Large Wild Animals in the Germanic World

Written by Dyami Millarson

Large wild animals were an intrinsic part of the nature scenes that influenced Germanic religion. So what were/are the large animals in the Germanic world? Based on the Old Norse vocabulary inherited from Germanic, the large wild animals that belonged to the scenery of the Germanic natural world were: björn (bear), svanr or álpt (swan), ulfr (wolf), ylgr (she-wolf), refr (fox), fúa/fóa (she-fox), storkr (stork), ormr (snake), hjörtr or rá (deer), elgr (elk), ari or örn (eagle), svín (boar). Since we can now form an image of the Germanic natural world in our minds, we can better visualise and comprehend the symbolism of Germanic nature religion.