InGerman folklore, theWeiße Frauen (German:[ˈvaɪsəˈfʁaʊən], meaningWhite Women) areelf-like spirits which may derive fromGermanic paganism in the form of legends oflight elves (Old Norse:Ljósálfar). TheDutchWitte Wieven are traceable at least as far back as the 7th century, and their mistranslation asWhite Women instead of the originalWise Women can be explained by the Dutch word wit also meaning white. They are described as beautiful andenchanted creatures who appear at noon and can be seen sitting in the sunshine brushing their hair or bathing in a brook. They may be guarding treasure or haunting castles. They entreat mortals to break their spell, but this is always unsuccessful. The mythology dates back at least to theMiddle Ages and was known in the present-day area ofGermany.
Weiße Frauen literally means "white ladies" inGerman. The association with the color white and their appearance in sunlight is thought byJacob Grimm[1] to stem from the original Old Norse andTeutonic mythology ofalven (elves), specifically the brightLjósálfar. These "light elves" lived inÁlfheim (part of heaven) under the fertility godFreyr.[2] As mythology evolved, elves no longer lived in Álfheim but lived on earth in nature. The White Women also may represent ancient beliefs in ancestral spirits or older native goddesses and nature spirits, such as theIdis for example.Jacob Grimm noted in particular they might come fromHolda, "Berhta, white by her very name"[3] andOstara. According toGrimm's Teutonic Mythology[1] and to theMythology of All Races Series, the enchantment under which they suffer "may be a symbol of the ban laid byChristianity on thedivinities of the older faith."[4] Similar in name to theWitte Wieven ofDutch mythology, the Weiße Frauen may have come from the Germanic belief indisen orland wights andalven.[5]
Grimm notes the image of theWeiße Frauen basking in the sun and bathing "melts into the notion of a water-holde [i.e.Holda] andnixe".[1] TheWeiße Frauen also have counterparts in both name and characterization in neighboring countries: In the Netherlands they are known as theWitte Wieven, and in France as theDames Blanches. TheirLow German equivalent are theWitte Wiwer.
There are also many legends inGerman folklore regardingWeiße Frauen, which are actually equivalent to the legends ofWhite Ladies,ghosts of theUnited Kingdom.In the Alpine regions of Austria and Southern Germany they are calledSalige Frauen or justSalige (Salkweiber, Salaweiber).