Written by Dyami Millarson
On page 73 of Theodor Wisén’s Hjeltesångerna i Sämunds Edda förklarade published in 1865, Hamingjur are glossed as “qvinliga, skyddande varelser,” which may be rendered into English as “female, protective beings.”
Qvinliga female is spelled as kvinliga in Swedish nowadays. Qvin-/kvin- comes from kvinna female, which is related to Gothic ᚲᚹᛁᚾᛟ (kwinoo) woman and Dutch kween infertile woman.
Skyddande, which I translated as protective, is actually the present particle of skydda protect.
Varelser is the indefinite plural of varelse being, creature; the definite plural is varelserna the beings. Varelse is constructed using the verb att vara to be, and it is therefore akin to the English noun “being,” Sagelterland Frisian wezen creature, Shire Frisian wêzen creature, the German Wesen creature, Groningian wezen creature, and Dutch wezen creature.
In conclusion, Wisén’s basic understanding of the nature of the Hamingjur is that (a) They are female and (b) offer protection.
Viking Religion 