Spirit animal changes?

[GlowWorm]

Originally Posted by Fawkes

I'd love to know more about the soul thingy - the four to six parts, I haven't heard of that theory either.

Hamr - your body, your shape, your shell.
Likamr - your animation. This gave rise to the word lich. For old legend says if this part doesn't separate completely it will animate your corpse.
Hugr - your mind, your awareness, thought
Munr - your desire, will, think survival instinct

That's pretty basic actually but the jest of it. As said it varies from region to region.

Originally Posted by Fawkes

And I can absolutely imagine that my Fylgja is the heron. All the things I have read about the heron as a symbol fit my personality.
I prefer solitude and only show social behaviour when I am with my friends (who are very few) or when I have to.

Hm... herons can be quite social.

Originally Posted by Fawkes

And regarding the Hamingja: I am indeed sensitive to surroundings, but more on an objective level not an interpersonal level. I tend to notice things in a more detailled way than other people (or notice things that other people don't notice at all). And to be honest, I'm not very adaptive.

But the frog also seems to be a rather complicated - in my case probably - Hamingja. Or at least that's what I perceive. Whenever I look it up on a random website, the symbolism can't really be transferred on to a personality. The transformation aspect may stand for the adaptivity which you have mentioned. But the frog is also associated with magic, right?

Really just western society sees the frog as magic. Probably just due to their "transformation" from tadpole to frog. It actually doesn't link with literal magic.

In eastern culture the frog is actually a symbol of luck or adaptability.

Originally Posted by Fawkes

And another question: If my brother were pagan, too, would it be possible that he sees another animal as the Hamingja? Or that my parents would see another one?

Potentially your brother may see something different but unlikely. Your parents would be more likely to see something different.

Though one doesn't need to be a pagan to see their fylgja or hamingja. They exist regardless if you are or aren't. One being a pagan may make understanding them easier.


I am not pagan in the modern sense of the word, for example. My knowledge comes from what has been handed down through the generations as part of the familial history but I would never call myself nor peg myself as belonging to modern paganism practices.

Hm... how to explain that. I once played with, at the insistence of a friend, some of those online "pagan path/religion" choosers. The fact that my top scores were continually Shintoism & Chinese/Asian folk religion well above other pagan beliefs still makes me chuckle because well my family has practiced principles that'd be more akin to both true folk religions than anything resembling Christianity / western religion for generations.

Originally Posted by Fawkes

And as you have mentioned karma now: I have heard that the Hamingja symbolises something like karma. Is that right?

In the most basic sense your hamingja is your familial karma.

[CrystalKitty777]

My spirit animal is most likely a wolf, and possibly a crow.