The Älvor – Meadow Elves of the Åland Archipelago
The älvor (elves) are beautiful, otherworldly female beings who dance in the meadows and misty fields of Åland, particularly at dawn and dusk. Their dancing leaves behind 'älvringar' (fairy rings) — circles of flattened grass or mushrooms where the ground is forever enchanted. Humans who interrupt their dances may be lured into their realm, losing all sense of time and place. Those who step into an älvring may become invisible to other humans or fall into a sleep from which they cannot wake. In Swedish-speaking Åland tradition, the älvor are skilled in magic and illusions. They are sometimes d