Widdershins

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Widdershins is also a collection of ghost stories by Oliver Onions, and a pagan newspaper [link]. The Widdershins is an Australian indie pop band. And see also the Widdershins Ceilidh Band [link]. For the character in Lemony Snicket's book series, read Captain Widdershins

Widdershins (sometimes withershins, or widershins) is a word which (usually) means anticlockwise, however in certain circumstances it can be used to refer to a direction which is against the light, i.e. where you are unable to see your shadow. It is cognate with the German language widersinnig, i.e., "against" + "sense". The term "widdershins" was especially common in Lowland Scots, and was known in Scottish Gaelic as tuathal, which uses the same root as tuath meaning "north", the opposite of widdershins is deiseil/sunwise. In the southern hemisphere, the sun actually goes anti-clockwise, but in the northern hemisphere, it goes clockwise, which is where the term "sunwise" originates from. Because the sun played a highly important role in primitive religion, to go against it was considered very bad luck.

Superstition and religion

It was considered unlucky in former times to travel in a anticlockwise (because anti sun wise) direction around a church and a number of folk myths make reference to this superstition, e.g. Childe Rowland, where the protagonist and his sister are transported to Elfland after his sister runs widdershins round a church.

In contrast, in Judaism circles are always walked anticlockwise. For example: when a Groom circles his bride 7 times before marriage, when dancing around the bimah during Simchat Torah (or when dancing in a circle at any time), or when the Torah is brought out of the Ark (Ark is approached from the right, and left from the left).

This has its origins in the Beis Hamikdash, where in order not to get in each others way, the Priests would walk around the Altar anticlockwise while performing their duties. When entering the Beis Hamikdash the people would enter by one gate, and leave by another. The resulting direction of motion was anticlockwise.

Modern Usage

The word is frequently used in fiction in incantations etc, as a means of heightening atmosphere on account of the archaic and arcane nature of the word itself.

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld, Widdershins is the opposite of Turnwise, the direction in which the Disc rotates.

The Wiccan Rede (= Old English for "advice") states, "Widdershins go when the Moon doth wane / And the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane." However, this saying is believed to be of modern provenance, and uses consciously archaic language.

Widdershins

Superstition and religion

Modern Usage

See also