Seidr

Seidr, also spelled seidhr, is a term in Old Norse literature for a form of ritual magic or sorcery attested in Norse and Icelandic sources. It encompasses prophecy, fate manipulation, weather control, and the influencing of other people or events. In many accounts, seidr is closely associated with female practitioners—völur or volur, seeresses who entered trance-like states to foretell futures or shape outcomes. Male practitioners appear less often in the surviving material, though myth and later tradition sometimes present men as using seidhr; in Norse myth, Odin is depicted as having learned and practiced seidhr, a portrayal that highlights gender and power tensions within the magical landscape.

Practices typically involved entering trance, chanting or singing (galdr), dancing, and wearing ritual garments or performing symbolic acts. The aims could include divination, healing, or political and social influence, such as ensuring favorable outcomes or altering circumstances. Seidr is often described as distinct from other Norse magical practices, such as galdr (more vocal or solitary magic) and spá (prophecy), and in some sources it carries a stigma or is portrayed as socially less acceptable for men.

Scholars debate the origins, social function, and historical scope of seidhr. Some view it as an older shamanic-like tradition with widespread Nordic roots; others interpret the depictions as medieval literary constructs reflecting contemporary norms. The evidence is primarily literary, drawn from prose and poetry composed in Iceland and Norway in the medieval period, with later interpretations and revivals informing modern practice.

In contemporary contexts, seidhr has influenced neopagan and reconstructionist movements that seek to revive or reinterpret Norse religious practices, often distinguishing seidhr from other magical traditions while adapting them to present-day contexts.