Dictionary

wild woman en · NOUN

Etymology

In folklore sense, calque of German wilde frau.

Meanings

1. (feminine, form-of) Female equivalent of wild man.
   form of wild man
2. (German) A type of female sprite, strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing hair, that live under hills and mounds.
   • The Wilde Frauen or Wild-women of Germany bear a very strong resemblance to the Elle-maids of Scandinavia. Like them they are beautiful, have fine flowing hair, live within hills, and only appear singly or in the society of each other. They partake of the piety of character we find among the German Dwarfs. 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume II, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 33:
   • It was a popular belief (applied to the Frankish king and gradually distorted) about the union of a wild-woman or mermaid with a christian hero. 1882, Jacob Grimm, translated by James Steven Stallybrass, Teutonic Mythology, volume I, London: George Bell and Sons, page 435:

Forms