Wights is an umbrella term for the many kinds of spirits and supernatural entities that populate Norse Mythology, traditionally known as “Vaettir”. In the basic Gild work, we focus mainly on the Svartalfar and the Ljossalfar, which later on become the dwarves and elves of the medieval folk tales also often called “the hidden folk”. The importance of these entities cannot be overstated, as the largest part of religious practice at the time was concerned with the veneration of the Ancestors (link to essay “Ancestors) and the Wights. The Svartalfar are very well represented in the sources and were thought to be living underground, mining precious metals and creating priceless artifacts. Many of them are very well known and play an important part in the Norse Myths like Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, Odin’s spear Gungnir or Freya’s necklace Brisingamen. The Svartalfar were believed to inhabit certain rock formation, strangely shaped boulders and in all kinds of caves and grottos.
The Ljossalfar are far harder to pin down as there are barely any sources talking about them and so we mainly have to rely on linguistic evidence as well as on the fairy tales that often borrow heavily from older mythological material. That kind of evidence suggests that these spirits were seen as guardians of nature inhabiting special trees or other plants as well as bodies of water like brooks, rivers and lakes. How strongly people believed in the power of these spirits can be seen in the Landnamabok where an old law is cited, which warned all arriving travelers to remove the dragon heads from their ships before steering into the harbor as not to frighten the Landvaettir.
As the Norse tradition knew no official priesthood and no dogma a multitude of spirits were venerated under different names in different places, fulfilling different functions. For those interested in the many facets of these ancient spirits can find a lot of well-researched information in the books of Claude Lecouteux, a former professor at the Sorbonne University as well as some of the books written by Nigel Pennick.
In the 9 Doors of Midgard, the basic curriculum of the Gild, students are taught about the two classes of spirits mentioned above, the Svartalfar and the Ljossalfar. Both can be very helpful in order to reconnect with ancient parts of our Selves that we have mainly lost due to our modern way of life. The Svartalfar are most useful if one wants to learn an ancient craft while the Ljossalfar can help us to reconnect with nature and rediscover our proper place in the world.
In the quest of Self-transformation the Svartalfar can be seen as the subconscious programming that dictates most of our behavior. We love to tell ourselves that we are very much in control of what we say and do but every true Seeker knows this not to be true. Therefore, it essential to build a good and lasting relationship with the Svartalfar if there shall be any hope of success in the most difficult process of transforming the Self.
The Ljossafar can represent the mind, logic and rational thought. This is just as essential if one wants to succeed in this arduous journey as rationality is much-needed in order to stay focused and not to get lost in daydreams and wishful thinking. The Gild does not dictate its students on how to approach these spirits. Some see and experience them as independent entities very much like our distant Ancestors did, others prefer to see them as aspects of their own Self, buried in their subconscious and many use both approaches. Once the basic curriculum has been completed, every Gilder is free to work with as many different categories of spirits as they wish. Work with a Tomte, conjure up a Valkyrie, connect to your Fylgja, evoke whatever spirits you want to work with… at your own peril of course!