Talk:Fylgja

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Great additions, Io.--Wiglaf 21:41, 30 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. There's one thing which bothers me though. As I recall the fylgja is a being while hamingja has more to do with fate. (As when Kveldúlfur says that there is no use resisting the hamingja of Haraldur hárfagri, he is referring to Haraldur's destiny, not his guardian.) This is quoted from memory, however, but it may be a point to consider. Cheers Io 18:15, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Sounds very likely. It should be possible to find information about that in scholarly work.--Wiglaf 18:32, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Could you dig that up, or should I? I'm tempted to change the article based on feeling, but linguistic gut feelings are notoriously difficult to apply, when the time in question is so long. (The language of the sagas looks and feels like my native tongue, but when you look closer, there are always small points to consider - hamingja in modern Icelandic would only mean happiness, not fate or destiny.) As an aside, I've been told that my fylgja is a black dog - gender unspecified. I won't comment on the accuracy of that. :-) Cheers Io 21:34, 23 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Done! We continentals have forgotten about the fylgjur:)--Wiglaf 16:13, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. But now my question is: Don't the articles fylgja and hamingja read pretty much alike? I'll admit that I'm not up to scratch in providing examples from the literature. It's been awhile. Cheers Io 17:17, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Yes, they do sound alike. What I did was to compile information from Nordisk familjebok and Nationalencyklopedin, so I believe the information is correct.--Wiglaf 18:13, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I'll mull it over. You probably know how you take turns reading krimis, historical novels, philosophy, language, whatever. Well, in my case it's been a while since I read the old literature. Its time's coming, but not quite yet. I'll stay out of editing that area for a bit until I've regained fluency, so to speak. (Unless I actually look something up, heaven forbid. :) I still think hamingja and fylgja are not the same, but then I'm a millennium younger than Egill Skalla-Grímsson. Cheers Io 18:33, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

[edit] an animal?

Fylgjas can also be of human form and examples of that can be found in Icelandic folklore and sagas. Modern fylgjas are usually family members that have passed and help their surviving relatives. They can also be guardian spirits, but that belief usually comes from spiritism.

-Hulda Sif an Icelander