Tenhi - Lauluni Sinulle

Fylgja

During your studying of Asatru web-sites and books, you've probably found the term fylgja. What does fylgja really mean and what are its characteristics? Firstly, we will analyze it’s name: fylgja or følje translates to 'she who follows', so fylgja is a kind of chaperone. Some consider fylgja to be the soul of a person separated from the body and as such shows the person’s character. This fylgja manifests itself in the form of an animal corresponding to that character. Warriors were believed to have the fylgja of a wolf or a bear, thus it was believed that they wore wolf or bearskin (ulfsark and berserk). Fylgja appears in dreams, but can also manifest itself when one’s awake, if it announces the death of the person. Nevertheless, seeing how the functions of the fylgja are varied and different, one can assume that there are several varieties of these beings, all of them connected to the one same person. The animal fylgja is the shape a person takes over in their dreams. If you’ve ever had a dream of yourself in the form of an animal, it means that you’ve had a chance to meet your animal fylgja. And if you’ve had any astral experiences in animal form, that also means that you’ve taken over the shape of your fylgja. In the olden days, the fylgja was considered to be a totem animal of a clan and as such was considered the guardian of the whole clan – the Aett. Besides that, a place could also have its guardian – fylgja. Nordic priestesses often took over the shape of a particular animal to fulfill their magic goals. Their spirits would leave their bodies and enter the body of an animal. According to research of Veselin Čajkanović, this kind of magical practice was not foreign to ancient Slavs, nor to other European peoples, least of all to American Indian shamans. Seeing as how it was bound to a certain person, i.e. his personality, this kind of fylgja stopped existing after the person’s death, which – among other things – makes it different from the human fylgja. Epic fantasy writer Philip Pullman, in his trilogy (His Dark Weavings) describes the relationship of a person and their fylgje. Children, who have yet to build their character, have a unfixed fylgja, which changes depending  on their moods, while adults have a formed fylgja or, as he calls it, daemon. The human fylgja is, according to some authors, exclusively female and her other name is fylgjukona meaning 'woman who follows'. This sort of fylgja is invisible to the person she follows, but only people around that person, which is a sign of impending death of the person she’s following. The human form of fylgja is, in its functions, very similar to a Valkyrie, and so fylgjas and Valkyries aren’t always considered to be different entities. As we know, a Valkyrie manifests itself to a warrior hence announcing his death. Also, there are similarities between fylgjur (the plural of fylgja) and beings called Disir. Disir are women who were priestesses or tribal queens during their lifetime, and were believed to stay with their tribes after death, protecting them with their divine powers. They are demi-Godesses like Valkyries, and here we can see the similarities between the human and the animal fylgja – their connexion with a particular tribe. Since it is not bound to a person like an animal fylgja, it exists even after that person’s death. Because an animal fylgja is first and foremost the animal form of a person, and as such cannot outlive its human mate. There is also another form of fylgja recognized by some authors, the geometric fylgja. It is only said about it that it represents the aura of a person, nevertheless this belief is not traditional. Hamingja is another entity similar to the fylgja. Like the human fylgja, a hamingja is also female and fixed a person, defining the amount of their fortune. This is very similar to Fate in Slavic mythology, only hamingja is connected to a specific person or family. After the death of one of the family, she can pass to offspring or a near relative; we can also see here the connexion between the guardian-chaperone with a particular clan. How to contact your fylgja? You will hardly meet your fylgja walking down the street, although that isn’t impossible on a certain magical level. It appears in dreams, it can come on its own, or exhorted by a higher psychic state. To me it appeared while I was working on the Algiz Rune, so it’s possible to use this Rune to summon your fylgja. Algiz is connected to protection and warning of looming dangers, thus Her functions are the same as the functions of a fylgja. Besides Algiz, there’s also Inguz connected to Vanaheim, the home of Freyas, elves, fylgjur and other related entities. There’s also a method by means of which you can consciously contact your fylgja, descripted here: Relax and imagine yourself passing through a Portal. The Portal can be a cavern, hollowed-out tree, a lake or anything else you feel comfortable with. When you get to the other side of the Portal, summon your fylgja. It’s recommended that you offer it a sacrifice (blot), i.e. to imagine offering it and ask it to appear. In case the fylgja manifests itself, do not be afraid, talk with it and when you’re done, say your good-byes and thanks. If you haven’t had any experience with these kinds of entities, it’s better that you wait a while until you learn how to relax and be ready for these encounters. Your fylgja will not hurt you, but it’s possible that you will be frightened of it in an altered state of mind. Vanadis translation: Uroš Rajčević