Dökk

Dökk is a term found in Old Norse and modern Icelandic that denotes darkness or gloom. In Old Norse, dökk functioned as a noun meaning darkness and also formed descriptors for night, shadow, and other dim phenomena. In modern Icelandic, dökk remains a common noun meaning darkness and is used as an adjective in compounds to mean dark or shadowy.

Etymology and relatives: Dökk derives from a Proto-Germanic root associated with darkness; cognates appear across other Germanic languages, reflecting a shared semantic field for night and obscurity. In Old Norse texts the root appears in various compounds and in mythic terms, illustrating its broad descriptive and symbolic use in both everyday and literary language. A well-attested example is dökkálfr, meaning “dark elf,” which shows how the word enters descriptions of beings associated with night or shadow.

Usage and significance: In Norse mythology and poetry, dökk contributes to mood and imagery by invoking night, gloom, and the unseen. It appears in descriptions of landscapes, events, and phenomena associated with darkness, and it participates in kennings and other figurative language. In contemporary Icelandic, dökk is used to describe physical darkness as well as metaphorical darkness, such as uncertainty or bleak atmospheres, and it continues to appear in literature, media, and everyday speech.