nattens

Nattens is the genitive form of the Swedish noun natt, meaning the night. It is used to express possession or a characteristic of the night, and it is formed by adding -s to the definite singular form natt: natten becomes nattens, meaning “the night’s” or “of the night.” For example, nattens ljus translates to “the night’s light” and nattens tystnad to “the night’s silence.” This construction is common in everyday Swedish, especially in descriptive or literary contexts.

Etymology-wise, natt derives from Old Norse natt or nótt, with cognates in other Scandinavian languages such as Danish natt and Norwegian natt. The possessive form nattens has developed along with the definite article system in Swedish, allowing speakers to link a noun to features associated with the night.

Usage notes: nattens is not a standalone noun but a grammatical form used to modify another noun or to indicate ownership. It typically appears with nouns describing phenomena or objects linked to night, such as ljus, mörker, tystnad, regn, eller dimma. The bare form natt otherwise refers simply to the period of darkness or the concept of night, while nattens emphasizes the relation to the night as a temporal or atmospheric source.

In culture and literature, nattens is often used to evoke mood, atmosphere, or imagery tied to nighttime settings. It appears in poetry, song lyrics, and prose to subtlely frame scenes as occurring within or belonging to the night.