Näcken

In Scandinavian folklore, Näcken is a male water spirit who played enchanted songs on the violin, luring women and children to drown in lakes or streams. He was the unsurpassed master violinist, and musicians could learn from him.

Playing the violin like Näcken was not without risk, since the musician could become so enthralled by the music that he would be unable to stop playing until he lost his mind. The people listening would become ensorcelled by the tune that they neither could nor wanted to stop dancing. The only way to break the spell would be if someone there severed the violin strings with a knife.

The shawl is a top-down semicircular shawl. It contains stylized lily pads (Näckrosor - Näckens roses in Swedish) near the top which then are surrounded by softly lapping water, spreading in rings.