossible to tell if the person who told this snippet on information is really recalling something s/he had personal experience from.

I'm just saying, that from a queer historical point of view, that last sentence is quite intriguing though.

Comments

[taiyou_to_tsuki.livejournal.com]

Well, the same way she dressed in men's clothing to protect herself, the text implies she used a man's name as cover from Näcken as well. It literally says that she couldn't stand being called by her real name; that and the crossdressing brings to mind someone using a supernatural creature to excuse a transsexual lifestyle.

But as I said, it's impossible to confirm. It could just be the storyteller using an example to strengthen her/his point and not neccessarily true. I just think it's an interesting concept, and probably one no one before our time would've thought of. :')

[kitsuneasika.livejournal.com]

Mm, yes, that's what I was thinking when it was talking about the clothing. What threw me off was the name thing, but your explanation makes sense.