Postväsen

Postväsen is a term used in Swedish folklore and ethnology to describe a category of supernatural beings tied to letters, messages, and the roads along which they travel. The exact form and behavior of postväsen vary regionally; there is no single canonical creature. In late 19th- and early 20th-century accounts, storytellers sometimes described postväsen as small, impish beings that either aided postmen by guiding their horses or hindered deliveries by creating delays, misplacing letters, or ringing bells at crossroads to signal mistakes. Other renditions portray postväsen as more ghostly watchers who stand at milestones or gatehouses, ensuring messages reach their destinations or punishing lateness with misfortune.

Scholarly interpretations see postväsen as a product of rural concerns about communication reliability, route safety, and the social importance of mail. They are categorized among 'väsen'—a broad umbrella for spirits and supernatural beings in Nordic folklore—and are typically treated as localized beliefs rather than a unified myth.

In modern times, references to postväsen are mainly of folkloristic and literary interest, appearing in collections of regional tales and studies of Swedish magical beliefs. The term underscores how people historically embedded everyday communications—like post and letters—within a supernatural frame to explain uncertainties of travel and correspondence.