The Lure of Water and Wood

Nikolaos was not human. He was Näcken, tethered to the river and cursed by an uncontrollable passion that drowned those who came near. Guised as a young man but older than anyone knew, he hid his torment over who he was. Näcken. Most knew him by that name. They heard his bewitching violin calling them from the waterways. It was too late then; there was nothing either he or they could do.

Rå was ancient. She had walked among the worshippers of Odin, Thor, and Freya. Caring for the trees and the forests, she hid her tree trunk back under her long brown hair. Men found her in the woods, unsure if she was a tree or a woman. When they came near, she opened a hole in her back, and they ran to her, wanting her. Rå harnessed their lust to feed the forests. She was Rå. Women knew her as Magda, a wisewoman.

Step into a world where diligent historical research melds with vivid imagination. Inspired by the sorcery trials that rippled through the highest courts, The Lure of Water and Wood is a journey across two centuries as experienced by Sweden's most elusive mythological creatures. A time when Näcken and Rå were not figments of folklore but immortal entities that influenced the lives of people. A saga where the boundary between history and legend is tantalizingly blurred.

"Erwin brings the reader into a time when magic, faith, and folk tales coursed through the landscape of the Swedish countryside by crafting together historical facts with fantasy storytelling."

- American Swedish Historical Museum

"Within Helen Erwin's latest book, we are brought into the panic and fear of sorcery and the influence of malevolent players. She brings humanity and agency not only to the accused but to the supposed masterminds Näcken and Forest Rå. Humanizing this fear can perhaps bring new understanding to the panic that can begin after one fatal rumor."

- Wicked Women: The Podcast

Helen Lundström Erwin, author of Sour Milk in Sheep's Wool and James' Journey, ventures into the historical fantasy genre for the first time, delivering a spellbinding epic.