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Old 08-25-2001, 01:39 AM   #31
Sazerac
Ironworks Moderator
 

Join Date: January 7, 2001
Location: Monroe, LA
Age: 60
Posts: 7,387
The Norse also referred to the body, or the corpse, as a "Lich." Nine parts of the person: Lich (the physical form), Haminja (luck or Mana, magical force), Fylgia (the Fetch, or the Etheric Double, the "Ghost" form), Modig (the Mood or one's emotions), Manig (the Will; a combination of earthly strength and fortitude), Hugr (the Higher Mind, capable of abstract thought), Orlog (Fate or Destiny), Minni (the Memory, or the conscious, practical mind), and Hamr (the Soul or Spirit).

Here, Lich was used specifically to refer to a corpse. I would imagine the term evolved specifically into an "animated corpse", or a corpse kept quickened by dark magical force, even though Liches specifically fall under "skeletal" undead rather than "cadaverous."

It would not be surprising that the Arabic term "Likh" would mean the same thing, since the Germanic/Nordic language and the Arabic language share a common root; that of the Indo-Aryan culture of northern India, which migrated north and westward thousands of years ago, settling what is now Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Russia, and northern Europe.



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