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Wight

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This article is about the term in Germanic languages. For the island in England, see Isle of Wight. For other uses, see Wight (disambiguation).
Page recording a charm against a dwarf, from the Lacnunga collection, in which the dwarf is referred to as a wiht.[1]
Vættir in "Grimm's Fairy Tales" (1915)

A wight is a being or thing. This general meaning is shared by cognate terms in Germanic languages, however the usage of the term varies greatly over time and between regions. In Old English, it could refer to anything in existence, with more specific usages arising in Middle English, perhaps due to the term of similar meaning in Anglo-Norman, creature. The term is widely used in modern fantasy, often to mean specifically a being which is undead.

The vættir (Old Norse: [ˈwɛːtːez̠]; singular vættr [ˈwɛːtːz̠]) 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 and Vanir). Vættir can also refer more specifically to landvættir ([ˈlɑndˌwɛːtːez̠], nature spirits), fjallvættir ([ˈfjɑlːˌwɛːtːez̠], mountain spirits), sjóvættir ([ˈsjoːˌwɛːtːez̠], sea spirits), skogvættir ([ˈskoɣˌwɛːtːez̠], forest spirits), vatnavættir ([ˈwɑtnɑˌwɛːtːez̠], guardians of the specific waters), or húsvættir ([ˈhuːsˌwɛːtːez̠], house spirits).[citation needed][2][3]

Etymology[edit]

Modern English "wight" is descended from Middle English: wight or Middle English: wiȝt, from Old English: wiht, from Proto-West Germanic '*wihti' from Proto-Germanic: *wihtiz from Proto-Indo-European: '*wekti' ("cause, sake, thing"), from Proto-Indo-European "*wekʷ-" ("to say, tell"). "Wight" is further cognate with Scots: wicht, German: Wicht, Dutch: Wicht, Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 and Old Norse: vættr, the ancestor of Swedish: vätte, Danish: vætte and Icelandic: vættur.[4][5]


The Old Norse term véttr [ˈweːtːz̠], / vættr and its English cognate wight are descended from Proto-Germanic *wihtiz (thing, creature), from Proto-Indo-European *wekti- ("object, thing").[6] Vættr and wight normally refer to a supernatural being, especially landvættr (land spirit), but can refer to any creature. The Norwegian vette is used much in the same way as the Old Norse vættr as are the corresponding Swedish cognate vätte (dialect form vätter – Old Swedish vætter)[7] and the Danish vætte. A related form in the Slavic languages can be seen in Old Church Slavonic вєшть, (veštĭ), meaning thing, matter, or subject.[citation needed]


Medieval period[edit]

Old English[edit]

The eoten Grendel, who is described in Beowulf as wiht unhaélo ("that damned creature"), as illustrated by J. R. Skelton.[8]

In Old English, wiht has been variously translated as "wight", "creature" and "being".[9] The term is found in the compound words eall-wihta ("all beings") and á-wiht ("aught", "anything").[10][11] Wiht is often used as the subject of riddles, such as riddle 86 from the Exeter Book, in which it has been interpreted as referring to a person selling vegetables, likely garlics.[9][12] The term is also used to refer to beings such as the dwarf which is the focus of the XCIIIB charm, and the eoten Grendel and the dragon in Beowulf.[1][13]

The word began to acquire the sense of supernatural or unearthly beings, included in the 8th century Lindisfarne Gospels.[14]

Middle English[edit]

Connotations and scope[edit]

When creature was borrowed from Anglo-Norman around 1300 CE, it was possibly wholly synonymous with Middle English: wight, however over time the words became differentiated by speakers.[15] The exact usage of the term varies between works but it broadly is used in one of five loose categories that blur between themselves:

  • a "living creature", an element of the earthly world
  • a generic being, with few connotations
  • an enemy or social inferior that is seen as other
  • as beloved, often gendered
  • a being connected to the spiritual realm, either good or bad[16]

The term is used to refer to a range of positive beings with supernatural aspects such as saints, Jesus, and his mother, Mary.[17] It has been argued that the term could be used for anything other than the God the Father, as he himself was not created in Christian theology. It has been noted, however, that it is stated in the Man of Law that Daniel in the lion's den was saved by "No wight but God", showing it was possible to use the term to refer to a class of beings that includes both man and the Christian god. It is to be noted though are no extant texts in Middle English that refer to God the Father directly as a wight.[18]

The most common use of the term, however, is to refer to everyday corporeal beings as these are much more represented in normal conversation. Wight is commonly found with adjectives, such as curside, wikkede, or worldly. The phrase "sweet wight" is notable, occurring frequently and often in gendered and romantic contexts.[19]

Examples[edit]

The Reeve's Tale, (1387–1400), line 4236:
"For [Aleyn] had swonken al the longe nyght,
And seyde, 'Fare weel, Malyne, sweete wight!'"
The Monk's Tale, (1387–1400), line 380:
"She kept her maidenhood from every wight
To no man deigned she for to be bond."
The Book of the Duchess, (1387–1400), line 579:
"Worste of alle wightes."
Prologue of The Knight, (1387–1400), line 72–73:
"Ne neuere yet no vileynye he sayde
In al his lyf vnto no manere wight.
He was a verray parfit gentil knyght."
The House of Fame, (1379–1380), line 1830–1831:
"We ben shrewes, every wight,
And han delyt in wikkednes."

Old Norse[edit]

As with "wight", Old Norse: vættr (pl. vættir) means a being, especially a supernatural being. It occurs in compound nouns such as mein-vættr ("evil wight"), land-vættr ("guardian spirit of a country"), vitta vettr ("witch wight" or "sorceress") and bjargvættr ("helping sprite").[20][21][22]

Modern period[edit]

Modern English[edit]

Modern Fantasy[edit]

Wights feature in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, especially in The Lord of the Rings, and in George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire[citation needed][23] and HBO television series Game of Thrones.[citation needed] Since its 1974 inclusion in the RPG Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), it has become a recurring form of undead in other fantasy games and mods, such as Vampire: The Masquerade.[24] and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.[citation needed]

Examples of usage[edit]

  • The English surname Wightman retains the meaning of the word "wight" and could be translated as "elf-friend".[25][better source needed]

German[edit]

A similar change of meaning can be seen in the German cognate Wicht, meaning a living human being, generally rather small, poor or miserable man (not woman). The word is somewhat old-fashioned in today's language, but it is still used and readily recognized in everyday speech.[citation needed]

The diminutive Wichtel refers to beings in folklore and fantasy, generally small, and often helpful, dwelling in or near human settlements, secretly doing work and helping the humans, somewhat similar to the more specific Heinzelmännchen. Wichtel in this sense is recorded since the Middle Ages. Today, Wichtel is more often used than Wicht.[citation needed]

Dutch[edit]

The word wicht can be used to refer, to any woman, often with negative connotations. It is not used to refer to men.[citation needed]

Booswicht (literally evil-being) matching 'villain', can be used to describe both men and women.[citation needed]

Scottish[edit]

Húsvættir is a collective term for keepers of the household, like the Scottish brownie, or the Nordic tomte (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.[26][better source needed]

Scandinavia[edit]

Scandinavian folklore 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 (although the singular vittra and huldra, respectively, refer to a solitary and quite different being).[citation needed]

During the 19th century, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe compiled Norwegian folk tales. These stories often reflected the animistic folk belief that preserved earlier elements derived from the Viking Age but was strongly influenced by medieval Biblical cosmology. Prominent are stories that reflect later views of the vættir, usually called the huldrefolk (from Old Norse huldufólk), meaning "concealed people" and referring to their other worldliness or power of invisibility.[27][better source needed][28] The stories featuring the huldrefolk often highlight their enigmatic nature and their interactions with humans. They may appear as seductive maidens or mysterious forest dwellers, leading unsuspecting travelers astray or blessing those who treat them kindly. These tales reflect a blend of reverence, fear, and fascination with the supernatural that permeated Norwegian folklore.


See also[edit]

  • Rå, spirits that protect natural features in later Scandinavian folklore

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hines 2019, pp. 38–39.
  2. ^ "vætte". Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. ^ "vette". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  4. ^ wight.
  5. ^ *wihtiz.
  6. ^ "wight". etymonline.com.
  7. ^ "Vättern". Runeberg.org. Svensk etymologisk ordbok.
  8. ^ Slade, Line 120.
  9. ^ a b BT-wiht.
  10. ^ BT-eall-wihta.
  11. ^ BT-á-wiht.
  12. ^ Wilcox 1996, p. 180.
  13. ^ Slade, Lines 120, 3038.
  14. ^ Reinders, Eric (2024). Reading Tolkien in Chinese: Religion, Fantasy, and Translation. Perspectives on Fantasy series. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 110. ISBN 9781350374645.
  15. ^ Farrell 2015, p. 182.
  16. ^ Farrell 2015, p. 184.
  17. ^ Farrell 2015, p. 186.
  18. ^ Farrell 2015, pp. 180–182, 193.
  19. ^ Farrell 2015, pp. 184–186.
  20. ^ CV-Vættr.
  21. ^ OID-Landvættr.
  22. ^ OID-Bjargvættr.
  23. ^ Martin, pp. 533–536, 545–548.
  24. ^ Sins of the blood. McCoy, Angel., White Wolf Publishing. Clarkston, GA: White Wolf Pub. 2001. pp. 9, 17–24. ISBN 158846217X. OCLC 62150117.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  25. ^ "Surname Database". Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  26. ^ "The Vættir". Real Heathenry. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "Asbjørnsen & Moe". Fairytalez.com. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "Vættir". Nightbringer.se. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2019.

Bibliography[edit]

Primary[edit]

  • Martin. "Chapter 52: Jon". A Game of Thrones.
  • Slade, Benjamin. "Beowulf". heorot.dk. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

Secondary[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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