Mare

Origins and Folklore

The Mare (Old English: mære, Old Norse: mara, German: Mahr) is one of the most ancient, widespread, and deeply unsettling supernatural entities in European folklore. Unlike dragons that hoard gold or giants that throw mountains, the Mare is a creature of intense, intimate, and inescapable psychological terror.

It is the literal, etymological root of the English word “nightmare.” For centuries across Germanic, Slavic, and Scandinavian cultures, a nightmare was not just a bad dream; it was a physical attack by a malicious spirit.

The Mare is fundamentally a demon or a cursed individual who torments the sleeping.

The Suffocating Rider

The physical description of the Mare is often terrifying precisely because it is so difficult to define. It is primarily a shape-shifter.

• The Shadow: It most commonly appears as a heavy, dark, amorphous shadow that slithers silently into the bedroom.
• The Seductress: In many tales, particularly in Scandinavian folklore, the Mare takes the form of a terrifyingly beautiful, naked woman who visits the beds of young men.
• The Animal: It is also known to transform into an animal, often a black cat, a toad, a mouse, or even a piece of straw or a fluff of dust, to squeeze through the tiniest cracks, keyholes, or under the gap of a locked door.

Regardless of its form, the Mare’s method of attack is universally identical and horrifyingly specific to the medical condition now known as sleep paralysis.

The Nightly Torment

The Mare waits until its victim is in the deepest stages of sleep. It then creeps into the room and physically sits or kneels upon the victim’s chest.

• The Paralysis: The victim suddenly awakens, fully conscious of their surroundings, but completely unable to move a single muscle, speak, or scream. The immense, supernatural weight of the Mare pins them to the bed.
• The Suffocation: The Mare begins to crush the breath out of the victim, creating an intense feeling of suffocation and impending death.
• The Hallucinations: As the victim struggles to breathe, the Mare induces horrifying, vivid hallucinations, amplifying the terror.

The attack rarely kills the victim outright, but it leaves them exhausted, terrified, and drenched in a cold sweat, dreading the next time they have to close their eyes.

The Curse of the Mare

In much of the folklore, particularly in Sweden and Norway, a Mare is not a demon from hell, but a living human being suffering from a terrible curse.

Often, it is a woman who is entirely unaware of her nocturnal activities. The curse can be inherited, or it can be the result of a wicked action. For instance, a common superstition held that if a pregnant woman attempted a magical ritual to ensure a painless delivery (such as crawling backwards through a stretched horse membrane), the resulting child would be cursed. If it were a boy, he would become a werewolf; if a girl, she would become a Mare.

When the cursed woman goes to sleep, her spirit leaves her body, shape-shifts, and “rides” her neighbors.

The Tangled Manes

Humans are not the only victims of the Mare. The spirit is also notoriously fond of “riding” horses in their stalls at night.

A farmer would often wake up to find his best horses exhausted, covered in sweat, and trembling, even though they had been locked in the barn all night. The unmistakable sign of a Mare’s visit was the horse’s mane and tail, which the spirit would twist and braid into incredibly tight, intricate knots known as “Mare-locks” (or elf-locks), which were nearly impossible to untangle. Trees, particularly pine trees, were also said to be “ridden” by the Mare, causing their branches to twist and tangle unnaturally.

Defending Against the Terror

Because the Mare attacks the most vulnerable, defenses against it are deeply ingrained in domestic superstition.

• Iron: The most effective and common defense is cold iron. Placing a sharp iron knife, a pair of open scissors, or an iron nail beneath the pillow or mattress is believed to slice the Mare if it attempts to sit on the chest.
• The Shoes: A widespread custom involves placing one’s shoes at the foot of the bed with the toes pointing outwards, away from the bed. This confuses the Mare, making it believe the person has already left the room, or preventing it from easily climbing up.
• The Unbroken Line: Wrapping a completely unbroken line of string or yarn around the entire bed creates a magical barrier the spirit cannot cross.
• The Keyhole: Since the Mare often enters through the keyhole, simply leaving the key in the lock overnight blocks its path.