''Segen'' is a German word translating to "blessing, benediction; charm; prayer; spell, incantation".
It is in origin a loan from Latin ''signum'' ''sīgnāre'' "to make a sign", viz. the
Sign of the Cross
Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...
used to confer a Christian
blessing
In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.
Etymology and Germanic paganism
The modern English language term ''bless'' likely d ...
,
The term is attested as
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
''seganōn'' from as early as c. AD 800, resulting in a modern ''segnen'' "to bless". The noun ''Segen'' "blessing" was derived from the verb at an early time, attested in the 9th century as ''segan''.
Old English had the corresponding ''sægnan'', which survives as the dialectal (esp. Scottish) ''sain'' (popularized by Scott, '' Heart of Mid-Lothian'' "God sain us").
The concept of ''Segen'', understood magically, was very productive in the
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...
,
folk religion
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized r ...
and
superstition
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs an ...
of
German-speaking Europe
This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europ ...
, studied in great detail by the German philologists and folklorists of the 19th century.
The medieval church used the ''Segen'' (the sign of the cross with a spoken formula) liberally, intended as an act with protective effect, putting the person or thing blessed under the protection of God. Nor was the action reserved for priests or clerics, but any Christian was permitted to make the sign of the cross and invoke the protection of God. Thus the ''Segen'' came to be seen as the inverse of the
curse
A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...
(''Fluch''), magical acts with the power to either protect or harm.
The concept of ''Segen'' thus became the continuant of the incantation formulas of the pre-Christian period (the only surviving samples of which are the Merseburg Incantations).
Use of such formulas was partly encouraged by the Church, as they did superficially involve an expression of piety by the invocation of God, Christ or the Virgin Mary, but at the same time their magical use was viewed with scepticism and was sometimes repressed.Grimm, ''
Deutsches Wörterbuch
The ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' (; "The German Dictionary"), abbreviated ''DWB'', is the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language in existence.
By the time of the Early Modern witch-hunts, the term ''segen'' had become ambiguous, and depending on context could refer to a harmless farewell, to a pious invocation of God, or to a Satanic or superstitious spell (''pro incantamento et adjuratione magica'' Stieler 1669; e.g. ''
Wolfssegen
In Bavarian folklore of the Early Modern period, a ''Wolfssegen'' (; also ''Wolfsegen, Wolf-Segen'') was an apotropaic charm against wolves; conversely, a ''Wolfbann'' (''Wolf-Bann'') was a malevolent spell causing a wolf attack.
The ''Wolfsseg ...
'' "contra lupos").
This early modern usage survives in dialectal variation throughout the rural parts of German-speaking Europe.
For
German-speaking Switzerland
The German-speaking part of Switzerland (german: Deutschschweiz, french: Suisse alémanique, it, Svizzera tedesca, rm, Svizra tudestga) comprises about 65 percent of Switzerland (North Western Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Central Switze ...
, the '' Schweizerisches Idiotikon' 7,444 "Sëgeⁿ"
records some two dozen compounds in ''-sëgeⁿ'', in some of which ''Segen'' takes the meaning "prayer" and in others "spell, charm".
A notable concept in Swiss folklore is the ''Alpsegen'' (''Alpe(n)sëgeⁿ, Alpsëgeⁿ'' , a folk religious custom in Alpine Switzerland where every night
a prayer must be sung over each
Alpine pasture
Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps, that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer (German ' from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", '). T ...
. This combined the function of an apotropaic charm with a practical aspect of communicating between remote pastures; if the ''Alpsegen'' was not heard from a neighbouring site, it would be a sign that a misfortune or accident had befallen and the neighbours would come to aid.