What were lice called in folklore? - briefly
In folk tradition the parasite was often called a “nit” or “devil’s flea,” names that emphasized its cursed nature. The generic term “louse” also appears in many proverbs and superstitions.
What were lice called in folklore? - in detail
In folk traditions, lice were known by a variety of regional names that often reflected beliefs about their origin or nature.
In Anglo‑Saxon England the word lǣs denoted a single louse, while the collective lice appeared as lǣs or lysen in early texts. Medieval English folklore frequently used the term scratch or scratch‑bug to describe the insect, emphasizing its irritating effect.
Scandinavian sources record the Old Norse lús and the later Icelandic lús, both directly translating to “louse.” Norse myths sometimes linked the creature to mischievous spirits, calling it a lús‑dvergr (“louse dwarf”).
German folklore employed Laus for the parasite, occasionally qualifying it as Kleinlaus (“little louse”) when referring to infant infestations. The term Wurmläuse appeared in rural tales that blamed household curses for sudden outbreaks.
In Slavic cultures, the word вши (vshi) served as the standard label, but folk narratives added qualifiers such as чёрные вши (“black lice”) to denote a particularly troublesome strain believed to be sent by malevolent forces.
Greek folk literature used κόμος (kómos) and, in later Byzantine tales, the diminutive κόμικον (“tiny louse”) when describing curses that caused sudden itching.
Celtic folklore in Ireland and Scotland referenced túmh or tóma as generic names for lice, often pairing them with supernatural entities like the banshee or fairy that were thought to spread the insects as punishment.
Folkloric classifications sometimes distinguished between “head lice” and “body lice” by adding descriptive adjectives: head‑scratch versus clothing‑scratch in English, hoved‑lús versus klæde‑lús in Danish, and kapital‑lausi versus röck‑lausi in Germanic tales.
These vernacular terms reveal a common pattern: each culture attached a descriptive or moral attribute to the parasite, reflecting the belief that lice were not merely pests but carriers of curses, witchcraft, or supernatural displeasure.