Wyrd is a concept in ancient Anglo-saxon and Nordic cultures roughly corresponding to fate. It is cognate to Modern English weird.
The word comes from Anglo-Saxon verb weorþan, to become, and itself derives from an Indo-European root verb meaning to turn. Its most specific definition points it firmly at that which has become, i.e. the past. Nestled within the bower of this is a meaning which has strong associations with magical transformation, and this concept is also interwoven with a well-nourished idea of predestination.
Wyrd was paralleled in early Nordic cultures where the word was rendered as urd - also the name of the middle of the three Norns or Norse mythological spinners of destiny. The younger sister is called Weršende, the older, Skyld.
In Anglo-Saxon times, wyrd was often a consequence of symbel, a ritualistic drinking of alcohol to excess in which story-telling by means of narrative verse was a central feature.
References to Wyrd
Beowulf:
"Goeth ever Wyrd as she shall" - Beowulf.
The Well of Wyrd:
In Norse mythology, the spring that lies at the base of Yggdrasil, the world tree.
Terry Pratchett:
Also, part of a play on words in the title of Terry Pratchett's book "Wyrd Sisters".
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