seeress

A seeress is a woman reputed to have prophetic abilities or foresight, analogous to a male seer but identified by the feminine form of the word. Seeresses may interpret dreams, visions, or signs and convey messages believed to come from the divine, spirits, or the subconscious. The term is the feminine counterpart to seer, formed with the English suffix -ess.

Across cultures, women with prophetic roles appear in myth, folklore, and religion. In Norse tradition, a volva or seeress was a trained ritual specialist who could foretell events and guide decisions. In classical worlds, priestesses and prophetesses served as oracles or interpreters of divine will. In many traditions, seeresses acted within communities as advisors, healers, or mediators between the mortal and the sacred. Not all such figures claimed universal or permanent authority; prophecy could be localized, contested, or ambivalent.

In practice, seeresses might engage in trance states, dream interpretation, divination, or ritual reception of signs. The portrayal of seeresses in literature often emphasizes wisdom, danger, or ambiguity inherent in prophecy. In modern usage, the term appears in spiritual, fantasy, and academic contexts; it is sometimes preferred for historical or folkloric topics, while in some settings the gender-neutral seer or the term prophetess may be used.