Also called Fylgjur (plural), the Follower, Fetch.
Their story
In the sagas the fylgja is a spirit attached to a person, often seen in dreams or by those with second sight. It frequently takes an animal form matching the owner's nature, such as a bear for a strong man, a fox for a sly one. A woman fylgja could guard a family through generations and pass to a new member at death; in Hallfreðar saga the dying poet sees his fylgja, a tall woman in mail, walking on the waves and she passes to his son. To see one's own fylgja could mean death was near.
Best times to give to them
- in dreams
- at times of big change
- Winter Nights
What they like being given
- a quiet moment of thanks before sleep
- a dream journal
How to honour them
- Keep a dream journal and note recurring animals.
- In modern practice many meditate to meet their fylgja; treat this as personal insight, not history.
How they can help you
- self-knowledge
- dreams
- reading omens
Symbols
- an animal that matches character
- a woman in dreams
- the caul
Sources
- Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds
- Njáls saga
- Else Mundal, Fylgjemotiva i norrøn litteratur (1974)
- Simek, Dictionary of Northern Mythology
More Norse spirits
- The Dísir Ancestral mothers and guardian women
- The Álfar The elves, bright and hidden folk
- The Landvættir The spirits of the land
- Jötnar The giants, elder powers of the wild
- The Daughters of Ægir and Rán The nine waves of the sea
- Dvergar The master smiths under stone
- The Sons of Ivaldi The dwarf smiths of Sif's hair and Skíðblaðnir
- Einherjar The chosen dead of Valhalla