The vættir (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

: ; singular vættr ) are spirits in Norse mythology. The term can be used to refer to the full cosmos of supernatural beings, including the álfar (elves), dvergar (dwarves), jötnar (giants), and gods (the

Æsir The Æsir (Old Norse: ) are the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion. They include Odin, Frigg, Höðr, Thor, and Baldr. The second Norse pantheon is the Vanir. In Norse mythology, the two pantheons wage war against each other, ...

and

Vanir In Norse mythology, the Vanir (; Old Norse: , singular Vanr ) are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods (the other being the Æsir) and are the namesake of the ...

). Vættir can also refer more specifically to

landvættir Landvættir (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; "land wights") are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a ...

nature spirits Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, h ...

), fjallvættir (, mountain spirits), sjóvættir (, sea spirits), skogvættir (, forest spirits), vatnavættir (, guardians of the specific waters), or húsvættir (, house spirits).

Etymology

The

term ''véttr'' , / ''vættr'' and its English cognate ''wight'' are descended from Proto-Germanic ''*wihtiz'' (thing, creature), from Proto-Indo-European ''*wekti-'' ("object, thing"). ''Vættr'' and ''wight'' normally refer to a supernatural being, especially landvættr (land spirit), but can refer to any creature. The

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

''vette'' is used much in the same way as the Old Norse ''vættr'' as are the corresponding

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

cognate ''vätte'' (dialect form vätter – Old Swedish vætter) and the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

''vætte''. A related form in the Slavic languages can be seen in Old Church Slavonic ''вєшть'', (veštĭ), meaning thing, matter, or subject.

Viking Age

Landvættir Landvættir (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; "land wights") are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a ...

(nature spirits) are chthonic guardians of specific grounds, such as wild places or farms. When

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

approached land, they reportedly removed their carved dragon heads from the bows of their

longship Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Nors ...

s so as not to frighten and thus provoke the ''landvættir'' to attack and thereby incur bad

luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

from them. Icelandic culture continues to celebrate the supernatural protection over the island and four ''landvættr'' can still be seen in the Icelandic coat-of-arms: a troll-bull, troll-eagle, dragon, and handsome giant. The troll-animals are actually

jötunn A (also jotun; in the normalised scholarly spelling of Old Norse, ; ; plural / ) or, in Old English, (plural ) is a type of supernatural being in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, they are often contrasted with gods ( Æsir and Vani ...

who shape shifted into the form (and mentality) of an animal and such animals are supernaturally strong.

Folklore

Húsvættir is a collective term for keepers of the household, like the Scottish brownie, or the Nordic ''

tomte A (, ), tomte (), , or () is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a co ...

'' (also referred to as ''Nisse''). The ''tomte'' or ''nisse'' is a solitary vätte, living on the farmstead. He is usually benevolent and helpful, which can not be said about an innately mischievous ''illvätte''. However, a ''nisse'' can cause a lot of damage if he is displeased or angry, including killing of livestock or causing serious accidents.

Scandinavian folklore Nordic folklore is the folklore of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It has common roots with, and has been mutually influenced by, folklore in England, Germany, the Low Countries, the Baltic countries, Finland and Sapmi. ...

features a class of beings similar to the Old Norse ''landvættir''. They are known by many names, although the most common are ''vättar'' in southern Sweden (singular: vätte), '' vittra'' in northern Sweden, and '' huldrefolk'' in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

(although the singular ''vittra'' and ''huldra'', respectively, refer to a solitary and quite different being). During the 19th century,

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen Peter Christen Asbjørnsen (15 January 18125 January 1885) was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections ...

and

Jørgen Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (22 April 1813–27 March 1882) was a Norwegian folklorist, bishop, poet, and author. He is best known for the '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', a collection of Norwegian folk tales which he edited in collaboration with Pe ...

compiled Norwegian folk tales. These stories often reflected the animistic folk belief that preserved earlier elements derived from the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

but was strongly influenced by medieval

Biblical cosmology Biblical cosmology is the biblical writers' conception of the cosmos as an organised, structured entity, including its origin, order, meaning and destiny. The Bible was formed over many centuries, involving many authors, and reflects shift ...

. Prominent are stories that reflect later views of the vættir, usually called the huldrefolk (from

huldufólk), meaning "concealed people" and referring to their other worldliness or their power of invisibility. The English surname Wightman retains the meaning of the word "wight" and could be translated as "elf-friend".

Citations

General and cited sources

*Reidar Th. Christiansen (1964) ''Folktales of Norway'' (University of Chicago Press) *Reimund Kvideland & Henning K. Sehmsdorf (1988) ''Scandinavian Folk Belief and Legend'' (University of Minnesota Press)

External links

Scandinavian Folklore, compiled by Scott Trimble
– a scholarly outline of prominent themes in Scandinavian folklore. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaettir Germanic mythology Nature spirits Scandinavian legendary creatures Tutelary deities da:Vætte