Skygger

Skyrger is the plural form of the noun skygge in Norwegian Bokmål and Danish, meaning shadows or silhouettes produced when light is blocked by an object. It refers to the dark shapes cast on surfaces such as the ground, walls, or water, as well as to the shaded area created by light being blocked. Beyond the physical sense, skygger can also be used metaphorically to denote obscurity, concealment, or an unseen influence.

The term derives from Old Norse skuggi and has cognates across Scandinavian languages; in Swedish the parallel word is skuggor. In Norwegian and Danish, skygger is the common plural form of skygge, reflecting shared linguistic roots in the region.

In usage, skygger appear in everyday speech, literature, and art to describe light and dark, as well as to convey mood. They feature in phrases like i skyggen av noe meaning “in the shadow of something,” and in poetry to evoke mystery, concealment, or impending change. In folklore and visual media, shadows are frequently employed to symbolize hidden forces or transitional states between light and dark.

See also: skygge, skuggor, skugge, shadow.