E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Berch’ta [the white lady].
This fairy, in Southern Germany, answers to Hulda (the gracious lady) of Northern Germany; but after the introduction of Christianity, when pagan deities were represented as demons, Berchta lost her former character, and became a bogie to frighten children.
