Scandinavian Folklore
The Hug is the human soul. It refers to the mental
life of the individual - disposition, reflections,
psyche, and wants. The Hug can affect both animate
and inanimate objects, including other people, either
consciously or unconsciously. It can manifest itself
invisibly but it may also choose to materialize. It
can be in different places at the same time. Sometimes
it appears at the moment of death or just before it,
when it will take a somewhat a human form. Sometimes
it would be in the form of a mouse that exits the
person's mouth while s/he sleeps, or a vapor that
would float around the area. One manifestation of
the Hug is the dream-soul - this leaves the body during
sleep, explores the world (sometimes passing some
kind of treasure), and the experiences are remembered
by the sleeper as a dream.
Foreword
