Seiðr (Old Norse: seiðr, pronounced "SAY-ther") represents one of the most enigmatic and powerful forms of magic in Norse tradition. Unlike the rune magic practiced openly by chieftains and warriors, seiðr was a shamanic practice involving altered states of consciousness, spirit travel, prophecy, and direct manipulation of fate itself. The practice was primarily associated with the goddess Freyja, who taught it to Odin, and was traditionally performed by female practitioners called völur (singular völva - "staff carrier" or "wand bearer").
Seiðr carried a unique stigma in Norse society. While tremendously powerful and respected, it was considered "ergi" - a term denoting unmanliness or effeminacy - for men to practice it. This created a fascinating paradox: Odin himself, the Allfather and supreme god of wisdom, was recorded as practicing seiðr despite the associated shame. This suggests the power of seiðr was considered worth transgressing social norms to obtain.
The origins of seiðr extend deep into the prehistoric shamanic traditions of circumpolar peoples. Archaeological evidence suggests practices resembling seiðr existed in Scandinavia from at least the Bronze Age (1800-500 BCE), with possible connections to Sami noaidi (shamanic) traditions and broader Eurasian shamanic complexes.
Early shamanic practices in Scandinavia; archaeological evidence of staff-bearing ritual specialists
Development of distinctly Norse seiðr tradition; völva graves with ritual implements discovered
Peak of documented seiðr practice; saga accounts of famous völur and their prophecies
Christianization leads to suppression; practices persist underground or transform into folk magic
Neo-pagan and Heathen reconstruction of seiðr based on sagas and archaeological evidence
The völva held a unique position in Norse society. She was both honored and feared, welcomed into halls for her prophecies yet kept at a certain social distance. A völva would travel from settlement to settlement, especially during winter when people sought knowledge of the coming year's fortunes, harvests, and fates.
"Then the wise woman was led to a high seat prepared for her, which was laid with a cushion. It was to be stuffed with hen's feathers. When she came in the evening with the man who had been sent to meet her, she was dressed so that she had a blue mantle over her fastened with straps, and set with stones all the way down to the hem."
- Eirik's Saga, describing a völva's arrival
The most famous application of seiðr involved entering trance states to perceive past, present, and future events. The völva would sit upon a high seat (seiðhjallr) while assistants chanted special songs called varðlokur to summon spirits and facilitate the journey. Through this practice, she could answer questions about harvests, marriages, voyages, and the fates of individuals or communities.
This practice involved sitting alone in wilderness locations, especially at night or at liminal times (twilight, solstices), to receive visions and communicate with spirits. Practitioners might sit on burial mounds to contact the dead or at crossroads to perceive other worlds. The practice required tremendous courage, as practitioners were vulnerable to malevolent spirits.
Advanced seiðr practitioners could send their spirit forth in animal form while their body remained in trance. The hugr (soul/mind) would travel in the shape of wolves, bears, birds, or whales to gather information, influence events, or attack enemies. Such journeys were dangerous - if the body was disturbed or the spirit attacked, death or madness could result.
While technically distinct from seiðr, galdrar (magical chants) often accompanied seiðr workings. These were rhythmic, often repetitive songs used to summon spirits, weave spells, or alter consciousness. The varðlokur specifically were songs to "unlock the wards" and call forth helping spirits during prophetic seiðr sessions.
Seiðr was intimately connected with thread, spinning, and weaving - activities associated with the Norns who weave fate itself. Practitioners might spin thread while chanting to "spin" fate, or weave patterns corresponding to desired outcomes. This practice links to the fundamental Norse concept that fate is woven rather than predetermined.
Seiðr practitioners could pronounce powerful curses (nið) or blessings affecting individuals, families, or entire communities. These workings might target fertility, fortune, health, or reputation. Some curses were worked through physical objects - curse poles (níðstöng) carved with runes and topped with a horse's skull could bring ruin to an enemy's lands.
Historical accounts make clear that seiðr was not always used benevolently. Sagas record instances of seiðr being employed for assassination, causing storms to wreck ships, driving people mad, or creating discord. Modern practitioners must carefully consider the ethical implications of attempting to manipulate fate or consciousness, remembering that power without wisdom leads to harm.
The most essential tool of a völva. Archaeological finds show staffs of varying materials - some iron, some wood, often with distinctive heads or decorative elements. The staff served as a walking stick, a ritual implement, and a symbol of authority. Some believe it functioned as a "world axis" connecting the practitioner to other realms.
An elevated platform or chair where the völva would sit during prophetic workings. The height symbolized and facilitated spiritual elevation, allowing the practitioner to "see" further. Cushions stuffed with feathers (especially hen or other bird feathers) were traditional, perhaps connecting to the idea of flight and freedom from bodily constraints.
Saga accounts describe elaborate clothing for völur: cloaks or capes (often blue), gloves of white catskin, hoods of black lambskin lined with white cat, and shoes of calfskin. Garments were adorned with stones, beads, and precious materials. These special clothes marked the völva as set apart from ordinary society.
Tools for spinning thread, intimately connected to fate-weaving practices. The rhythmic motion of spinning could induce trance states, while the thread itself became a physical manifestation of fate being woven. Some practitioners might spin special threads for binding spells or protection magic.
Certain animals were particularly associated with seiðr. Cats were Freyja's sacred animals and often companions to völur. Ravens connected to Odin's knowledge-gathering. Horses, especially white or grey ones, featured in spirit journeys. Animal parts (skins, bones, feathers) were incorporated into ritual tools and clothing.
While less documented than in other traditions, certain plants were likely used in Norse magic: mugwort for visions, henbane as a potentially dangerous entheogen, juniper for purification, and various consciousness-altering fungi. Burning herbs or resins could purify space and facilitate trance states.
Specific chants and songs used to "unlock the wards" and summon spirits during seiðr workings. While the melodies and most words are lost, sources indicate these were powerful, rhythmic chants that required skilled singers to perform. They created the sacred container within which seiðr could be safely practiced.
Seiðr work was dangerous, bringing practitioners into contact with potentially hostile spirits. Protective items might include Thor's hammer pendants, specific runic inscriptions, or personal talismans. Some practitioners would create a protective circle or space before beginning work.
Several archaeological finds have been identified as possible völva graves, most famously from Fyrkat in Denmark. These contain iron staffs, bags with seeds (including henbane), bronze bowls, and other ritual implements. The presence of such high-status burials indicates the importance of these practitioners in Norse society, despite the ambivalent attitudes toward their craft.
According to Norse myth, seiðr originated with the Vanir gods, particularly the goddess Freyja. When the Aesir and Vanir made peace after their war, Freyja came to Asgard and taught seiðr to the Aesir. Odin learned the practice from her and became its most famous male practitioner, despite the shame associated with men performing this type of magic.
The story of Odin learning seiðr is significant for several reasons. First, it establishes that the pursuit of wisdom and power justified transgressing social norms - Odin accepted the shame (ergi) because the knowledge was worth it. Second, it connects seiðr to Odin's other shamanic characteristics: his self-sacrifice on Yggdrasil to gain runes, his missing eye sacrificed for wisdom, his ravens gathering information across the worlds, and his journeys to the underworld.
Eirik's Saga describes Thorbjorg, "the little prophetess," one of the last of nine sisters who were all völur. This suggests that seiðr knowledge was sometimes passed down through families, from mother to daughter or between sisters. Thorbjorg's arrival in Greenland and her prophecies demonstrate that völur maintained their practice even in distant colonies.
Scholars have noted significant parallels between Norse seiðr and Sami noaidi (shamanic) practices. Both involve spirit journeys, prophecy, drumming or singing to induce trance, and communication with helping spirits. Some researchers suggest cross-cultural exchange, with Norse settlers learning from or adapting Sami techniques, or both traditions deriving from older circumpolar shamanic practices.
Several Norse and Swedish kings were accused of practicing seiðr, despite the associated shame for men. This included accusations against figures like King Harald Bluetooth and suggestions that some berserker practices involved seiðr-like shape-shifting and trance states. These accusations were often politically motivated but suggest that power-seekers sometimes risked social stigma for magical advantage.
Since the 1970s, various groups within the broader Heathen and Norse neo-pagan movements have attempted to reconstruct seiðr practices based on saga accounts, archaeological evidence, and comparison with circumpolar shamanic traditions. These modern practices vary widely in their approaches, historical accuracy, and techniques.
Modern practitioners face the challenge that we have limited, fragmentary sources about historical seiðr. Sagas were written by Christians centuries after conversion and may have misunderstood or deliberately obscured practices they considered pagan sorcery. Archaeological evidence provides objects but not the techniques for using them. Modern seiðr is necessarily a reconstruction, not an unbroken tradition, though practitioners may find it spiritually authentic and effective regardless of historical purity.
Collection of Old Norse poems including Völuspá ("Prophecy of the Seeress"), which frames the entire Norse creation and apocalypse narrative as a vision delivered by a völva. Also contains Hávamál, which includes Odin's account of learning magic and runes, and other poems referencing magical practices.
Contains the most detailed account of seiðr's origins with the Vanir and Freyja's teaching it to Odin. Also describes the ergi stigma and various applications of seiðr by gods and legendary kings. Critical source for understanding Norse attitudes toward this practice.
Provides the most detailed surviving description of a seiðr ceremony, including the völva Thorbjorg's clothing, implements, the high seat, the singing of varðlokur, and the prophecies delivered. Essential for modern reconstruction attempts.
Contains vivid accounts of both beneficial and malevolent seiðr, including shape-shifting, curses, spirit battles, and prophecy. Shows the range of seiðr applications and the fear it could inspire.
Academic ethnographic study of modern seiðr practitioners in Britain and Iceland. Examines how contemporary Heathens reconstruct and experience seiðr, relationships between historical sources and living practice, and the role of seiðr in modern pagan identity and spirituality.
Comprehensive scholarly analysis combining archaeology, textual sources, and comparative shamanic studies to reconstruct Norse magic practices. Extensive discussion of seiðr, archaeological evidence of völva graves, gender aspects, and connections to broader circumpolar shamanism. Essential academic source.
Scholarly examination of various forms of Norse magic including seiðr, analyzing terminology, social context, and the transformation of these practices during Christianization. Places seiðr within the broader landscape of medieval Scandinavian magical beliefs.
Philosophical and mythological analysis of Germanic concepts of fate, time, and being. Explores how practices like seiðr related to Norse understanding of wyrd (fate) as something woven and potentially mutable, rather than fixed and predetermined.
Similar shamanic and prophetic traditions across world cultures: