widdershins

Widdershins (sometimes withershins, widershins or widderschynnes) is a word which (usually) means counterclockwise, 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 or sunwise. In the southern hemisphere, the sun 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 in Britain to travel in an 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. There is also a reference to this in Dorothy Sayers's novel The Nine Tailors.

In contrast, in Judaism circles are always walked anticlockwise. For example: when a bride circles her groom 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.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, however, it is normal for processions around a church to go widdershins.

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 states "Widdershins go by wanning moon, chanting out the baneful tune."

Widdershins is the name of the squad mage in Sergeant Balm's squad in Steven Erikson's The Bonehunters.

Widdershins is the title of a Charles de Lint book set in Newford. The title is both literal and metaphorical. In one situation, the characters walk widdershins around a vortex to return home from the Otherworld. But as the book jacket says, "It's also the way people often back slowly into the relationships that matter, the real ones that make for life."

Widdershins is also the name of a do-it-yourself fanzine from Mexico dealing with the Occult and some forms of artistic ways evoking satanic and dark feelings in the minds of the readers.

See also

• Sunwise/Deiseil
• Clockwise and counterclockwise

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