#spákona

[whencyclopedia]

Viking Prophecy: The Poem Völuspá of the Poetic Edda

The Völuspá (Old Norse: Vǫluspá) is a medieval poem of the Poetic Edda that describes how the world might have come into shape and would end according to Norse mythology. The story of about 60 stanzas is told by a seeress or völva (Old Norse: vǫlva, also called spákona, foretelling woman) summoned by the god Odin, master of magic and knowledge. According to this literary text, the beginning of the world was characterized by nothingness until the gods created the nine realms of Norse cosmology, somehow linked by the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

At the same time, the fate of everything was set in stone by a group of seeresses. In the very beginning, two families of gods were involved in a war, ending with a truce and a wall around their divine citadel of Asgard. However, they would not live in peace forever because the universe has been doomed since the very moment of its creation. Every god has a specific enemy with whom they will do battle and many will be slain, including the chief god Odin.

Context

The Northmen of the 8th or 9th century CE whom we usually call Vikings did not really have any written sources for their religion. They carved some images in stone, they made some wooden idols, and they rather recited poems about what they thought the world was like. A few centuries after the age of these daring seamen, traders, and explorers, some Icelanders wrote down such poems remembered from ancestors. This collection of poems is called the Edda, and it is our most precious source of information about what the myths of the Northmen might have looked like.

It is written in Old Norse, the language people used to speak in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark up until the 15th century CE. These poems are found in two manuscripts, the Codex Regius (King’s book) and another book called the Hauksbók, but the order of the stanzas, the groups of four lines making up the poems, seems more logical in the first book. The first poem of the collection is the Völuspá, meaning the prophecy of the völva. Snorri Sturluson, a 13th-century CE Icelandic scholar, also wrote a version of these tales, quoting much of the poems in his book. The version he knew, however, seems different, indicating that the poems of the Edda were very popular among the Vikings.

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[bright-side20]

Elain Archeron/The seer🌸

I was reading about Norse mythology and came across figures with powers similar to Elain's, which I think further supports the theory of her having both the power of the oracles and the mystics.

The Völva, within Norse mythology, are portrayed as mystical females capable of prophecy, foresight, and magic. They communicate with spirits and gods and are connected to Freyja, the Goddess of love and a warlike divinity.

Their power :

Similar to Elain:

“I saw young hands wither with age. I saw a box of black stone. I saw a feather of fire land on snow and melt it.”

"It was angry,” Elain said quietly. “It was so, so angry that something was taken. So it took something from them as punishment.”

It is like a vivid memory

The other power:

Similar to the mystics and Elain:

Her eyes shifted beneath her lids, the skin so delicate and colorless that the blue veins beneath were like small streams. “It moves …,” she whispered. “It moves through the world like … like the breath of the western wind.”

"This time, you sent the trembling fawn to find me. I did not expect to see those doe-eyes peering at me from across the world.”

Elain blinked and blinked, eyes clearing again. As if the understanding, our understanding … it freed her from whatever murky realm she’d been in.

Bring back Visions of

The Future :Elain said quietly, “The queen might come.”

The Past :“They sold her—to … to some darkness, to some … sorcerer-lord …”

The Present :“Can you sense where she is?” “There is … a lake. Deep in—in the continent, I think. Hidden amongst mountains and ancient forests.” Elain’s throat bobbed. “He keeps them all at the lake.”

I think Elain is exactly a spákona :

Elain is meant to be a seer :

Nesta never spoke of it afterward,” Elain said. “I just observed.” Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.

Also the fact that is is related to the world spy 🤭

_ The spákona are not considered witches because witchcraft was viewed as malicious. The divine power of the spákona was considered an intrinsic part of themselves:

_They were also believed to have the ability to shape-shift into animal form to fight or to travel long distances, and we know that the suriel saw Elain in the form of a fawn.They also had the power of healing.

In Norse mythology, a volva was able to observe the demonic forces of Hel's realm preparing to attack the world of gods and humans. She provided Odin with detailed information about Ragnarok. So Will Elain be able to assist Bryce regarding the upcoming battle in Midgard 🧐

[whencyclopedes]

La profecía vikinga: el poema Völuspá de la Edda poética

El Völuspá (en nórdico antiguo: Vǫluspá) es un poema medieval de la Edda poética que describe cómo el mundo podría haber tomado forma y cómo terminaría según la mitología nórdica. La historia, de unas 60 estrofas, la narra una vidente o völva (en nórdico antiguo: vǫlva, también llamada spákona, adivina) convocada por el dios Odín, maestro de la magia y el conocimiento. Según este texto literario, el comienzo del mundo se caracterizó por la nada hasta que los dioses crearon los nueve reinos de la cosmología nórdica, vinculados de alguna manera por el Árbol del Mundo, Yggdrasil.

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[whencyclopedfr]

Prophétie Viking: Le Poème Völuspá de l'Edda Poétique

La Völuspá (vieux norrois: Vǫluspá) est un poème médiéval de l'Edda poétique qui décrit comment le monde a pu prendre forme et pourrait se terminer selon la mythologie nordique. L'histoire d'environ 60 strophes est racontée par une voyante ou völva (vieux norrois: vǫlva, également appelée spákona, femme de présage) convoquée par le dieu Odin, maître de la magie et de la connaissance. Selon ce texte littéraire, le début du monde était caractérisé par le néant jusqu'à ce que les dieux ne créent les neuf royaumes de la cosmologie nordique, reliés d'une manière ou d'une autre par l'arbre du monde, Yggdrasil.

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[priestess-of-the-north-west]

Tags related to a pagan North-West on this Tumblr P-Z

Path Pearl Peat Pentacle Pentagram Picture stone Plant dyeing Planting Pleiades Poetry Potion Pottery Prayer Pregnant Priestess Rán Ring Ritual Ritual dance Rune (Frisian futhorc, Futhorc, Icelandic Rune, Younger futhark) Rune stone Sacred knot Sacrifice Sámi Sága Seiðr Shield Ship Ship burial Síf Silver Skaði Ski Skuld Skull Sleipnir Spákona Spear Spindle Spinning Spiral Statue Staff Stone ship Stonehenge Sword Temple Textiles Throat singing Throne Tin Torch Trident Triskelion Trojaborg-labyrinth Troll Underworld Urðr Ursa major Uruz Útiseta Valknute (the Norwegian word!) Valkyrja Vegtamr Venus Veil Verðandi Vǫlva Vrouw Holle Wagon Weaving Well Wind vane Wish Woodhenge Wool Whetstone Yggdrasil Ymir Younger futhark Þórr Ægir

[sarenth]

Hail Dísir!

The Blessed Women Who guard and guide the lines Of blood, adoption, spirit, lineage, intiation Blessed Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives, Aunts, Grandmothers Blessed Childbearers and Childless Goddesses and family Nornir Embla in Her might Jörðmoðir beneath our feet and all around us, Miðgarðr Herself Vísendakonur, Vitkar, Vólur, Seiðkonur, Spáknour, Reginnkonur Bless us! Teach us! Walk…

[vulpine-vackra]

Völva and Seiðr - A Very Brief Introduction

The term Völva (Old Norse Vǫlva) is often misunderstood or mistranslated. A Völva is a Seeress. A Völva acts as a prophetess or priestess by means of performing seiðr (Swedish sejd).

Seiðr is a particular type of Norse magic most often used for divination or clairvoyance. Freyja was the original seiðkona, and it was she who introduced this craft to the gods and to those who followed in her path as a Völva. A Völva performs trancework to journey to the world of spirit, and once there she can ask questions on behalf of herself or others. Sometimes the answers will be shown to her through a vision, and other times the answers will be either spoken to or through her by the spirits.

Spákona is sometimes used synonymously with seiðkona, but the distinction is that a spákona is specifically a woman who prophesizes, while a seiðkona is a broad term describing any woman who performs seiðr.

[hearthstonewellness]

In Nordic mythology, a Fylgja (pronounced Filgya) is a guardian spirit, in the form of an animal, whose task is to follow and guide a person through different situations in life in accordance with their fate or destiny. Much like the Irish Fetch or Ojibwe Totem (doodem).  Additionally, certain lineages – important craftworks, spiritual traditions, etc – may have one (or several) guardian spirits of their own, separate from those possessed by individual members, that guide and protect the lineage’s wisdom and techniques.Often viewed as an expression of a person’s essence – the embodiment of their soul, magic, or medicine – the animal typically takes a form representative of those qualities. Meaning exactly which form an individual’s fylgja takes depends on who they are as a person. For example, a warrior may have a bear or a wolf. A cunning person a snake, a wise person an owl, or even a mythological creature for certain spiritual practitioners. In extant stories, your Fylgja could manifest through dreams to provide visions and messages or in the physical world through regular (non-spirit) animals as an omen. But to see a person’s Fylgja in spirit form whilst awake most often served as a warning of their impending death. However, spiritually sensitive people could sometimes perceive these spirits in the waking world. And Shamans and Witches – known as völva, spákona, or goði – were often known to work directly with their Fylgja in ways similar to the Western-European ‘Familiar’.

[Image Description: Digital art of a forest spirit in the form of a blue-eyed wolf with grass and roots for fur.]

[dailylogyn]

Mara und der Feuerbringer (Mara and the Firebringer) Book #1 (German Edition)

Translated from German:

Where does the legend begin - where does reality end?

The trilogy MARA AND THE FEUERBRINGER by Grimme Prize winner and bestselling author Tommy Krappweis - completely revised and unabridged for the first time!

14-year-old Mara Lorbeer would prefer to be a completely normal girl. Without those daydreams that your schoolmates keep making fun of! But then something unbelievable happens: Mara learns that of all people she is the last Spákona, a seer. Only with the help of her special gift can she prevent the demigod Loki from freeing himself from his bonds and becoming a danger. Mara's world is falling apart: will she manage to face this great task?

Volume 1 contains a complete subject index by Prof. Rudolf Simek.

The film, Mara und der Feuerbringer, is based on Book #1. 

It is a wonderful trilogy featuring Mythology characters of all kinds, especially Loki and Sigyn. 

[trolldomblog]

Seidr & Norse Shamanism

In Old Norse, seiðr (sometimes anglicized as seidhr, seidh, seidr, seithr, seith, or seid) was a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age. The practice of seiðr is believed to be a form of magic relating to both the telling and shaping of the future. Connected with Norse religion, its origins are largely unknown, although it became gradually eroded following the Christianization of Scandinavia. Accounts of seiðr later made it into sagas and other literary sources, while further evidence has been unearthed by archaeologists. Various scholars have debated the nature of seiðr, some arguing that it was shamanic in context, involving visionary journeys by its practitioners.

Seiðr practitioners were of both sexes, although females are more widely attested, with such sorceresses being variously known as vǫlur, seiðkonur and vísendakona. There were also accounts of male practitioners, known as seiðmenn, but in practicing magic they brought a social taboo, known as ergi, on to themselves, and were sometimes persecuted as a result. In many cases these magical practitioners would have had assistants to aid them in their rituals.

In pre-Christian Norse mythology, seiðr was associated with both the god Oðinn, a deity who was simultaneously responsible for war, poetry and sorcery, and the goddess Freyja, a member of the Vanir who was believed to have taught the practice to the Æsir.

In the 20th century, adherents of various modern pagan new religious movements adopted forms of magico-religious practice that include seiðr. The practices of these contemporary seiðr-workers have since been investigated by various academic researchers operating in the field of pagan studies. Darkness covers the tents scattered across the drying grass of the festival grounds with a kindly shadow; at the far end of the sloping valley, the cliffs are edged by the first silver shimmer of the rising moon. As its light grows, it outlines a canvas pavilion and glimmers on the upturned faces of the folk gathered before it. They are gazing at a tall chair like a throne, but higher and draped with a bearskin, where a veiled figure waits, her body motionless, her face in shadow.

“The gate is passed, the seidhkona waits,” says the woman sitting on the fur-covered stool below the high seat. “Is there one here who would ask a question?”

After a moment’s hesitation, someone rises. He must decide whether to move from his present home or continue where he is. What should he do? What fate does the Völva see?

“Speak now, seeress, ’till said thou hast. Answer the asker ’till all he knows. . .” says the leader. And after a moment the seidhkona, her voice harsh as if it comes from a great distance, begins to answer him.

This could be a scene from the world of our ancestors, but in fact the ritual described above took place at a pagan festival in Northern California. For the past three years, a group called Hrafnar (“the Ravens”) has been performing a reconstruction of the Old Norse seidh ritual as a service to the community. The group has worked outdoors in rain or moonlight, in an underground bunker, and in living rooms; for groups of forty or more people, or for only two or three. In addition to assisting in personal growth, our purpose has been to demonstrate the validity of the shamanic tradition of Northern Europe, and to serve the larger pagan community to which we belong as the Völvas of Scandinavia served their people. The procedure has undergone many changes during that time, and continues to evolve, but we have now learned enough so that it seems appropriate to share our findings.

Norse Shamanism

The form of divination described above is one of a group of practices referred to as Seidh, which bear a strong resemblance to activities which in other cultures are called Shamanism. In order to understand what Hrafnar is trying to do, one needs to know something about Shamanism in general and how it was practiced in the northern lands.

Shamanism may well claim to be the oldest type of spiritual practice still in use among humankind. Evidence for activities similar to those of later shamans can be seen in the Paleolithic cave paintings. Shamanic practices have survived at all the edges of the inhabited world, with remarkable similarities in both technique and symbolism appearing in places as disparate as Siberia and Tierra del Fuego. Such a broad dispersal suggests that shamanism was practiced by homo sapiens at a very early stage of development, before its dispersion into different cultures. With such a venerable and extensive history, one would expect to find evidence of shamanic practice in the pre-Christian cultures of Northern Europe as well.

A careful analysis of Norse and Celtic sources suggests that this is indeed true. To the reader familiar with the literature of shamanism, many of the visionary and magical feats attributed to both Druids and Old Norse vitkis or völvas seem strongly reminiscent of shamanic practices. The Icelandic sagas are rich in accounts of magic of all kinds, including spirit journeys, weather working, healing, prophecy, and shape changing. Some of the Scandinavian practices may well have been learned from the Saami (Lapps) or Finns, but accounts from Celtic and even Greek legend support a belief in native Indo-European shamanism as well.

 Seidr

The practice for which we have the most information is called seidh (nominative case in Old Norse, seidhr), which may come from a word meaning “to speak” or “to sing”, or possibly be cognate to the verb “to seethe”, derived from the rituals of salt-boiling (Grimm, III:1047). According to Stephen Glosecki,

The etymology of seidhr, however, suggests indigenous development, perhaps retention of Indo-European practice. The mysterious term is cognate with French séance, Latin sedere; Old English sittan, and thus with a large group of terms based on the Indo-European root *sed-. A seidhr, then, was literally a séance — a “sitting” to commune with the spirits.

— (Shamanism and Old English Poetry, p. 97)

In the literature, seidh refers to various kinds of magical practice, including an act of divination or prophecy performed while in trance. Other terms for the practitioner of seidh would be seidhkona, spákona, or for a man, seidhmadhr. A more general term for a male spiritual practitioner was vitki (in Anglo-Saxon, wicca or [fem.] wicce). At an earlier period, both men and women appear to have practiced this craft. Male practitioners of seidh included Ragnvald Rettilbeini (the son of King Harald Fair hair, who was burned by Erik Bloodaxe at their father’s command along with the men who worked seidh with him), and Eyvindr Kelda, who was drowned by King Olaf. However, the majority of those who practice seidh in the sagas are female. The strong feminine tradition makes this form of shamanism especially interesting to women.

Skill in seidh was a specialty of the god Odin. It is said to have been taught to the Aesir by the goddess Freyja (Ynglingasaga: 4) and parts of the practice probably originated with the Vanir cult. On the other hand, Odin was himself originally a shamanic deity, who seems to have acquired this magical technique in addition to his mastery of the runes and other lore. In part VII of the Ynglingasaga, we learn that —

Odin had the skill which gives great power and which he practiced himself. It is called seith, and by means of it he could know the fate of men and predict events that had not yet come to pass; and by it he could also inflict bane on men, or soul loss or waning health, or also take wit or power from some men, and give them to others. But this sorcery is attended by such ergi [a term meaning sexual, or spiritual, receptivity used as an insult] that manly men considered it shameful to practice it, and so it was taught to priestesses.

Odin could change himself. His body then lay as if sleeping or dead, but he became a bird or a wild beast, a fish or a dragon, and journeyed in the twinkling of an eye to far-off lands, on his own errands or those of other men. Also, with mere words he was able to extinguish fires, to calm the seas, and to turn the winds any way he pleased.

A passage from the Lokasenna is of especial interest, since if the verb in the second line is examined carefully, it may provide evidence for Norse use of the shamanic drum. Taunting Odin, Loki says–

But thou in Samsey wast performing seidh

And beating out (spells) like a Völva,

Vitki-like didst pass through the world of men,

In woman’s wise, I believe.

— (Lokasenna: 24)

Other practices identified as seidh include raising storms, journeying or battling in animal form, sending a nightmare to kill someone by suffocation in his sleep, and love spells, all things with which shamans in other cultures are credited (or accused of) as well. Journeying, both in the body and in trance, is a standard practice in Norse literature. Destinations vary, there are references to travel in Midgard (viewing other parts of the real world) and seeking Odin’s Seat of Seeing in Asgard. However, by far the most common use of the term seidh is in reference to a ritual in which the seeress (völva or seiðkona) sits on a platform or high seat (seidhjallr), goes into trance and prophesies for the community. It is this practice which Hrafnar has to date spent the most time in recovering.

The most comprehensive account of a seidh session (or indeed, of any Norse ritual) which survives is the story in section four of the Saga of Erik the Red, in which a Völva comes to one of the settlements in Greenland to prophesy for the community. The idea that physically elevating the seer will assist in vision also seems to be behind the tripod upon which the Delphic Pythia sat to prophesy, and perhaps the tree trunk which the Machi shamaness of the Araucanian tribe of South America climbs in order to declare her visions as well.

In former times the machi mounted a platform supported by shrubs (the rewe) and there, in prolonged contemplation of the sky, she had her visions… When the machi has returned to her senses, she describes her journey to the sky, and announces that the Sky Father has granted all the wishes of the community.

— (Eliade: Shamanism, p.325)

The important features of the seidh rite in Erik’s Saga are as follows: The Völva was an itinerant priestess, requested to come to the steading to divine for them when the current famine would end. Other texts suggest that formerly such priestesses travelled with a group of younger people, perhaps in training, but at this period the Spákona Thorbjorg alone remained. When she arrived, she was given an opportunity to get to know the place, and then fed a meal of the hearts of all the different kinds of beasts available (possibly a reference to a sacrifice, in which the rest of the meat would have been eaten by the others). In Irish tradition, an offering to the gods was also sometimes a prerequisite to prophecy.

To prophesy, the Greenland Völva sat upon a raised seat with a cushion stuffed with hen feathers. To enable her to go into trance, a special song, the vardhlokur, was sung by a woman, which summoned the spirits. As a result, the seeress prophesied the end of the famine, and also answered many questions for members of the community. She wore a special costume, consisting of a blue cloak ornamented with stones, a necklace of glass beads, a cap of black lambskin lined with white cat skin, cat skin gloves, and calfskin shoes. A belt supported her skin pouch of magical paraphernalia and a walrus ivory handled knife, and she carried a carven staff with a brass knob, also set with stones. The most significant aspects of this attire are probably the inclusion of different kinds of animal fur, especially the skins of the cat, sacred to Freyja, and the staff, which appears in a 6th century plaque which may depict a priestess, and is among the items forbidden to Christians. In Laxdælasaga, a seidh staff is found in a grave believed to be that of a völva.

The Hrafnar Seidh Ritual

In the references to prophetic seidh which have survived, attention focuses on the questions, and beyond the information that a special song was sung, little is said about the techniques used to achieve vision. However, in studying the Eddas, we note that the Voluspá; BaldersdraumR, and the Shorter Seeress’ Prophecy all recount episodes in which Odhinn journeys to the Underworld to consult the Völva. These stories suggest two possibilities — the first is that the place in which prophetic vision is found is Hel, home of the ancestral spirits, and second is that the process of questioning was structured according to a traditional formula to which the seer was conditioned to respond. In seidh as performed by Hrafnar, singing is used to change consciousness and raise energy, the journey to the Underworld serves to bring everyone to the source of knowledge, and the formulaic questioning keeps the visionary state under control.

The first step is purification with the smoke of sacred herbs. Today smudging is most familiar from Native American tradition, but the practice of smoking with herbs (called recels) is found in Anglo-Saxon sources and elsewhere in European folklore. The purpose of the practice is to help people get rid of tensions and preoccupations that would prevent them from focusing on the work at hand. The leader or householder then defines the space to be used for the ceremony. One or more of the participants may orient and balance the group by honoring the directions and the local nature spirits. Finally, the gods in general and those deities particularly associated with seidh are invoked. With each step, the group moves deeper into the world of Norse myth. By the time the journeying begins, everyone should be caught up by the momentum of the ceremony.

None of this is strictly necessary for the practice of seidh. However Christian denunciations of pagan prophetic practice indicate that the gods were invoked before performing divination. More important is the psychological function of these activities. Taking time to establish Sacred Space provides a transitional period in which the participants can release the preoccupations of the day and their identities in the modern world and move into the world of Nordic myth. It is also useful to define the area of the ritual, especially when a ceremony is being performed in someone’s living room.

Wearing authentic clothing helps all of the participants make that psychological transition, just as wearing a cap or cape with skins or pictures of one’s power animal and other symbols helps the shaman to function. A great deal of this could be classed as theater, but any analysis of the shamanic literature will make the dramatic element in most traditional practices quite clear.

‘Tis time to sing at the Seat of Thul,

At the well of Urdh to welcome wisdom. . .”

With these words from the Havamál we move into the heart of the ritual, preparation for the prophetic trance begins. The seidh journey is powered by the energy raised by dance and drumming, chant and song. As in traditional societies, an exchange takes place between shaman and people in which the energy of the community enables the shaman to journey farther and faster to bring back the knowledge they need. The forms this takes may vary. Sometimes Hrafnar ceremonies include fiddlers who play Swedish folk music to get people into the mood. More often, we use the drum. The drummer should begin a strong beat to which all may sway, clap, etc. and if there is room, dance in a line or spiral which becomes a circle again, or only the seer/esses may dance. This is followed by the power songs of the seer/esses. A whistle may signal the end of the preparatory phase.

The Guide or drummer then begins a slow beat, and Guide begins the induction, or the Seer/ess may narrate the journey. It begins with instructions to relax the limbs, to deepen and regularize the breathing. Then people are directed to visualize a familiar outdoor spot from which a path leads downward and into a forest. The trees arch overhead to form a tunnel, through which one passes to the Sacred Grove. This is the barrier between the real world and Midgard, which is the Mid-world, the non-ordinary version of our normal plane of existence. In the center of the Sacred Grove rises Yggdrasil, the world tree. From this point, the journey incorporates imagery from traditional Underworld journeys, ending before the Gate, where all except the Seer/ess remain during the questioning.

The journey always follows the same general outline. Since this is being done aloud, the rest of the group hears and is carried along on the journey. In practice, each participant interprets the narration through his or her own symbol system, so that each person’s journey is different, although everyone arrives at the same goal. Each seer/ess or Guide visualizes the journey and narrates it in his or her own way, however the route is always essentially the same. As the group has continued to work together, members have influenced each other’s visions of the road.

This shared vision is the equivalent of the culture-specific interpretation of the Otherworld inherited by members of a traditional society. It also places the entire group in a rapport which facilitates the divination. Some symbols are universal, but the visions of individuals in a traditional culture tend to consist of images which other members of that culture can recognize and understand. By intentionally furnishing the first part of the journey with images from Norse culture, we increase the probability that the original material that follows will come from the same stratum of the collective unconscious, providing an integrated and comprehensible experience.

It is important to note that the Hel of Germanic mythology is by no means the same as the Hell of Christianity, to which, in English, it gave its name. Although Loki’s daughter Hella, who rules it, is in part a goddess of death and decay, the other side of her face is young and beautiful. Hel appears to include both the horrors of the grave and the beauty of the Undying Lands. Green plants flourish there even when in the world it is winter. Hel is the world beneath the mound — the world of the ancestors.

The topography of the Underworld appears to have been thoroughly mapped by the ancients; there is a remarkable degree of agreement in the accounts of journeys– the obstacles to be surmounted, the rivers crossed, the beings encountered on the way. Such a definitive tradition suggests generations of journeying. This pathway through the collective unconscious has been well surveyed.

Although the entire group makes the journey to the Underworld together, only the seer takes the further step of going through the gates, and only after formally indicating his or her willingness to do so. If the first Seer/ess has guided the journey, at this point a second person takes over as Guide. The chant is sung by everyone, to a medieval Norwegian melody. The music and the drumming carry the Seer/ess as s/he visualizes going through the Gateway into the Underworld. Individual experiences of this second stage of trance vary, however all agree that a definite shift in consciousness occurs. The experience is generally pleasant. For some, the stimulus of a question is required for images to form, others begin to see spirits etc. as soon as they arrive.

In the Eddas, Odin generally begins by chanting a spell to summon the Völva from her mound and stating his magical name and powers. He signals his question by saying– “Cease not, Völva, till said thou hast; answer the asker till all he knows….” (Baldrsdraumr 8, etc.). The Völva signals that she has finished with one answer and is ready for a new question by saying, “I tell thee much, yet more lore have I; thou needs must know this — wilt know still more?” (line 4, etc.). or in Voluspá, “Wit you more, or how?”

This pattern is the model for the interaction between the Guide and the seer/ess during Seidh trance. The role of the Guide at this point is to act as intermediary between the group as a whole, still in first stage trance, and the Seer/ess. In the orientation, people should be warned to make their questions as simple and specific as possible. The Guide signals questioners to begin and signals the end of a sequence. S/he also maintains sufficient rapport with the Seer/ess to tell when the Seer/ess is tiring and end the session. If there are more questions than the first Seer/ess can handle, a second and if required a third speaker is put up into the high seat and the sequence from the singing onward repeated.

Some querents may have questions involving the dead, or there may be times when a seer/ess senses spirits who are eager to communicate. Given that we are invading the realm of the spirits for this work, it seems only just that from time to time they should be allowed to have their say. The seer/ess may hear and transmit the message, or in some cases, allow the spirit to speak through him/her. This kind of communication, however, should be handled carefully, and special care should be taken in bringing the seer/ess back to ordinary consciousness.

When all questions have been answered, the Guide brings the last Seer/ess back through the Gate, but s/he may stay in High Seat for journey home. To the beat of the drum, the Guide narrates return journey in reverse order from entry. At the end of the narration, the Guide or a singer may sing another song to help people make the transition back to ordinary reality.

The final part of the ritual recapitulates the actions of the opening in reverse order, assisting all participants to make an orderly transition back to normal reality. Tasting rock salt is helpful in grounding, and distributing it provides an opportunity to make sure that everyone has in fact shifted back to ordinary consciousness. We always try to have food and drink available afterward to continue this process and replace expended energy. The social atmosphere of sharing food also provides a supportive environment in which people can debrief and discuss the interpretation of their answers.

The larger the group being served, the more useful a division of labor in the ceremony becomes. Roles include that of the Seer/ess, the Guide, one or more Wardens to assist in getting seers in and out of the chair and recovering as well as watching out for problems in the group as a whole, and of course, the people who are asking the questions. Each of these functions is important, and each requires preparation and training.

The element that makes seidh different from individual shamanic journeying is the presence of the people with the questions. The Harner technique in which a shaman journeys to obtain a vision for a client, helps him or her to interpret it, and teaches him to continue working in this way on his own occupies a middle position between solo work and seidh. Seidh allows a shaman, or seer, to use a single journey to see for many people in a way which recreates the culturally supportive environment of a traditional setting. In fact, only if there are several people seeking information of this kind does it make sense to put on such an elaborate ceremony. It might be said, therefore, that next to the seer/ess, the people are the most important participants.

Despite the fact that others lead the journey, the role of the querent should not be a passive one. Adding to the number of people sharing the vision seem to increase its intensity. Even an experienced journeyer may find the trip more vivid when others are along. The presence of a group provides an automatic support network which helps to validate the experience, and the energy and excitement created by group chanting provides extra power to carry the seer/ess into the second level of trance.

It is the responsibility of the querent to frame the question in a way that will provide a useful answer, so s/he should spend some thought on choosing the subject and be specific about how it is described. Questions should be narrowed down so that a single short vision will provide useful information. They should be serious, and they should be important to the asker. In asking their questions and interpreting the seidhkona’s replies, Querents would be well advised to heed the advice Socrates gave to Xenopohon regarding oracles. According to the master, it is stupid to ask questions which can be answered by research, reason or ethical principles.

In short, what the gods have granted us to do by dint of learning, we must learn. What is hidden from mortals we should try to find out from the gods by divination; for to him that is in their grace the gods grant signs.

— Xenophon, Memorabilia, LCL, trans. O.J. Todd, vol. 4, pp. 5-7

Ancient writers such as Epictetus also point out the necessity of approaching the oracle with a completely detached and open mind, determined to put the answer to good use, whatever it may be.

Interestingly enough, we have found that a vision will sometimes answer more than one question — the one that triggered it, and a question which someone else in the group is waiting to ask. The visions may stimulate insights in those who have not yet asked their questions or did not know they had one. Others simply “hang out” in a comfortable state or do their own spiritual work until it is time to return.

The greater the need of the querent, the more powerful the vision will be. The process is essentially interactive. Seer and querents have already been placed in rapport by journeying together; the seer uses his or her skills to reach a level of consciousness in which information and images can be accessed with great efficiency, but the questions, especially those coming from complete strangers, evoke the images, and validate the seer’s belief in his or her skills.

The querent therefore needs to stay as focused as possible, to sing enthusiastically when required, and to formulate his or her question as simply and clearly as possible. The more open the querent is to the experience, the more powerful the answer. In some cases, the answer may be something the querent has been told before, or a thing that could be communicated just as well in a less elaborate setting. The fact that the information is communicated when both parties are in an altered state seems to give it more impact. The images which are the most common type of response can have great power, and even ordinary information conveyed in trance may acquire profound significance. In any case, the querent is more likely to remember and understand advice received in this way.

The only equipment really needed for seidh is the mind. However, like shamans in traditional societies, in Hrafnar we have found that when one is working with a group, a certain amount of dramatic technique increases the effectiveness of the process. Physical symbols, which speak to the unconscious, help us to convince ourselves and those who work with us that we are indeed recreating the spirituality of our ancestors. Thus, in addition to researching the process itself, we have studied the culture from which it came, and tried, as much as possible, to recreate its clothing and artifacts. The effectiveness of this may be judged by one attendee’s comment that the experience felt like participating in something out of National Geographic.

Results

Seidh is not intended to replace other spiritual or therapeutic practices. Its benefits, as with any experience, depend on the use that is made of them. The ritual appears to have two major effects. The first is to provide spiritual counselling for a maximum number of people in a single session. The second is to give people a powerful sense of participation in a spiritual experience in the Northern European tradition. Many querents have reported that the answers they received were extremely accurate, and that they received new insights into their situations.

The Hrafnar seidh procedure is now reasonably well tested. Both women and men have been trained and seem to function equally well. Several of the seers are able to handle a roomful of questions with minimal assistance. Others are able to take several questions at a time with some support. Clearly, this is a skill which becomes easier with practice. The group has become known as a resource available to the local community and is beginning to work with other Norse groups such as the Ring of Troth. Hrafnar performs seidh at several annual festivals as well as on special occasions. In the future, we will continue to train more seer/esses, and give them the experience they need to function more and more independently.

[nebris]

A vǫlva or völva (Old Norse and Icelandic, respectively; plural forms vǫlur and völvur, sometimes anglicized vala; also spákona or spækona) is a female shaman and seer in Norse religion and a recurring motif in Norse mythology. 

The vǫlur were referred to by many names. Old Norse vǫlva means "wand carrier" or "carrier of a magic staff",[1] and it continues Proto-Germanic *walwōn, which is derived from a word for "wand" (Old Norse vǫlr).[2]Vala, on the other hand, is a literary form based on vǫlva.[2]

Another name for the vǫlva is fjǫlkunnig (plenty of knowing) indicating she knew seiðr, spá and galdr. A practitioner of seiðr is known as a seiðkona "seiðr-woman" or a seiðmaðr "seiðr-man".

A spákona or spækona "spá-woman"[3] (with an Old English cognate, spæwīfe)[4] is a specialised vǫlva; a "seer, one who sees", from the Old Norse word spá or spæ referring to prophesying and which is cognate with the present English word "spy", continuing Proto-Germanic *spah- and the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)peḱ (to see, to observe) and consequently related to Latin speciō ("I see") and Sanskrit spaśyati and paśyati (पश्यति, "to see").

Vǫlur practiced seiðr, spá and galdr, practices which encompassed shamanism, sorcery, prophecy and other forms of indigenous magic associated with women. Seiðr in particular had connotations of ergi (unmanliness), a serious offense in Norse society.

Historical and mythological depictions of vǫlur show that they were held in high esteem and believed to possess such powers that even the father of the gods, Odin himself, consulted a vǫlva to learn what the future had in store for the gods. Such an account is preserved in the Völuspá, which roughly translates to "Prophecy of the Vǫlva". In addition to the unnamed seeress (possibly identical with Heiðr) in the Vǫluspá, other examples of vǫlur in Norse literature include Gróa in Svipdagsmál, Þórbjǫrgr in the Saga of Erik the Red and Huld in Ynglinga saga.

The vǫlur were not considered to be harmless.[6] The goddess who was most skilled in magic was Freyja, and she was not only a goddess of love, but also a warlike divinity who caused screams of anguish, blood and death, and what Freyja performed in Asgard, the world of the gods, the vǫlur tried to perform in Midgard, the world of men.[6] The weapon of the vǫlva was not the spear, the axe or the sword, but instead they were held to influence battles with different means, and one of them was the wand,[6] (see the section wands and weaving, below).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6lva

[lipstickmata]

Found this print while at the Viking ship museum in Oslo; this is the postcard version. I was delighted because I have always had a small obsession with female-led magic/religion/shamanism.

As per Wikipedia:

A vǫlva or völva (Old Norse and Icelandic, respectively; plural forms vǫlur and völvur, sometimes anglicized vala; also spákona or spækona) is a female shaman and seer in Norse religion and a recurring motif in Norse mythology.

The vǫlur were referred to by many names. Old Norse vǫlva means "wand carrier" or "carrier of a magic staff", and it continues Proto-Germanic *walwōn, which is derived from a word for "wand" (Old Norse vǫlr). Vala, on the other hand, is a literary form based on vǫlva.

Another name for the vǫlva is fjǫlkunnig (plenty of knowing) indicating she knew seiðr, spá and galdr. A practitioner of seiðr is known as a seiðkona "seiðr-woman" or a seiðmaðr "seiðr-man".

A spákona or spækona "spá-woman" (with an Old English cognate, spæwīfe) is a specialised vǫlva; a "seer, one who sees", from the Old Norse word spá or spæ referring to prophesying and which is cognate with the present English word "spy", continuing Proto-Germanic *spah- and the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)peḱ (to see, to observe) and consequently related to Latin specio ("I see") and Sanskrit spaśyati and paśyati ("to see").

[sarenth]

Patreon Song/Poem/Prayer 21 -For Freya

If you want to submit a request for a prayer, poem, or song to be written to you privately or to be posted on this blog or my Patreon for a God, Ancestor, or spirit, sign up for the Ansuz and above level here on my Patreon. This prayer was requested from Maleck Odinsson for Freya.

Seiðkona Who shakes in the throes of vaettir

Spákona Who hears the vaettir speak

Ginnregin Who embodies power

[farmadr]

Fjölkynngi

Fjölkynngi es la palabra en Norrønt mál, el hablar de los antiguos nórdicos, para la magia nórdica practicada por los Vitkar que incluye el saber de las runas mediante encantamientos Galðar, posturas Stoður, grabados Staffur y Hjálmur, además del saber de las almas mediante curaciones Læknr y ocasionalmente también hechizos Seiðr y visiones Spáe.

Los Vitkar fueron en tiempos medievales, previos a la conversión cristiana de Escandivania ocurrida entre los siglos VIII a XII, figuras de autoridad y auxilio que vivían en los márgenes de las villas. Un vitki podía ser hombre o mujer, igualmente era buscado por sus habilidades curativas y por el poder protector de sus runas.

Vitki proviene de la palabra Vitr, sabiduría, que en ese entonces era entendido como un mago y curandero. Fjölkynngi, pronunciado “fi-aol-kiun-ngui”, proviene de las palabras fjöl, muchas veces, y kunna, conocer; siendo este “múltiple conocimiento” aquel atribuido con sabiduría ancestral y poder mágico.

Compartía el Vitki estatus noble con la Völva y el Goði, quienes servían a la villa de distintas maneras pero siempre buscando su bienestar. El Goði aparece un poco después que los otros durante la conversión como figura religiosa prominente, básicamente un sacerdote nórdico.

Las Völvur únicamente eran mujeres elegidas por los dioses para traer visiones proféticas a los humanos, también llamadas por ese oficio, spákona, literalmente mujer de profecías. La Völva era la maestra del Seiðr que junto con el Spáe podía hablar de todo cuanto acontecía en los nueve reinos y cambiar los destinos de hombres, elfos y enanos a voluntad.

Sin embargo quienes prácticaban independientemente el Seiðr eran las seiðkonur y los seiðmenn, brujas y brujos, que diferencia de la Völva o el Vitki eran más bien temidos que respetados. Dada la exclusividad femenina de la Völva, hay quién intenta ajustarla como la operadora femenina de magia mientras al Vitki como el operador masculino de magia, sin embargo los Vitkar no dejaron rastro de una exclusividad masculina.

La magia y hechicería en cualquiera de sus presentaciones era mantenida al margen de la villa por un sentimiento mezclado entre mantener sagrada la guarida del Vitki y Völva, así como de mantener los asuntos principales de la villa terrenales, evitando algún peligro mágico inesperado.

Los guerreros preferían ganar sus batallas tan sólo con su fuerza y valor antes de recurrir a artimañas de los no aptos para combate. Esta perspectiva se arraigo en los tiempos vikingos dada la necesidad de más guerreros para los saqueos, pero muchos pueblos que no participaron en los saqueos adoptaron la postura. Incluso radicalmente durante el tiempo de la conversión y posterior caza de brujas.

Ahora el mundo del siglo XXI libre de estos yugos y obstáculos retorna al Forn Sed, antiguas costumbres, algunos llamandole así evitando cualquier otra connotación. De manera religiosa y nacida en la capital de Islandia el año de 1973 surge la primer iglesia Ásatrú como reconstrucción e interpretación de los servicios religiosos ofrecidos por los Goðar medievales.

En 1992 el autor ocultista Edred Thorsson propone para su libro Futhark, que el conocimiento de las runas y sus rituales eran un oficio de los vitkar, no una orden de iluminación, de modo que denomina a su propia organización ocultista dedicada al Fjölkynngi como un Runargild, Gremio de Runas. Pocos ejemplos se encuentran de la propagación de su idea Runargild, sin embargo es un autor fundamental para el estudio de mucho ocultistas.

El fjölkynngi puede dividirse en al menos seis prácticas definidas; encantamientos de poemas con métricas rúnicas, posturas del cuerpo semejando runas, tallado de fórmulas rúnicas en amuletos, uso de hierbas y masaje para curar mediante los flujos energéticos del cuerpo, magia astral y exploración del alma vitkar, finalmente también la predicción del futuro así como recuperación de conocimiento pasado y distante.

Galðr

La cosmovisión nórdica es animista, atribuyendo a todas las cosas un espíritu y distribuyendo matices de conciencia. Además éste es un universo musical que utilizando los distintos Ljóða Lökum, métricas de canción, podemos comunicarnos con todos los espíritus en el universo y convencerlos de realizar nuestros deseos.

Un ejemplo de esto es el Galdralag utilizado en las stanzas de los poemas Runatal y Ljóðatal, dentro del poema Hávamál de la Edda Poética. Cada que menciona algún aspecto mágico aparece esta métrica, sugiriendo a lector el posible uso de esta métrica sin embargo no sus aplicaciones. De esta manera al componer una stanza de siete líneas con donde se repitan palabras iniciando con la letra F podríamos evocar a los espíritus de la riqueza y abundancia.

Staða

El autor alemán Siegfried Adolf Kummer propone en 1932 para su libro Magia rúnica, realiza invocaciones a las runas mediante posturas del cuerpo y signos de manos, señalando la costumbre escandinava de enseñar a los niños las letras del abecedario dibujandolas con posturas del cuerpo, esta práctica se popularizó siendo apodada Yoga Rúnico.

Los signos de manos más complejos se perdieron con el tiempo y en 1993 el autor Eðreð Þórsson tradujo al inglés esta obra para utilizarla en sus obras posteriores dando el nombre nórdico a las posturas de Stoður, completando la colección del Fuþark Armanen con dieciocho runas, agregando las seis faltantes para ajustar la colección al Fuþark Antiguo de veinticuatro runas.

Staffir

Podemos apreciar grabados con runas en las piedras memoriales, así como en espadas, amuletos, peines y varitas, como en los libros islandeses recopilatorios del siglo XVI, llamados Galðrabókur, mostrando una variedad de diseños antiguos, medievales y renacentistas. El manuscrito Huld es un espécimen de estos Galðrabókur, diseñado ante la semejanza de algún grimorio francés combina inscripciones de palabras en runas con rezos cristianos en una página y sigilos qabalisticos redibujados con runas en otra.

Los diseños más antiguos pueden distinguirse por dibujar muchas runas verticalmente compartiendo un mismo bastón principal, llamados Staffir literalmente Bastones, fueron diseñados para tallarse en estacas de madera podían implementarse como barreras de protección para edificios, versiones miniatura como amuletos personales o bastones para dar largas caminatas.

Algunos posteriores llamados Hjálmur y Skjöldur, Yelmos y Escudos respectivamente, destacan por su geometría radial, estos diseños de la Era Vikinga tienen como idea hechizar la vela del barco o el escudo del guerrero para dotarle de protección adicional, orientación supernatural, curación y hasta buena suerte, siendo los más célebres el Ægishjáir y el Vegvísir.

Las inscripciones Taufr siguen el principio de que el nombre de un espíritu le dota de poderes relacionados con ese nombre, como es el ejemplo del peine con la inscripción para peine, dotándole de la habilidad mágica para peinar mejor y evitar que el objeto se dañe perjudicando sus poderes de estilismo. Tras vario siglos hay perdido muy poco de sus dientes así que parece funcionar.

Mientras tanto los Staffir, Hjálmur y Skjöldur funcionan acumulando y dirigiendo la energía a su alrededor para otorgar al escudo o bastón las cualidades deseadas. Con las traducciones sucesivas de varios Galðrabókur sucede que aparecen varios grabados bajo el título de protección que suelen ser ineficaces, no por su mal diseño sino equivocada aplicación. Un bastón para purificar energía puede proteger evitando enfermedades pero será inútil si caemos de un risco por perdernos en el bosque al no usar el Vegvísir en su lugar.

Læknr

La manipulación de energía mediante las runas podía ser suficiente para reestablecer los flujos naturales de energía dentro del cuerpo y las almas de un individuo, siendo ocho Sál, el vitki debe asegurarse de que cada una trabaje como debe. Cuando el problema radica en el Lyke, el cuerpo material, las infusiones herbales y masajes serían las herramientas idóneas para el trabajo.

Seiðr

El principal recurso de la Völva es el Vargr o Hamramr, cambio de pieles, mediante el cuál puede salir de su Lyke sea acompaña de su guardián Fylgja o usando su forma para viajar entre mundos y realizar así su magia. En términos modernos podemos llamar magia astral al Seiðr, sin embargo Jenny Blain en su libro los Nueve mundos de la magia Seiðr, identifica esta práctica con el shamanismo. Sea el enfoque que le demos mantiene ciertos lineamientos.

Para viajar protegidos requerimos de un bastón tallado con nuestro animal guardián, nuestro nombre o el aspecto y nombre de nuestra Dís, el espíritu difunto de la matriarca familiar. Para obtener el trance podemos ingerir e inhalar sustancias divertidas, o podemos usar un poema Ljóða Lökum de la runa Ehwaz.

Una vez en la proyección astral podemos viajar a lugares distantes de Miðgarð para enterarnos de cuanto pueda acontecer por ahí, así como podemos usar encantamientos para afectar la situación en la que estemos presentes e invisibles.

Podemos viajar a Helheim para visitar a nuestros familiares difuntos y conversar con ellos sobre asintos de la familia. También podemos viajar a Jotunheim, Svartalfheim o Ljosalfheim para convencer algún espíritu vættir que nos ayude con cierta tarea, pueden no ser muy fáciles de convencer dada alguna específica tarea pero suele ser más sencillo que viajar a Nifelheim.

Spáe

Viajamos a pelo del fylgja a Nifelheim desde donde buscamos la entrada al Urdsbrunnur, el pozo del destino, allí podemos.conversar con las Nornas para adquirir conocimiento, normalmente criptico, sobre pasado, presente y futuro sea de Miðgarð o cualquier reino. Con más práctica podemos evitar del todo a las Nornas y viajar directo a las raíces del Yggdrasil, desde donde podemos ver el örlög, el flujo del destino, para interpretarle y hasta perturbarle de modo que cumpla con nuestros deseos, tarea nunca fácil pero de un poder inmenso.

Una opción simple para adquirir información del örlög puede hacerse con el oráculo de las runas y nuestro Huggr, la Sál encargada de nuestra facultad para formar pensamientos, tiene la peculiaridad de vagar lejos de su dueño y el resto del cuerpo hacia el lugar o persona en que se esté pensando, de ahí la expresión ¿a dónde fuiste? En respuesta a quedarnos abstraídos mirando el horizonte. De esta manera podemos pensar en las raíces que representan nuestro örlög para mandar nuestro Huggr ahí y transmitir sus impresiones tirando las runas en patrones semejantes a las raíces.

Referencias:

“Rune Work [pp.81-135]“. “Futhark: A handbook of rune magic”. Thorsson, Edred. 1992. Samuel Weiser, Inc.

“Aproaching the spirits [pp.47-72]”. “Nine wolrds of seid-magic: ecstasy and neo-shamanism in northern european paganism”. Blain, Jenny. 2002. Routledge.

Frið

[terrific-fish]

Ok so after doing the research, I know that I want my last name to be “Spákona” which means “Prophetess” in Old Norse. I also know that I want a cat in my heraldic device. Originally, it was a lion, but I doubt that my persona would’ve ever seen a lion, so I looked for some other cat options. Then I discovered the lynx. I checked for it’s symbolic meaning, and it means “Forsight”. 

IT’S ON THEME!!

[nimium-amatrix-ingenii-sui]

More pastel pencil madness! Malbeth the Seer for @legendariumladiesapril.

Look, I know that there are some people who think Malbeth the Seer is a guy. For some reason I’ve always envisioned Malbeth as female, even before I figured out that every other Tolkien character whose name ends in -eth is female* (Elbereth, Ioreth, Haleth, Andreth, Beleth, Núneth, Inzilbeth). Maybe because the seers in the Norse sagas (völva or spákona) were female so that was the default that my mind went to. Imagine my utter confusion when I first encountered male Malbeth, and subsequently found out that this was actually a common assumption. Why? I honestly don’t know. Since Tolkien manages to talk about Malbeth without ever using a single personal pronoun (I was so confused that I actually went and checked whether I’d missed something!), I suppose either assumption is fair game, but... LOOK I DON’T CARE MALBETH IS OBVIOUSLY A WOMAN.

While drawing this I also realised that both Malbeth’s recorded prophecies are kind of related to Palantíri (two Palantíri were lost when Arvedui’s ship sunk; the stone of Erech may well be a Palantír) so... is that the connection? is that how she saw? is that the idea? OMG. Must mull this over.

Meanwhile, here’s Malbeth.

- - -

*with the singular exception of Haleth son of Helm Hammerhand - thanks for the heads-up, @hhimring! Not counting Haleth Háma’s son from the TTT movies; he’s not a Tolkien character, he’s a PJ character, though clearly based on the former