The Vittra Gifts
Gifts of the vittra, the coins, bread, or small silver objects that the hidden folk of northern Sweden were believed to press upon helpful humans or to leave in their path. The gifts came as payment for a service, thanks for a kindness, or a promise of friendship, and accepting a vittra gift was held to bring luck to the farm and the family. The hidden people tested the receiver's character: gratitude and restraint were rewarded, while greed or disrespect brought misfortune, and the gifts sometimes turned to leaves or bark at dawn when taken in the wrong spirit. To refuse a vittra gift outrigh