We, the Hulder
our secret to preserve.
Slight frames, quick minds and softened voices,
Help us, always, to avoid the choices,
That others do deserve.
Keep moving, onwards, upwards,
forwards, the task we must attend.
We see the world, and watch and wait,
But never worry 'bout our fate.
The thread to be revealed.
Escape can we through ghostly
realms, but only if must.
Our tricks so spent, a fragile form,
can leave us to death's grasp forlorn,
and needing those we trust.
Muse on this, my child and kin.
Times change but we survive.
Not big, callous or unfriendly,
No, the epitome of gently,
we Hulder, are alive!
These short verses are taught to Hulder children from a young age. They are intended to be both a night time bedtime rhyme and an instruction on the very core of social responsibilities that every Hulder should hold towards itself and those it travels with. They speak of the natural physiological advantages the Hidden folk have compared to the other races of Savlskogenhiem, their nomadic nature which in part protects them further and of the innate magical ability to momentarily traverse the Plane of Mists. Though intended for a child, this poem is quite central to the mindset of the Hulder; that avoidance outweighs the responsibility of interaction, and that the survival should be paramount. This has changed in recent years for such groups as the Kendri, and the Hagr, but others such as the Tungla have turned inwards given their treatment at the hands of outsiders, leaving the meaning of this poem to be contained within the delivery of the speaker.
