völvas

A völva is an Old Norse term for a female seer or prophetess who practices seiðr, a form of magic in Norse and broader Germanic traditions. The völva is typically described as a wanderer or court adviser who enters trance states to foretell the future, interpret omens, and speak with spirits. She is commonly depicted as carrying a staff, which marks her authority in ritual performances, and as delivering prophecies in verse or prose.

In Norse literature and historical sources, völvur could be consulted by chieftains and kings and sometimes by common people seeking guidance. Their practice, seiðr, involves ritual trance, singing or chanting, and the shaping of destinies. The völva’s authority stems from perceived visions and knowledge of runes, the dead, and the world’s hidden patterns. In Christian-era sources, such figures were sometimes framed as witches or sorcerers, reflecting changing attitudes toward pagan practices.

Literary examples include Völuspá, the prophecy spoken by a völva to Odin in the Poetic Edda, which recounts creation, the world, and the doom of the gods. The Prose Edda, compiled by Snorri Sturluson, discusses seiðr and mentions völvur within broader explanations of Norse magic, illustrating tensions between pagan ritual practice and Christianization in the sources.

Legacy and scholarship treat the völva as a central symbol of female wisdom and prophetic power within Norse religion. In modern times, the figure remains a subject of academic study and cultural reinterpretation, and it has influenced contemporary neopagan and literary representations of Norse folklore.