Doppelgänger
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| + | A '''''doppelgänger''''' or '''fetch''' is the [[ghost]]ly double of a living person, a sinister form of [[bilocation]]. | ||
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| + | In the [[vernacular]], "Doppelgänger" has come to refer (as in [[German language|German]]) to any double or [[look-alike]] of a person—most commonly an "[[evil twin]]". | ||
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| + | The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in [[peripheral vision]], in a position where there is no chance that it could have been a reflection. | ||
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| + | They are generally regarded as [[harbinger]]s of [[bad luck]]. In some traditions, a doppelgänger seen by a person's friends or relatives portends illness or danger, while seeing one's own doppelgänger is an [[omen]] of [[death]]. In Norse mythology, a ''[[vardøgr]]'' is a ghostly double who precedes a living person and is seen performing their actions in advance. | ||
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| + | ==Spelling== | ||
| + | The word "doppelgänger" is a [[German language|German]] [[loanword]]. It derives from ''Doppel'' (double) and ''Gänger'' (goer). As is true for all other "native" nouns in German, the word is written with an initial [[capital letter]]; however English usage varies. | ||
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| + | In [[English (language)|English]], the word is conventionally uncapitalized ('''d'''oppelgänger). It is also common to drop the [[diacritic]] [[Umlaut (diacritic)|umlaut]], writing "doppelg'''a'''nger". The correct alternative German spelling would be "Doppelg'''ae'''nger". | ||
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Revision as of 18:43, 8 June 2007
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A doppelgänger or fetch is the ghostly double of a living person, a sinister form of bilocation.
In the vernacular, "Doppelgänger" has come to refer (as in German) to any double or look-alike of a person—most commonly an "evil twin".
The word is also used to describe the sensation of having glimpsed oneself in peripheral vision, in a position where there is no chance that it could have been a reflection.
They are generally regarded as harbingers of bad luck. In some traditions, a doppelgänger seen by a person's friends or relatives portends illness or danger, while seeing one's own doppelgänger is an omen of death. In Norse mythology, a vardøgr is a ghostly double who precedes a living person and is seen performing their actions in advance.
Spelling
The word "doppelgänger" is a German loanword. It derives from Doppel (double) and Gänger (goer). As is true for all other "native" nouns in German, the word is written with an initial capital letter; however English usage varies.
In English, the word is conventionally uncapitalized (doppelgänger). It is also common to drop the diacritic umlaut, writing "doppelganger". The correct alternative German spelling would be "Doppelgaenger".
