Learning Asatru

Fylgja is commonly presented as a spirit that follows you or precedes you; sometimes in the form of an animal, sometimes in the form a woman; sometimes the fylgja will appear to you in dreams, and in rare cases you may even see the embodiment of it in the real world. I think that one's fylgja is the manifestation of one's unconscious, and everything that entails.

I came to this conclusion while I was on a walk through the woods, and I wasn't quite sure how to get back from where I came. I thought I knew which path to take, but it was more of a feeling than actual knowledge of where I was going; I had a "gut feeling" that I should turn down a certain path because I thought I recognized it. When I went down that path, it became more an more familiar to me until I knew for certain that I was indeed heading the right way. I think this was my fylgja guiding me. It was the embodiment of myself, my spirit, preceding me and leading me through an area I was unfamiliar with.

I believe that this concept has a duality to it though, that not only is it a manifestation that can help in the physical world, but it can also be representative of how you perceive the physical world. I think this is why the fylgja is sometimes described as an animal: if you are a thinker and a surveyor one might say your fylgja takes the form of a hawk; if you are someone that has a strong will and pushes through life's obstacles, one might say your fylgja takes the form of a boar.

The Hamingja on the other hand is usually seen as the embodiment of one's luck. It can sometimes be seen as a personal spirit or a familial spirit, but is always seen as being benevolent. I think that this concept can be equated to one's "environment" if you will, which is why there is the personal and familial duality.