Näcken is the evil spirit of the water. He can take the shape of a big, friendly horse. "Some children were playing next to a small lake, when they suddenly saw a large white horse, which they never had seen before. The children were, as all children are, both curious and adventurous. They wanted to ride the horse - one after the other they climbed onto it. The smallest boy could not yet speak properly.
"Jag Näcken inte!", he said, meaning "Jag räcker inte" (in Swedish, this means "I can´t reach")
The horse started to run so fast that the children tumbled off. He disappeared into the rushing water. This happened because the smallest boy mentionedNäcken."
This legend is from Vissefjärda in Småland.