Wyrd

Wyrd is a concept in ancient Anglo-saxon and Nordic cultures roughly corresponding to fate. It is cognate to Modern English weird.

The word comes from Anglo-Saxon verb weorþan, to become, and itself derives from an Indo-European root verb meaning to turn. Its most specific definition points it firmly at that which has become, i.e. the past. Nestled within the bower of this is a meaning which has strong associations with magical transformation, and this concept is also interwoven with a well-nourished idea of predestination.

Wyrd was paralleled in early Nordic cultures where the word was rendered as urd – also the name of the middle of the three Norns or Norse mythological spinners of destiny. The younger sister is called Werðende, the older, Skyld.

In Anglo-Saxon times, wyrd was often a consequence of symbel, a ritualistic drinking of alcohol to excess in which story-telling by means of narrative verse was a central feature.

References to Wyrd

Beowulf: "Goeth ever Wyrd as she shall" – Beowulf.

The Well of Wyrd: In Norse mythology, the spring that lies at the base of Yggdrasil, the world tree.

Terry Pratchett: Also, part of a play on words in the title of Terry Pratchett's book "Wyrd Sisters".

External links

• Way of Wyrd, a semi-fictional book dealing with Anglo-Saxon sorcery, centred around the concept of Wyrd