Tradition: English Mythology, Danish Mythology
Alternative Names: Hyldemoer, Hyldequinde, Old Lady, Old Girl
Category: Spirit
The Myth
The Elder Mother was a supernatural guardian of the elder tree, appearing in English folklore as the Old Lady or Old Girl and in Denmark as the Hyldemoer, or Elder-Mother. She was believed to dwell within elder trees and could punish people who cut their wood without first asking her permission. A woodsman was expected to politely request some of the tree’s wood and promise to give some of his own wood when he himself grew into a tree. Taking elder wood without permission could bring terrible misfortune. In one English tale, a child became dangerously ill after a cradle was repaired with elder wood without the Elder Mother’s consent. The mother believed that the spirit had pinched and tormented the child until the offending piece of elder was replaced with ash.
The Elder Mother could also appear as a witch closely associated with the elder tree. In Somerset, a farmer once saw a witch in the form of an elder tree milking his cow. He fired a silver bullet at her, but missed and was chased back to his farmhouse. His grandmother then seized a burning coal from the fire and threw it against the elder tree, setting it alight and killing the witch. In Northamptonshire, another man cut a stick from an elder and saw blood flowing from the wound in the tree. Later he encountered a local witch with a bloodied bandage on her arm, revealing the connection between the tree and the supernatural woman.
In another English legend, the elder-tree witch became the unlikely savior of England. A king and his knights marched toward Long Compton, and a witch told the king that if he could see the village after taking seven strides, he would become King of England. When the king confidently continued forward, a hill suddenly rose before Long Compton and blocked his view. The witch then declared that neither he nor his knights would become rulers of England. She transformed the king and his men into standing stones, while she herself became an elder tree. The legend was told as the origin of the Rollright Stones. In Denmark, the Hyldemoer or Hyldequinde was similarly regarded as a tree-dwelling spirit like a wood nymph or dryad, and those who built with elder wood without first seeking her permission risked being haunted or tormented by her.
Sources
“Elder Mother.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Mother