What does Heddles mean?

The steel wire or thin flat strips in the weave process with a loop near the eye that yarns pass on the looms so to control the weaving. The heddles help to control the weaving pattern and shed as it’s raised and lowered during weaving.

Heddels explains Heddles

Heddles are loops of wire or cord attached to the loom’s harness that are used to separate and control the warp yarns during the weaving process. Each heddle controls one warp yarn, with a loom having as many as a thousand heddles. They were originally made of cord; however, cord heddles deteriorate quickly and are now usually only used for historical reenactments.  Instead, modern looms use metal heddles in one of three styles: inserted eye, wire, or flat steel.

Additional Resources

Here is a picture of heddles: