Solhäxor

Solhäxor, meaning "sun witches" in Swedish, is a term used in folklore and modern popular culture to describe female practitioners believed to work with solar forces. The word combines sol (sun) and häxa (witch). In traditional Swedish folklore, references to witches often revolve around weather, harvest, and the changing seasons; solhäxor is one of the archetypes associated with solar deities or daylight magic. They are sometimes imagined as figures who can influence the sun's path, brighten or shorten daylight, or protect crops by rituals linked to the summer and harvest cycles. In many tales, witches are depicted as ambivalent figures, capable of harm or help depending on their covenants with the sun and nature. The exact attributes of solhäxor vary by region and storyteller, and solid historical documentation of a distinct, continuous practice named solhäxa is limited; the term tends to appear more prominently in folklore collections, later literary retellings, and contemporary fantasy.

In modern usage, solhäxor appear as characters in novels, graphic novels, and games that draw on Nordic folklore. Some contemporary practitioners of neo-pagan or magical traditions use the term to describe those who work with solar correspondences, solar calendars, and daylight rituals. The concept emphasizes the sun as a source of life, growth, and energy, contrasting with moon-based or earthly magic.