About Hyldyr

Hyldyr is a a unique and experimental publishing house based in Olympia, Washington. We're focused on the intersection of art, ecology, and folklore, and in particular place a strong emphasis on Scandinavian folklore topics. In practice, this means that we work with artists, scholars, and local manufacturers to produce quality books, often translations of historic texts, as wells as cards. We place great effort in restricting our output to locally-made, biodegradable, and recyclable materials whenever and wherever possible. We consistently strive to work with small businesses and reduce any and all waste in our practice. "Hyldyr" is a Middle English word that means 'elder tree'. The elder tree is personified as a goddess-like entity—the Elder Mother—in both English and Danish folklore. The Hyldyr logo depicts the Elder Mother. With our cultural and academic backgrounds in Scandinavia and the Pacific Northwest, we place much of our focus on historic charms and narratives from the region, but also draw inspiration from topics like the ancient and contemporary veneration of sacred trees and groves the world over. "…everything made by man’s hands has a form, which must be either beautiful or ugly; beautiful if it is in accord with Nature, and helps her; ugly if it is discordant with Nature, and thwarts her; it cannot be indifferent…— William Morris, 1877Read their story