Mare
Maren (the Mare) is the Danish nightmare spirit — a female entity who sits on sleeping people's chests, pressing the air from their lungs and causing terrifying dreams. In Danish folklore, the Mare is a shape-shifter who can take the form of a cat, a dog, an owl, a horse, or even a straw. She is blamed for sleep paralysis, which in Danish is called 'mare-reden' (mare-ride). The Mare creates 'marelokker' (mare-locks) — tangled knots in horses' manes and women's hair, believed to be where she has been braiding at night. Protection against the Mare includes placing steel in the bed, reversing sho