The Fylgja: The Hidden Follower of the Soul
Among the most fascinating and complex ideas in Norse and broader Germanic belief is that of the Fylgja (Old Norse fylgja, “follower” or “one who accompanies”). To the pre-Christian Norse, the human soul was not a single, indivisible essence, but a composite being: a web of interwoven parts that extended beyond the flesh. The fylgja was one of these parts: mysterious, protective, often prophetic, and deeply personal.
In this article, we’ll explore the fylgja as it appears in the sources, how it functions in relation to the soul, how it manifests and changes, what it does for us while we live, and where it goes when we die.
What Is a Fylgja?
The term fylgja literally means “follower.” It refers to a spirit or aspect of the self that accompanies a person throughout life — sometimes appearing in animal form, sometimes as a woman. In the fylgja, we see both an externalized soul and a spiritual guardian.
The Ynglinga Saga (ch. 7) gives one of the clearest clues to its nature:
The men of old believed that every man had his own spirit, which took the shape of an animal. If it was strong, the man would be strong; if it was faint, the man’s luck would fail.
This description blurs the line between fylgja and hamingja, as both were thought to reflect one’s inner vitality and fortune. However, the fylgja is more directly linked to fate, instinct, and spiritual protection... an embodiment of the soul’s animal or ancestral essence.
Fylgja in the Sagas: Animal Spirits and Prophetic Dreams
In the Eyrbyggja Saga (ch. 43), a man named Thorolf Twist-Foot is described as so hateful and ill-tempered that, after death, he becomes a revenant haunting his old homestead. His fylgja (an ox) had been seen before his death, acting violently and restlessly. The sighting foreshadowed Thorolf’s death and his troubled spirit’s return.
Similarly, in Laxdæla Saga (ch. 67), Gudrun Osvifsdóttir dreams of a great number of oxen... each representing the fylgjur of men who would come to court her. The fylgja, then, could serve as a symbolic manifestation of fate, visible in dreams to those with sight.
Scholar Gabriel Turville-Petre writes in Myth and Religion of the North (1964):
The fylgja may be regarded as a kind of double or guardian spirit. It reveals itself most often in dreams, but sometimes may be seen by others when death is near.
Thus, the fylgja bridges the spiritual and physical... guiding, warning, and mirroring its human counterpart.
The Fylgja as Guardian and Soul-Double
The fylgja can act as both guardian and spiritual reflection. The animal form represents a person’s inner nature: fierce, cunning, steadfast, or nurturing. Seeing one’s fylgja in waking life, however, was usually an omen of death.
In Vatnsdæla Saga (ch. 37), Ingimund sees his fylgja in the form of a woman shortly before he dies, echoing the belief that to meet one’s fylgja face-to-face was to confront the boundary of life itself.
This belief fits within a wider Indo-European pattern: many cultures speak of animal companions or doubles tied to the soul... the Roman genius, the Slavic domovoi, or the Egyptian ka. But in the Norse world, the fylgja had an intimate and often perilous role: it followed, unseen, until the end.
Types of Fylgjur
There are two main categories often discussed in the sources and scholarship:
- Personal Fylgja (Individual Spirit):
This is the fylgja tied to one’s life and fate. It might appear as an animal reflecting the person’s character: a wolf for strength, a fox for cunning, a cow for gentleness. - Ancestral or Familial Fylgja (Ættarfylgja):
Some fylgjur are tied to bloodlines rather than individuals. These ancestral spirits guard the family’s luck, guiding it across generations. H.R. Ellis Davidson noted in Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (1964):
The fylgja could be passed down within the family, as part of the hamingja, thus binding the living and the dead in one spiritual continuum.
In this way, the fylgja connects us not only to our personal soul but to our ancestral lineage... a living current of inherited spirit.
How the Fylgja Strengthens and Weakens
Because the fylgja mirrors the inner self, its health depends on how we live. Acts of honor, courage, and self-discipline strengthen the bond between human and fylgja. Conversely, cowardice, treachery, and spiritual neglect cause it to weaken or stray.
To live “in harmony with one’s fylgja” is to live in alignment with one’s true nature and fate. Some Heathen practitioners describe this as walking with your fylgja beside you... a poetic way to express self-awareness and integrity.
The Fylgja After Death
When a person dies, their fylgja departs. But where does it go? The sources suggest two possibilities:
- It may remain tied to the family, becoming an ættarfylgja... a guardian of descendants.
- Or it may follow the soul into the afterlife, accompanying it to the realm that best suits its fate (Hel, Valhöll, etc.).
In Gisla Saga Súrssonar (ch. 18), Gisli’s wife sees his fylgja in dream-form after his death, symbolizing his passage from the living world. The fylgja lingers briefly: a last reflection of the man’s spirit before dissolving or rejoining his kin’s luck.
Modern Understanding and Practice
In modern Heathenry, the fylgja is often interpreted as a spiritual ally, similar to a guardian spirit or totem animal. Some practitioners seek to meet their fylgja through trance, dreamwork, or seiðr.
However, it’s important to note that in the historical record, one did not choose their fylgja. It was born with you... bound to your essence and fate.
Modern reconstructionists and scholars like Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (Under the Cloak, 1998) emphasize that the fylgja reflects a relational spirituality: the Norse understanding that selfhood is shared between the seen and unseen worlds. To honor your fylgja is to honor your wyrd... your personal thread in the great web of existence.
In Summary
The fylgja is:
- A soul-double or guardian spirit that accompanies each person through life.
- Often appears in animal or feminine form, especially in dreams.
- Reflects character and fate: a spiritual mirror of the self.
- Strengthens through honorable living and alignment with one’s true nature.
- May linger or transform after death, joining the ancestral line.
To live in harmony with your fylgja is to walk your path consciously; aware that your spirit extends beyond your skin, beyond this lifetime, into the unseen company of those who came before and those who will come after.
Recommended Reading/Sources
- Eyrbyggja Saga, ch. 43
- Laxdæla Saga, ch. 67
- Vatnsdæla Saga, ch. 37
- Ynglinga Saga, ch. 7
- Turville-Petre, Gabriel. Myth and Religion of the North. Oxford, 1964.
- Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Penguin, 1964.
- Aðalsteinsson, Jón Hnefill. Under the Cloak: A Pagan Ritual Turning Point in the Conversion of Iceland. Háskólaútgáfan, 1998.
- Strömbäck, Dag. Sejd: Textstudier i nordisk religionshistoria. Stockholm, 1935.