LL-L "Tradition" 2009.09.15 (01) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 15 September 2009 - Volume 01
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From: jmtait <jmtait at wirhoose.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.09.14 (04) [EN]

 Ron wrote:

Not a lot of words for "ghost" in the sense of "apparition", "phantom" or
"specter" are known in the older Lowlands languages. However, Old English,
the language with the largest written literature among them, has the
following: *becola, becole, dwimor, fæcce, grÄ«ma, scinlÄ c, scinn, scinna*.
Outside the group, Old German has *egisgrīmolt, giskīn*, and* gitrog*, and
Old Norse has *draugr*, *flyka*, *skrīpi*, and *skrimsl*. I know! Frisians,
Low Franks and Saxons were far too down to earth to even entertain such
flights of fancy ... and the Brits got them from the Celts. ;-) Yeah, yeah,
that's it!


There are a couple in Shetland:

 ganfer (ON gagn-ferdh, lit: a haunting) - can mean 'ghost' in general, or
specifically a double.

 feyness (Sc. fey, ON feigr) referring to a one's double seen as a portent
of death.

 Curiously, where to see one's feyness (or anyone else's) was a portent of
death, to see one's ganfer (which could also be ones double) was a portent
of long life. I suppose which it was depended on whether you were an
optimist or a pessimist!

 John M. Tait.

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Traditions

That's really interesting, John, in that it seems to deal with out-of-body
spirits of living humans rather than on dead ones.

Because of the naming one might assume this goes back to Nordic tradition
rather than to Celtic and Lowlands traditions. On the other hand, *doppelg**
ä**nger*-type haunting *is* a Celtic feature. For example, the Irish "fetch"
is such a haunting that follows its living counterpart like a shadow. Seen
in the morning it portends no harm; seen at other times it usually portends
death. But, of course, it is not as though Ireland was untouched by the
Vikings.

Another Celtic feature that I am not sure is shared with Nordic tradition is
that many types of haunting are not of spirits but of actual bodies that for
that purpose appear as they did in life.

Perhaps our Scandinavian friends can help us here.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

... who has indeed come down with somethin' awful, had to stay home and
feels like walking, or rather sitting, death himself. *Doppelg**ä**nger*?
Me?! No way! That would be too much to handle for anyone.

•

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