This presentation focus on folklore about meetings between miners and the legendary “ruler” of the Falun mine (Sw Gruvfrun), dating from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. This material consists mostly of memorats, i.e. self experienced memories. The contexts of these memorats can always be found in some kind of problem or danger, e.g. in the risk of mine collapse. Previously, these memories have been explained as expressions of a “primitive security system” (Tillhagen 1981). However, this explanation does not take the social hierarchies within the mine into consideration. Often, after meeting Gruvfrun, the miners tell the mining executives about the occurrence. The mining executives often take some kind of action based on the reports from the miners. They could e.g. move the miners to another shaft and by that save them from a potential danger. My hypothesis is that Gruvfrun symbolically filled functions in communication between miners and their superiors. Miners could, intentional or unintentional, use the symbol to affect their working conditions. It was also in the interest of the mining executives to keep the legitimacy of the symbol because, according to other legends and memorats, Gruvfrun watched over the discipline among the miners.