The Multipart Soul

The soul is a very interesting thing in Norse cosmology. It’s an ecosystem of multiple parts that come together during life to form the self.

Some of these parts only exist during a present lifetime, while others are timeless. Some parts are borrowed or loaned, while other parts are passed down from our ancestors. Some are fixed, while others are fluid.

The composition of one’s soul isn’t inherently good or bad—it just is.

The different parts of the soul range in number depending on the source, but they often include the hugr, the hamr, the hamingja, and the fylgja.

The hugr represents our mind, our personality, our faculties of thought, our emotional composition, our heartedness, and all the different processes of our consciousness.

The hamr is the “skin” worn by the hugr. It’s our physical bodies and appearances. It can also describe our affect or “airs” that leave an impression on people.

The fylgja is the instincts we have which protect us from harm. Whenever we get “weird vibes” about certain people or situations without knowing why, this is our fylgja calling potential threats to our attention.

Old texts and sagas depict the fylgja as either as a woman or an animal. This may be due to the fact its protective qualities feel maternal as well as dog-like. Just like a well-trained dog, we can send a well-trained fylgja out to accomplish tasks outside of our awareness.

Even though they’re depicted as animals, fylgjur aren’t “spirit animals.”

The hamingja represents the “generational curses” and “generational blessings” that are passed down to us. It’s comprised of what we make of our circumstances and the way we shape ourselves and reality. We pass our hamingja on to the next generation after death.

Megin can be thought of as our personal agency. The ecosystem of meaning behind the word megin relates to power, strength, and luck. Megin is something we can grow within ourselves and others.