- Askefrue
An askefrue (Danish for "ash wife", plural: "askefruer"), also known as the askafroa and eschenfrau, is a type of
legendary creature inNorse mythology andGerman folklore . They aretree -dwelling spirits similar to the Greekhamadryad . They were willing to use their powers to heal the sick if given an offering onAsh Wednesday , despite the fact that Ash Wednesday is named for fire ashes rather than ash trees.The askefruer are, by any name, quite obscure, and consequently not prominently featured in modern fiction, although the online role-playing game "
Dark Age of Camelot " features enemies in the form of Askefruer/Askafroa.References
* Porteous, Alexander. (1928). "Forest folklore, mythology, and romance". New York: The Macmillan Company.
*Rose, Carol. "Spirits, fairies, leprechauns, and goblins: An encyclopedia".
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