Magical tasks of the völva

In the Viking Age, the völva various religious functions that were not fulfilled by regular Priestesses or cult leaders. Her role in this society is sometimes even controversial due to her association with eroticism. The völva tradition later led to witch burnings in Christianity. Therefore, it is important to see her roles as a cornerstone of the Viking society.

Just like in the Greek and Roman religion the Old Norse gods paid little attention to individual matters of mortals. Their role was the preservation of the cosmic order and this was an eternal struggle and quest for the gods. In these religions, no distinction is made between the priestly class and aristocracy. That sounds strange to us modern people. But maintaining the cosmic order was the role of the gods and aristocracy.

In Old Norse literature, the völva is associated with various tasks. All these tasks appear one or more times in the sources. Nowadays, we distinguish between white- (benevolent) and black magic (malevolent magic), however, it is unknown whether this was already done in the Viking Age. Both influence the cosmic order, and it is often unclear whether this is positive or negative.

In some sources, a völva is asked to influence the weather.

King Óláfr Tryggvason consults a seiđkona to influence the weather. Óláfr is said to have asked her to change the wind so that his fleet could sail favorably.

In the Orkneyinga saga, it is described how a seiđkona is employed to summon a storm that could sink enemy ships.

One of the rituals of the völva was the kveldriđur, also known as the night ride or the nightmare. In Eyrbyggja saga, it is described how an enemy was visited in his sleep, often driven by love or jealousy. This nocturnal visit could cause the victim serious injuries or even be fatal.

The term kveldriđur even appears in the law, where it is referred to as trollriđur, indicating a magical or supernatural origin. This phenomenon was considered a serious threat and could cause significant chaos.

Interpreting dreams was one of the ways the Vikings predicted the future. Various examples of this are mentioned in the sources. It is emphasized that if someone interprets their own dreams, there is a risk of misinterpretations, which can have disastrous consequences. Consulting a specialist such as the völva was therefore recommended. This practice is found in the Völsunga saga, the Gísla saga Súrssonar, and the Eyrbyggja saga

The völva was probably involved in rune divinations and magic. The Roman writer Tacitus mentions how the Germans ‘cut lots’ and cast them on a white cloth to then predict the future. This practice is rarely mentioned in the Viking sagass. It is mentioned in the Njáls saga. It is likely that the symbols involve runes and probably a völva or another ritual specialist was involved in these divinations. 

There are more literary sources available about carving magical runes to bring strength, health, or prosperity. In the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, Aslaug writes a rune message on a stick to warn her sons. This shows that both women and men could engrave runes. In the Gretti’s saga It is mentioned that Grettir leaves a runic inscription on a stone, demonstrating that warriors could also use runes. Some sources mention warriors who inscribe runes themselves in their weapons or on objects. In the Njál's saga, there is a warning about the damage that can occur from incorrectly engraving runes. The girl in this saga does not heal but becomes sicker because of it. A specialist is needed to undo the curse. 

Shape-shifting was a common phenomenon in Norse mythology and was widely used. The goddess Freya, for example, rode a boar, and in various sagas s, there are mentions of völvas taking on the form of a wolf.

In the mythical story about the mead of poetry, Odin changes shape multiple times, and Loki is also known for his transformations. These shape-shiftings can be associated with shamanistic practices, where the practitioner often wore animal attributes, such as feathers, masks, or headgear.

On the tapestry of the Oseberg ship, two völvas are likely depicted wearing animal masks, further strengthening the link with shamanistic rituals.

The völva is only once associated with healing in the sources. It is unclear if a völva was involved in such activities.

It happens several times in the saga's that a völva is asked for advice on when a battle should be fought. This occurred among both the Germans and the Vikings.

A well-known example of this is Heiðr, the völva from the Völuspá, who is associated with inciting war and unrest among people. Also in the Hrólfs saga kraka, a seeress is mentioned who advises a king on the outcome of a battle.

Additionally, there were instances where a völva not only gave strategic advice but was also asked to 'sit out' a battle. This means the völva was physically present behind the front line, possibly in  trance, to attack the enemy magically or perhaps guide the souls of fallen warriors to the afterlife.

An example of this is the battle method associated with the Alruna priestesses among the Germans, female seers and magicians who both gave counsel and possibly intervened spiritually in the battle.

Like Odin, the völva could talk to the dead, especially with the hanged. This was probably done with a death-galdr (magical chant to awaken or consult the dead). This practice continued until the 13th century.

Völuspá (Poetic Edda): In this prophetic text, it is told how Odin awakens the dead völva from her grave to gain knowledge about the future. This is seen as a form of necromancy.

Baldrs Draumar (Poetic Edda): Odin awakens a dead völva from her grave to question her about Baldr's death. This shows that consulting the dead through magical spells was a well-known concept.

Ynglinga saga (Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson) describes how Odin acquired his knowledge by speaking with the spirits of the dead, particularly with the spirits of the hanged.

The theme most associated with the völva is divination. Divination was not unique, as various other Indo-European cultures made extensive use of divination. The question is whether divination consisted of both ecstatic predictions or also passing on knowledge to influence the future. In Old Norse sources, they were both respected and viewed with suspicion.

The eddic poem Hávamáll warns against a völva who predicts good news ("völva vīlmæli", 'the pleasant words of a völva'). Other texts show that völvur often make only favorable predictions and conceal disasters, which may explain this warning.

In Viga-Glúms saga, Oddbjörg travels around making predictions but is not referred to as a völva, but as fróð ('wise') and framsýn ('with foresight'). The text does not mention how the völva acquires her knowledge, and rituals are not explicitly described. However, her reception at the farms is described as ritualized: the degree of hospitality influences the nature of her predictions:

Saldis asks for a prediction about her grandsons and wants it to be positive 'make it something nice'. Oddbjörg replies that she cannot see if anything good lies ahead for them. Saldis complains that after her hospitality, she deserves better and asks Oddbjörg to remain silent if she cannot predict anything positive. She even threatens to chase her away if she predicts something negative ("ef þú ferr með illspár"). Oddbjörg states that her predictions do not depend on the reception, but ultimately reveals her true insights: misfortune and death for the boys.

Seers were apparently seen as true future predictors but had to censor their insights. This may be related to the belief that revealing fate would also make it happen. Although distrust in seers can be explained by Christian rejection of pagan practices, this does not seem to be a conclusive explanation, given the broader cultural spread of this theme.

Runic inscription on the Björketorp-stone (DR 360, Sweden) possibly contains the words upArAbA sbA, which has been interpreted as 'ominous speech' — an indication that predictions were considered potentially harmful.

One might speculate that the better the hospitality, the grander the future that was predicted, just like bardic poetry. This allows you to go to your family and men who are impressed by this and eager to campaign with you to share in your success.

In the Ljósvetninga saga, a woman disguised as a man uses a axe in a ritual.

There was a woman named Þórhildr, the Widow of Vǫðlar. She was still seen as a völva. Guðmundr wanted to speak to her and said:

"I am here to know if revenge will be taken on me for the death of Porleikr."

Þórhildr replied:

"Come back at another time, when I am alone."

Some time later, Guðmundr went back to her farm early in the morning. He found her outside, dressed in a helmet and with a axe in her hand. She was ready to perform a ritual. She walked to a large stone, struck the water with the axe, and said:

"I do not think there is anyone who will take revenge on you."

Guðmundr asked:

"Can you also find out if my sons are safe?"

Þórhildr replied:

"That is a more difficult question."

Then she struck the water again and uttered a spell. The water turned red with blood. She said:

"I think this means that one of your sons will die. But I will no longer take a heavy burden upon myself by doing such spells."

Guðmundr respected her words and never asked her for predictions again.

In Erik saga vol. 4, there is a story of a völva who is called to predict the outcome of a harvest. At the beginning of winter, famine threatens the community. Farmer Þorkell must find a solution and calls upon Þorbjörg, an old woman and seeress, for help. She travels in winter from farm to farm and is invited to ritual feasts (veizla). People want to know their future or the harvest of the coming year.

Þorbjörg comes to Þorkell's farm and performs rituals for two days and a night. Then she is picked up by a messenger from another farm. The ritual helps the community gain hidden knowledge. Þorbjörg leads the ritual and manages its execution.

Upon arrival, Þorbjörg is ritually greeted. Þorkell brings her to a special chair (hásæti), covered with chicken feathers, and names the household residents. She is given a special meal of milk porridge and animal hearts, served in special crockery. This seems necessary for her prophetic work.

The next evening, Þorbjörg receives the supplies to perform seiðr (sorcery). At this stage, the community is completely disconnected from daily life. She predicts that the famine will end and that spring will bring a good harvest. She also answers personal questions.

Þorbjörg sits on a raised chair (hjallr), while women sing in a circle around her. She is assisted by Guðríðr, who, despite her Christian faith, knows the songs (varðlokkur) needed for the prophecy.

The ritual helps the community make strategic choices. It shows that knowledge of the future was important and how people tried to influence it.

The worldview of the Vikings had various questions that were not answered by secular belief. For these questions, people relied on the practices of the völva. Although archaeological and literary sources tell us a lot about the societal roles the völva performed, there is still much we do not know. For example: how do the tasks of the völva compare to those of regular priestesses from the different Old Norse cults? Was there a distinction to be made between different types of völva’s who performed different tasks and had different specializations?

In these stories, the völva helps people navigate through life and alleviate fears while they become more confident in making choices. The fear and harsh reality made the work of the völva necessary. While the projected worldview is completely different from our modern view.

We must not lose sight of the fact that Vikings were not extraordinarily superstitious, but that völva’s like the Oracles from the classical world had to prove themselves before they were believed. No matter how strange the tasks of the völva may sound to us, we probably only know the tip of the anthropological iceberg about this.