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marespjeld

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From mare +‎ spjeld

Noun

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marespjeld n (definite singular marespjeldet, indefinite plural marespjeld, definite plural marespjelda)

  1. (folklore) a symbol, often similar to a chessboard, used against nightmare demons
  2. a chess pattern (e.g. on a tapestry)

Usage notes

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In contrast to Arabic magical squares, the squares inside the Norwegian symbol do not contain any letters or numbers, but instead they are meant to scare away the evil spirits solely by their repetative sequences.