Where does “nøkke” come from?
nøkke (Danish) comes from Swedish näck, from Old Norse nykr, from Proto-Germanic nikwiz-, from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- — to wash.
nøkke (Danish): a water-demon, the nixie, the nick; mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes
Definitions
- a water-demon, the nixie, the nick; mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes
Ancestry of “nøkke”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | näck | A Näcken, a nix (noun contra proper noun); a male water-spirit in human form, mainly residing in rivers and lakes, who lures people to drown by his wonderful violin playing |
| 2 | Old Norse | nykr | a water-demon, the nixie, the nick; mostly appearing as a grey horse-like creature with inverted hoofs and forward fetlocks that emerges from lakes |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | nikwiz- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | neygʷ- | to wash |