A Norse burial site in Denmark from around the year 940 contains the remains of a woman of high status whom experts believe was a seeress or völva.
Such women held a special place in society and commanded the attention of Viking kings, warriors and even the gods. Witches, called völur, are mentioned in some of the old Norse manuscripts.
This grave contains the body of a woman who has been dubbed the Seeress of Fyrkat. She was buried with items that indicate she may have practiced seid or sorcery.
The völur were known to seduce men, and for this reason some deemed them dangerous. The goddess Freya was also known as a seducer, and she may have been a divine role model for sorceresses in Norse society.
The Seeress of Fyrkat’s Grave
Fyrkat is a ring fortress near Hobro, Denmark. Archaeologists found unusual objects in the woman’s grave, including an iron staff that was disintegrating. Her grave was one of 30 found at the fortress.
The National Museum of Denmark describes the burial:
‘At the time of burial the woman was dressed in fine blue and red clothes adorned with gold thread – which had royal status. She was buried, like the richest women, in the body of a horse-drawn carriage. She had been given ordinary female gifts, like spindle whorls and scissors. But there were also exotic goods from foreign parts, indicating that the woman must have been wealthy. She wore toe rings of silver, which have not been found elsewhere in Scandinavia. In addition, two bronze bowls were also found in the grave, which may have come all the way from Central Asia.’
Several Viking Age graves of wealthy women contained iron staffs explains the museum. Experts concluded these seeresses or völur were from the upper strata of Viking societies. The word völva probably means staff or wand.
The archaeologists also found seeds of henbane plants, a poison that may have been used to induce mild euphoria, hallucinations and trances. The seeds, plus the iron staff with bronze fittings, are signs that the Seeress of Fyrkat may have been a magic-practicing seeress or volva.
The Viking seeress’s cooking spit. The spit was already slightly bent when it was placed in the burial. (National Museum Denmark)
Henbane seeds when thrown on fire produce smoke that is mildly hallucinogenic if breathed in. The seeds could be made into a salve that imparted a psychedelic high when rubbed into the skin. The seeds were in a small purse. Witches of later years also were known to use henbane.
Another poisonous substance, white lead sometimes used to produce an ointment for the skin, was found in the Seeress of Fyrkat’s belt buckle.
The museum site says other grave items indicate the woman was a seeress. Archaeologists found a box containing owl pellets, small mammal and bird bones, and a silver amulet in the shape of a chair. The article says it may have been a magic or seid chair.
This small cup was found in the seeress’s grave. (National Museum of Denmark)
They also found a small cup, possibly for drinking, and a bronze cup that may have come from Central Asia. The bronze cup had a fatty substance inside and a grass cover.
Even Odin, the King of the Gods, Called on Seeresses
A Viking edda or document called the Voluspa: The Prophecy of the Seeress, says Odin visited a seeress and sought “to know the future and what the fate of the world will be. He looks poor and miserable, but as he has only one eye the seeress recognizes him immediately as Odin,” says another article on the National Museum of Denmark site.
Odin offers the völva his necklace and ring as payment for telling him the future. She then begins to inform him about the creation of the world, the first gods and people, as well as the end of the world – Ragnarök, when gods will do battle with giants. The seeress also describes how after Ragnarök, the all-destructive war, the world will rise again. But she also sees that evil will return to the world.
Odin consults with a volva, drawing by Lorenz Frølich. (Public Domain)
The Vikings believed seeresses could enter altered states of consciousness and see the future or distant events. They did seid or magic using a special seat.
During their sessions, these mystical women were surrounded by young girls who sang to the spirits. The songs invoked the spirits and sent the seeresses into a trance, whence they could communicate with gods and spirits, see far-off places and predict the future. They supposedly also could make an enemy restless or make a weapon invincible.
Seeresses Had a High Place in Society
Seeresses’ high status meant they were accorded respect. Households or settlements in distress would call on them for help.
The Flateyjarbok, an Icelandic manuscript quoted in The Cassell Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend, says:
‘In those days wise women, called prophetesses, used to travel about the countryside, and they foretold people’s lives. Because of that many people invited them to their homes, made feasts in their honor, and gave them gifts when they left.’
The Saga of Erik the Red tells of a seeress who was called on to do magic for a whole settlement. She had an entourage of young girls with her who sang.
The seeresses did not just practice magic for others. They sometimes used magic to further their own interests.
Christian Authorities Forbid Magic
After the conversion of the Norse lands to Christianity, seeresses were in peril. An Anglo-Saxon document of the late 10th century says a woman suspected of witchcraft was drowned at London Bridge.
In the Norse lands, after Christianity was introduced, authorities made laws that suppressed pagan ritual and forbade seid and any other magic. Seid is making a comeback today and is being practiced by neo-pagans.
The National Museum of Denmark this year has an interactive exhibit displaying the Seeress of Fyrkat’s grave goods and explaining her place in society. The exhibition is called “The Viking Sorceress.”