Learn about itLearn onlyHistorical practice
This page describes the practice. There is deliberately no automated reading for it — see the notes below.
Background
Seiðr was a type of magic practised in Norse society in the Late Scandinavian Iron Age, related to both the telling and shaping of the future. Its practice declined after Christianisation, and it is known from sagas, literary sources and archaeology.
How it works
Sagas describe a practitioner (völva) performing in a ritual setting and answering questions about the future; scholars debate the details.
Notes and limits
Culture: Some modern Heathen groups have revived forms of seiðr; those are distinct religious practices and are not simulated here.
At a glance
- Also called
- Seidr, Seið, Völva
- Traditions
- Old Norse
- Regions
- Europe
- You need
- Nothing
- Price
- Free