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Mare(folklore)
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AMara(OldEnglish:mre,Old
Dutch:maremarainOldHighGerman,Old
NorseandOldChurchSlavic)isanevil
spiritorgoblininGermanicfolklorewhichrideson
people'schestswhiletheysleep,bringingonbad
dreams(or"nightmares").[1]
Themareisoftensimilartothemythical
creaturessuccubusandincubus.
Contents[hide] TheNightmare,byHenryFuseli
1 Etymology
2 Beliefs
3 Byregion
3.1 Scandinavia
3.2 Germany
3.3 Slaviccountries
3.4 Other
4 Seealso
5 Notes
6 References
Etymology [ edit ]
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Theword"mare"comes(throughMiddleEnglishmare)fromOldEnglishmre,mare,ormere,all
femininenouns.TheseinturncomefromCommonGermanic*marn.*MarnisthesourceofOld
Norse:mara,fromwhichare
derivedSwedish:maraIcelandic:maraFaroese:marraDanish:mareNorwegian:mare/mara,Dutch:
(nacht)merrie,andGerman:(Nacht)mahr.ThemarinFrenchcauchemar("nightmare")isborrowed
fromtheGermanicthroughOldFrenchmare.[1]
ThewordmayultimatelybetracedbacktothereconstructedProtoIndoEuropeanroot*mer,"to
rubaway"or"toharm".[2]HungarianfolkloristvaPcsendorsesanalternateetymology,tracing
thecoretermbacktotheGreek(IndoEuropean*moros),meaning"death".[3][4][5]
InNorwegianandDanish,thewordsfor"nightmare"aremarerittandmareridtrespectively,which
canbedirectlytranslatedas"mareride".TheIcelandicwordmartrhasthesamemeaning(
trfromtheverbtroa,"trample","stampon",relatedto"tread"),whereasthe
Swedishmardrmtranslatesas"maredream".
Beliefs [ edit ]
Themarewasalsobelievedto"ride"horses,whichleftthemexhaustedandcoveredinsweatby
themorning.Shecouldalsoentanglethehairofthesleepingmanorbeast,resultingin
"marelocks",calledmarfltor("marebraids")ormartovor("maretangles")
inSwedishormarefletterandmarelokkerinNorwegian.Thebeliefprobablyoriginatedasan
explanationtothePolishplaitphenomenon,ahairdisease.
Eventreeswerethoughttoberiddenbythemare,resultinginbranchesbeingentangled.The
undersized,twistedpinetreesgrowingoncoastalrocksandonwetgroundsareknowninSweden
asmartallar("marepines")orinGermanasAlptraumKiefer("nightmarepine").
AccordingtoPaulDevereux,maresincludedwitcheswhotookontheformofanimalswhentheir
spiritswentoutandaboutwhiletheywereintrance(seetheIcelandicexampleofGeirrid,below).
Theseincludedanimalssuchasfrogs,cats,horses,hares,dogs,oxen,birdsandoftenbeesand
wasps.[4]
Byregion [ edit ]
Scandinavia [ edit ]
ThemareisattestedasearlyasintheNorseYnglingasagafromthe13thcentury.[6]Here,
KingVanlandiSveigissonofUppsalalosthislifetoanightmare(mara)conjuredbytheFinnish
sorceressHuldorHulda,hiredbytheking'sabandonedwifeDrfa.Thekinghadbrokenhis
promisetoreturnwithinthreeyears,andaftertenyearshadelapsedthewifeengagedthe
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sorceresstoeitherlurethekingbacktoher,orfailingthat,toassassinatehim.Vanlandihad
scarcelygonetosleepwhenhecomplainedthatthenightmare"rodehim"whenthemenheldthe
king'sheadtheit"trodonhislegs"onthepointofbreaking,andwhentheretinuethen"seizedhis
feet"thecreaturefatally"presseddownonhishead."[7]
AccordingtotheVatnsdlasaga,ThorkelSilver(orkellSilfri)hasadreamaboutridingaredhorse
thatbarelytouchedground,whichheinterpretedasapositiveomen,buthiswifedisagreed,
explainingthatamaresignifiedaman'sfetch(fylgja),andthattheredcolorbodedbloodiness.This
associationofthenightmarewithfetchisthoughttobeoflateorigin,aninterpolationinthetext
datingtocirca1300,withthetextexhibitinga"confoundingofthewordsmarrandmara."[8]
AnotherpossibleexampleistheaccountintheEyrbyggjasagaofthesorceressGeirridaccusedof
assumingtheshapeofa"nightrider"or"ridebynight"(marlendrorkveldria)andcausing
serioustramplingbruisesonGunnlaugThorbjornsson.Themarlendrmentionedherehasbeen
equatedtothemarabycommentators.[9][10][11]
AsinEnglish,thenameappearsinthewordfor"nightmare"intheNordiclanguages(e.g.the
Swedishword"mardrm"literallymeaningmaradream,theNorwegianword"mareritt"andthe
Danish"Mareridt",bothmeaningMarerideortheIcelandicword"martr"meaningmara
dreamingrepeatedly).
Germany [ edit ]
InGermanytheywereknownasmara,mahr,mare.
GermanFolkloristFranzFelixAdalbertKuhnrecordsaWestphaliancharmorprayerusedtoward
offmares,fromWilhelmsburgnearPaderborn:
HereIamlyingdowntosleep
Hierleg'ichmichschlafen,
Nonightmareshallplagueme
KeineNachtmahrsollmichplagen,
untiltheyhaveswumthroughallthe
BissieschwemmenalleWasser,
waters
DieaufErdenflieen,
thatflowupontheearth,
UndtelletalleSterne,
andcountedallstars
DieamFirmamenterscheinen![12]
thatappearintheskies.[14]
[DazuhelfemirGottVater,Sohnund
[ThushelpmeGodFather,Son,and
heiligerGeist.Amen!][13]
HolyGhost.Amen!][15]
SuchcharmsareprecededbytheexampleoftheMnchenerNachtsegenofthefourteenthcentury
(SeeElfunderMedievalandearlymodernGermantexts).Itstextsdemonstratesthatcertainlyby
theLateMiddleAges,thedistinctionbetweenthemare,thealp,andthetrute(drude)wasbeing
blurred,themarebeingdescribedatthealp'smother.[16]
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Slaviccountries [ edit ]
InPolishfolklore,zmoraormaraarethesoulsoflivingpeoplethatleavethebodyduringthenight,
andareseenaswispsofstraworhairorasmoths.Accordingly,Polishmara,Czechmradenote
bothakindofelforspiritaswellasa"sphinxmoth"or"nightbutterfly".[17]OtherSlavic
languageswithcognatesthathavethedoublemeaning
ofmothare:Kashubianmra,[18]andSlovakmora.[citationneeded]
InCroatian,morareferstoa"nightmare".MoraorMaraisoneofthespiritsfromancientSlav
mythology.Marawasadarkspiritthattakesaformofabeautifulwomanandthenvisitsmenin
theirdreams,torturingthemwithdesire,anddragginglifeoutofthem.InSerbia,amareis
calledmora,ornonik/nonica("nightcreature",masculineandfemininerespectively).[19]In
RomaniatheywereknownasMoroi.
Itisacommonbeliefthatmoraenterstheroomthroughthekeyhole,sitsonthechestofthe
sleepersandtriestostranglethem(hencemoriti,"totorture","tobother","tostrangle").To
repelmoras,childrenareadvisedtolookatthewindowortoturnthepillowandmakeasignof
crossonit(prekrstitijastuk)intheearly19thcentury,VukKaradimentionsthatpeoplewould
repelmorasbyleavingabroomupsidedownbehindthedoor,orputtingtheirbeltontopoftheir
sheets,orsayinganelaborateprayerpoembeforetheygotosleep.[20]ToshootheMaraaway
uponawakening,thePolessaysenMara,Bgwiara(dreamisMara,[but]Godisfaith).
Other [ edit ]
InHungarian,thecreatureisknownasjjeljror"nightgoer."[21]InEstoniathemarelikespiritis
calledPainaja(presser)orKlmking(coldshoe).[citationneeded]InThailandthisphenomenoniswell
documentedandcalled(peeahm),peemeaning"ghost".Buddhistresidentswearamulets
)blessedbymonkstowardoffspiritssuchasthese.InTurkeythemareisknown
(
asKarabasan(tr)(ominouspresser).
Seealso [ edit ]
MarainBuddhism
Mara(Hindugoddess)
Alp(folklore)
Batibat
Lietuvns
Maya(illusion)
Marzanna(Slavicgoddessofdeathandwinter)
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Moroi
Moros
Nightmare
Pesanta
Sleepparalysis,medicaltermfortheconditionthemareisthoughttocause.
Slavicfairies
Marianne,a2011Swedishhorrorfilmfeaturingmares.
Borgman,a2013Dutchthrillerfilmfeaturingmares.
ParanormalEntityalowbudgetripoffofParanormalActivityfeaturingamarenamedMaronas
thetitularantagonist.
Notes [ edit ]
1.^abBjorvandandLindeman(2007),pp.719720.
2.^"mer "inPickettetal.(2000).Retrievedon20081122.
3.^Pcs1999,p.32
4.^abDevereux(2001),HauntedLand,p.78
5.^ .Liddell,HenryGeorgeScott,RobertAGreekEnglishLexiconatthePerseusProject.
6.^Ynglingasaga,chapter13(andquotedstanzafromYnglingatal),inHdnebandMagery(1979),p.
12
7.^SnorriSturluson(2010)[1964].Heimskringla:HistoryoftheKingsofNorway .Hollander,LeeM.(tr.).
UniversityofTexasPress.ISBN0292786964.
8.^Kelchner,GeorgiaDunham(2013)[1935].DreamsinOldNorseLiteratureandtheirAffinitiesin
Folklore .CambridgeUniversityPress.pp.2022.ISBN1107620228.
9.^Morris,WilliamMagnsson,Eirkr(1892),TheStoryoftheEredwellers(EyrbyggjaSaga) ,B.
Quaritch,pp.29,274,348
10.^DuChaillu,PaulBelloni(1890),TheVikingAge:TheEarlyHistory,Manners,andCustomsofthe
ancestorsoftheEnglishspeakingNations 1,Scribner'sSons,p.433
11.^rmannJakobsson(2009),"TheFearlessVampireKillers:ANoteabouttheIcelandicDraugrand
DemonicContaminationinGrettisSaga" ,Folklore,Volume120,Issue3:307
316,doi:10.1080/00155870903219771
12.^Kuhn,Adalbert(1864)."IndischeundgermanischeSegenssprche" .Zeitschriftfrvergleichende
Spruchforschung13:12.
13.^Lastlinesuppliedfrom"541.Mahrsegen"Kuhn1859,vol.2,p.191
14.^Mahr,AugustC.(1935)."APennsylvaniaDutch'Hexzettel' ".Monatsheftefrdeutschen
Unterricht27(6):215225.JSTOR3016906
15.^LastlineoftranslationsuppliedbyAshliman,D.L."NightMares" .FolkloreandMythologyElectronic
Texts.RetrievedMay2013.
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16.^Hall,Alaric(2007),ElvesinAngloSaxonEngland:MattersofBelief,Health,GenderandIdentity ,
BoydellPress,pp.1256,ISBN1843832941
17.^Grimm1883,TM2,464,note2
18.^BernardSychta.Sownikgwarkaszubskichnatlekulturyludowej,Ossolineum,WrocawWarszawa
Krakw1969,tomIII,pp.102105
19.^Pcs1999,p.33givesthefeminineform.
20.^Karadi,Vuk(1898)[1818],Srpskirjenik
21.^Pcs1999,p.46
References [ edit ]
Bjordvand,HaraldandLindeman,FredrikOtto(2007).Vrearveord.Novus.ISBN9788270994670.
Devereux,Paul(2001).HauntedLand:InvestigationsintoAncientMysteriesandModernDayPhenomena,
PiatkusPublishers.[unreliablesource?]
Grimm,Jacob(1883),"XVII.WightsandElves",TeutonicMythology 2,JamesStevenStallybrass(tr.),W.
SwanSonnenschein&Allen,pp.439517
Hdneb,FinnandMagery,Hallvard(eds.)(1979).Snorreskongesagaer1,2nded.GyldendalNorsk
Forlag.ISBN8205221847.
Kuhn,Adalbert(1859),Sagen,GebrucheundMrchenausWestfalenundeinigenandernandern,
besondersdenangrenzendenGegendenNorddeutschlands ,Brockhaus,pp.1822,191
Pickett,JosephP.etal.(eds.)(2000).TheAmericanHeritageDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage ,4th
ed.Boston:HoughtonMifflin.ISBN0395825172.
Pcs,va(1999),Betweenthelivingandthedead:aperspectiveonwitchesandseersintheearlymodern
age ,CentralEuropeanUniversityPress,ISBN9639116181
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