German folklore German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Partially it can be also found in Austria. Characteristics It shares many characteristics with Nordic folklore and English folklore due to thei ...

, the Weiße Frauen (meaning White Women) are elven-like spirits that may have derived from

Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the British Isles, modern Germ ...

in the form of legends of

light elves Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequency, fr ...

(

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ''Ljósálfar''). The

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Witte Wieven In Dutch mythology and legends, the Witte Wieven (also known as Wittewijven) are spirits of " wise women" (or else elven beings). The mythology dates back at least to the pre-Christian era (7th century) and was known in the present-day regions of ...

went at least as far back as the 7th century, and their mistranslation as ''White Women'' instead of the original ''Wise Women'' can be explained by the Dutch word wit also meaning white. They are described as beautiful and enchanted creatures who appear at noon and can be seen sitting in the sunshine brushing their hair or bathing in a brook. They may be guarding treasure or haunting castles. They entreat mortals to break their spell, but this is always unsuccessful. The mythology dates back at least to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and was known in the present-day area of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Origins

''Weiße Frauen'' literally means "white ladies" in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. The association with the color white and their appearance in sunlight is thought by

Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He is known as the discoverer of Grimm's law of linguistics, the co-author of th ...

Grimm 1835, Chapter 32, pp 2-3. to stem from the original Old Norse and Teutonic mythology of

alven An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "l ...

(

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

), specifically the bright ''Ljósálfar''. These "light elves" lived in Álfheim (part of heaven) under the fertility god

Freyr Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden an ...

. As mythology evolved, elves no longer lived in Álfheim but lived on earth in nature. The White Women also may represent ancient beliefs in ancestral spirits or older native goddesses and nature spirits.

noted in particular they might come from

Holda "Frau Holle" ( ; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Children's and Household Tales'' in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480. Frau Holle (als ...

, " Berhta, white by her very name" and Ostara. According to ''Grimm's Teutonic Mythology'' and to the ''Mythology of All Races'' Series, the enchantment under which they suffer "may be a symbol of the ban laid by

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

on the

divinities Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

of the older faith." Similar in name to the

Dutch mythology The mythology of the modern-day Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg has its roots in the mythologies of pre-Christian (e.g. Gaulish (Gallo-Roman) and Germanic) cultures, predating the region's Christianization under the influence of the Franks in ...

, the Weiße Frauen may have come from the Germanic belief in

disen Disen is a neighborhood divided between the boroughs of Bjerke and Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway. Disen was originally a manor south of Grefsenåsen. The name stems from dís in Norse mythology. Disen farm was parceled out as a residential area f ...

or land wights and

.Reginheim 2002.

Related beings

Grimm notes the image of the ''Weiße Frauen'' basking in the sun and bathing "melts into the notion of a water-holde [i.e.

] and Nix (water creatures), nixe". The ''Weiße Frauen'' also have counterparts in both name and characterization in neighboring countries: In the Netherlands they are known as the ''

'', and in France as the '' Dames Blanches''. There are also many legends in

regarding ''Weiße Frauen'', which are actually equivalent to the legends of White Ladies,

ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In the Alpine regions of Austria and Southern Germany they are called ''Salige Frauen'' or just ''Salige'' (''Salkweiber, Salaweiber'').

Notes

Sources

* Bellows, Henry Adams.
Grimnismol
'.

' (Princeton: Princeton UP, 1936), pp. 85–107. * Crossley-Holland, Kevin. ''The Norse Myths''. New York: Pantheon, 1980. * Grimm, Jacob (1835). ''Deutsche Mythologie'' (German Mythology); From English released version ''Grimm's Teutonic Mythology'' (1888); Available online by Northvegr © 2004-2007, Chapter 32, page
23
* Marshall Jones Company (1930). '' Mythology of all Races'' Series, Volume 2 ''Eddic'', Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 221–222. * Reginheim
Witte wieven. 2002.
(in English) File retrieved 03-08-2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weisse Frauen German legendary creatures Elves Female legendary creatures br:Intron Wenn fr:Dame blanche (légende)