The Kettle of the Underjordiska
A pot or kettle that the underjordiska, the hidden people beneath the earth, were said to borrow from farm households. In Swedish legend a woman lends a kettle to the hidden folk, often for a christening or a feast in their underground halls, and finds it returned filled with gold, a silver gift, or the sweet smell of their food — or learns that borrowing from them carries its own price. The motif of the borrowed vessel, known across Scandinavia, plays on the housewife's neighbourly duty to the hidden people and her reward or punishment for how she meets it. If she gave generously and asked no