væsener

Væsener is a Danish term meaning beings or entities. The singular væsen denotes a being, entity, creature, or person, and væsener is its plural. The word covers a broad range of existence, from concrete living beings such as humans and animals to more abstract or imaginary entities such as spirits, aliens, or monsters. In everyday Danish, væsen can also refer to the essential nature or character of something, though this philosophical sense is more formal.

In philosophy and ontology, væsen is used to debate what it means for something to exist and which properties constitute its identity. In such contexts væsener are the entities that possess certain fundamental characteristics that make them beings rather than mere phenomena. In literature, film, and popular culture, væsener is commonly used to denote creatures or beings within a story, including mundane, supernatural, or extraterrestrial varieties.

The term is native to Danish and has cognates in other North Germanic languages. It is distinct from words for person or individual in everyday speech, although it can refer to persons when they are conceived as a kind of being. See also: væsen (singular).