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In Norse mythology
Norse mythology

Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....
, a vörðr ("warden," "watcher" or "caretaker") is a warden spirit, believed to follow from birth to death the soul (hugr) of every person. In Old Swedish, the corresponding word is varþer; in modern Swedish vård, and the belief in them remained strong in Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore

Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe, and the Finland Swedish.In Scandinavia the term 'folklore' is not often used in academic circles, instead terms such as Folketro or Folkesagn have been coined....
 up until the last centuries. The English word '"wraith
Wraith

The word wraith is a Scottish dialectal word for "ghost, spectre, apparition". It came to be used in Scottish Romanticist literature, and acquired the more general or figurative sense of "portent, omen"....
" is derived from vörðr, while "ward" and "warden" are cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
s.

At times, the warden could reveal itself as a small light or as the shape (hamr) of the person.






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In Norse mythology
Norse mythology

Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....
, a vörðr ("warden," "watcher" or "caretaker") is a warden spirit, believed to follow from birth to death the soul (hugr) of every person. In Old Swedish, the corresponding word is varþer; in modern Swedish vård, and the belief in them remained strong in Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore

Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe, and the Finland Swedish.In Scandinavia the term 'folklore' is not often used in academic circles, instead terms such as Folketro or Folkesagn have been coined....
 up until the last centuries. The English word '"wraith
Wraith

The word wraith is a Scottish dialectal word for "ghost, spectre, apparition". It came to be used in Scottish Romanticist literature, and acquired the more general or figurative sense of "portent, omen"....
" is derived from vörðr, while "ward" and "warden" are cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
s.

At times, the warden could reveal itself as a small light or as the shape (hamr) of the person. The perception of another person's warden could cause a physical sensation such as an itching hand or nose, as a foreboding or an apparition. The warden could arrive before the actual person, which someone endowed with fine senses might perceive. The warden of a dead person could also become a revenant
Medieval revenant

A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living. The word "revenant" is derived from the French, revenir, "to return"; in French, "revenant" means "returning"....
, haunting particular spots or individuals. In this case, the revenant warden was always distinct from more conscious undeads, such as the draugr
Draugr

A draugr or draug , or draugen is an undead creature from Norse mythology. The original Old Norse language meaning of the word is ghost, and in older literature one will find clear distinctions between sea-draug and land-draug....
.

Under the influence of Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
, the belief in wardens changed, and became more akin to the Christian concept of a good and a bad conscience.

Warden trees

A very old tree (often a linden
Linden

Linden is one of three English names for the tree genus Tilia .Linden may also refer to:...
, ash
Ash

Ash may refer to:...
 or elm
Elm

Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus, family Ulmaceae. Elms first appeared in the Miocene period about 40 million years ago....
) growing on the farm lot could be dubbed a "warden tree" (Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
 vårdträd), and was believed to defend it from bad luck. Breaking a leaf or twig from the warden tree was considered a serious offence. The respect for the tree was so great that the family housing it could adopt a surname related to it, such as Linnæus, Lindelius and Almén. It was often believed that the wight
Wight

:wikt:wight: from Old English word wiht, is a Middle English word used to describe a creature or a living being. It is akin to Old High German wiht, meaning a creature or thing....
s (Swedish vättar) of the yard lived under the roots of the warden tree, and to them, one sacrificed treats to be freed from disease or bad luck.

See also

  • Fylgja
    Fylgja

    In Norse mythology, a fylgja is a supernatural being or creature which accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. Fylgjur usually appear in the form of an animal and commonly appears during sleep, but the sagas relate that they could appear while a person is awake as well, and that seeing one's fylgja is an omen of one's im...
  • Hamingja
    Hamingja

    The Hamingja was a kind of female guardian angel in Scandinavian mythology. It was believed to accompany a person and to decide his luck and happiness....
  • Hugr
  • Wraith
    Wraith

    The word wraith is a Scottish dialectal word for "ghost, spectre, apparition". It came to be used in Scottish Romanticist literature, and acquired the more general or figurative sense of "portent, omen"....