Fylgja (follower; plural, fylgir) is an ancient Germanic term referring to an entity that is simultaneously a guardian spirit and a projection of the individual’s own soul (not unlike the Zoroastrianidea of an indi-vidual fravashi). It was believed that the fylgja was encountered out-side one’s body in the form of an animal that reflected the individual’scharacter. Thus, a visionary might see his fylgja in the form of an eagle, a schemer might encounter his projected soul in the form of a weasel, and so on. In precarious situations, the fylgja traveled beforethe embodied person as a kind of guardian angel.

Normally invisible,a person’s fylgja might be encountered in dreams or at death. If the fyl-gja was killed, it indicated the person’s imminent death.

Sources:

Angels A-Z Evelyn Dorothy Oliver and James R. Lewis

McCoy, Edwin. A Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk. S. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 1994.

Ronner, John. Know Your Angels: The Angel Almanac with Biographies of 100 Prominent Angels in Legend and Folklore, and Much More. Murfreesboro, Tenn.:Mamre Press, 1993