Devil's grandmother

For the plant, see Elephantopus tomentosus.

The Devil's grandmother is a figure in Northern European folk mythology, sometimes a character in folk tales and sometimes an element of folk sayings.[1] Unlike the Devil, she is often portrayed as a sympathetic figure intervening on behalf of mortals.[2]

Depictions in folktales

In the German folktale The Devil and his Grandmother as recorded by The Brothers Grimm, she is described only as "very aged woman" who intervenes to help a cursed soldier solve a riddle. In The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs she also helps a cursed boy by plucking three hairs from the head of the sleeping Devil for him.

Identification with Old Frick and the goddess Frigg

In his "Northern Mythology: Northern mythology.- Vol. 2. Scandinavian popular traditions and superstitions" (1851), Benjamin Thorpe notes that some tales identify Wild Hunt participant "Old Frick" as "the devil's grandmother" and might be drawn from the same pre-Christian origins as the Norse goddess Frigg.[3]

Depiction in film

She appears in the Swedish film Häxan in the sabbath scene, where she concocts spells. Her appearance is similar to the traditional depiction of demons, but is covered in fur.

See also

References

  1. ^ Chamberlain, Isabel Cushman (1900). "The Devil's Grandmother". Journal of American Folklore. 13 (51). Worcester, Mass.: American Folklore Society: 278–280. doi:10.2307/532914. JSTOR 532914.
  2. ^ catherinedigman (2010-01-21). "The Devil's Grandmother". Culture Notebook. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  3. ^ "Old Frick, the Devil's Grandmother: Goddesses in Folktales and Lore". The Wind's Eye. 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2025-10-10.


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