Ever stand at the forest’s edge, stare into its dark depths and wonder what lurks among the old and aged trees? Perhaps it’s nothing more than a rabbit or a deer, or, maybe it’s something much more sinister, something waiting to drain dry anyone unfortunate enough to get too close. That something just might be the Wood Wives.
The Wood Wives are beautiful female spirits of the forest in Germanic folklore. Gorgeous, with flawless pale skin and clothing of flowing green, red and blue, the Wood Wives are stunning beings that live deep in the heart of forests, although, the smell of bread baking can lure them out and towards homes. There are many tales about these lovely creatures and most of them are good, for the most part the Wood Wives were kind spirits. They were thought to be gentle and helpful to humans, helping those traveling through their woods.
In the old tales, Wood Wives were also known to ask favors of travelers or woodsmen, asking to borrow something or have an item mended. A wise person will do as the Wood Wife asks, even though their only payment was a pouch of wood chips. Some men would deny the Wood Wives, never knowing what they lost. Kind men who accepted the wood chips were later pleasantly surprised when they discovered that the moment they left the woods the chips turned into gold.
That makes them seem like such sweet beings, however there are tales that claim that the Wood Wives were also known to drink the blood of and kill those that angered them. Huntsmen and woodcutters were especially at risk of the Wood Wives’ wrath for these men interfered with the balance of nature by killing animals and chopping down trees. Stories of hunters found dead with their throats cut and drained of blood spread all throughout the Germanic countryside during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Now, these beings aren’t technically vampires, they just occasionally have vampire-like tendencies. In truth, Germanic folklore has the Wood Wives classified as fairies. Fairies that occasionally drink blood and kill those that meddle in their forests.
So Dear Readers, careful what you do in the woods, you never know who is watching.
– Moonlight
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