fangskap

Fangskap is a term used in Norwegian and some Scandinavian languages to denote the state or condition of being captured or confined, i.e., captivity. It can refer to human captivity, such as detention or imprisonment, as well as the confinement of animals or prisoners of war, depending on context. The word is formed from fang, meaning to catch or seize, and skap, meaning state or condition, and it often carries nuances distinct from related terms such as fangenskap and fengsel.

In legal and historical texts, fangskap is used to describe the condition of persons held in custody before trial or as a social category analyzing how captivity is structured in particular societies. In anthropology and literature, the term may be employed to discuss symbolic or ritual aspects of captivity, including myths, rituals, or narratives that frame confinement as a test, rite of passage, or critique of power. The term is less common in everyday contemporary Norwegian, where fangenskap or fengsel are more typical for practical references to imprisonment; fangskap may appear in scholarly writing, dialect forms, or historic discourse.

Related terms include fangenskap, fengsel, arrest, detention, and captivity.