The Volva, seiðr & erotica

The idea that seiðr contained an erotic charge was suggested early on by researchers. However, this explanation does not entirely fit with all the details of the ritual as described in historical sources.

The American researcher Jenny Jochens suggested: "It is possible that the seiðr ceremony was a simulation of heterosexual intercourse, where the woman fulfilled her role as a receiver. This did not happen with a male partner, but with a substitute: the staff, an essential tool for female magicians. In the mindset of the writers of the texts, seiðr could have included masturbatory orgasms by the performer. 

Another perspective on the sexual meaning within the "penetrative" aspects of seiðr comes from Margaret Clunies Ross. In her book, she states that if this form of magic was shamanistic, the spiritual possession can be seen as a woman opening herself to spiritual penetration. 

We emphasize that there are virtually no sources about the course of a seiðr ritual. The only fragments come from the Eirik saga 4. Here, some details of a völva ritual are described. 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 is invited for ritual feasting (veizla). People want to know if their harvest for the coming year will be good.

Þorbjörg comes to Þorkell's farm and performs a ritual at night while most people are asleep. The ritual helps the community gain hidden knowledge.

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

Before the ritual begins, she asks one of her helpers to assume clothes. It is unclear whether she means her cloak by this or if this form of magic requires a naked performance. From images on the Oseberg tapestry depicting possible seiðr rituals, it is evident that not all rituals were performed naked. It may be that nudity was customary when it came to the fertility of both people and the land, but this is speculative.

It is unclear why such strong taboos around male practitioners and associations with homosexuality existed in Viking seiðr rituals. The most logical reason is that seiðr rituals contained erotic elements. This does not negate the existence of male practitioners of seiðr. The attitude towards homosexuality emphasizes the taboo for men to be penetrated. This may indicate a form of penetration during some seiðr rituals.

There is much indirect evidence suggesting that these rituals could indeed contain sexual acts. The staff itself often had a phallic meaning. In the saga of Bósi, for example, "völsi" means "penis", which is a clear sexual reference. 

Sexual imagery plays a major role in seiðr. Tolley points out that this is not surprising, given the general association between sex and magic in Norse mythology. The most well-known example of this is Freyja, the mistress of seiðr, who was known for her sexual relationships. 

Archaeological findings also seem to support these associations. A popular Freyja figure from Aska in Hagebyhöga has features that indicate sexuality, such as a pronounced groove that may refer to Brisingamen, the necklace she acquired by having sex with four dwarves. Another detail is the emphasis on her genitalia, which may indicate pregnancy.

Freyja has more in common with the sex and desire of Aphrodite than with the chaste Roman approach of Venus. Since Freyja is the goddess of lust, it is not surprising that war is sometimes her byproduct. In this way, we should interpret Freyja. Compared to the provocative role that Aphrodite played in the fall of Troy.

One of the most striking sexual images from the Viking Age is the bronze figurine from Rällinge, Sweden. This 10 cm high statue shows a bearded man with crossed legs, a bracelet, and a conical hat. He is naked and has a distinct erection, with genital features carved in detail. This statue is often interpreted as the god Freyr due to the fertility symbolism.

An important reference for the identification with Freyr comes from Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum by Adam of Bremen. He describes the idol of "Fricco" with a massive phallus and mentions the shameless songs and performances during the festivities. Similar ithyphallic images are known from continental Europe.

Another remarkable find is a wooden phallus from the ninth century, discovered in the Danevirke near Thyraborg, Schleswig-Holstein. This object, originally longer than 23 cm, suggests an erection and could be part of a fertility statue or a talisman. Its placement in the defensive wall may indicate a protective meaning.

This stone was discovered in a cemetery, is 82 cm high, and depicts a woman holding a snake in each hand. She sits in a spread erotic pose. Above the figure, three intertwined animals can be seen — a boar, an eagle, and a wolf — forming a triskelion that may symbolize the sun. The stone is dated to 400-600 AD. Notably, among spiritual practitioners of magic from the bronze Age, snakes are regularly found in their graves.

The sexual elements of seiðr extended beyond the rituals themselves and often had an erotic purpose. Kieckhefer describes in his study on medieval erotic magic that such practices were used to enhance sexual attraction, promote love relationships, stimulate fertility, and even cause impotence. This aligns with the literary descriptions of seiðr, such as in Kormáks saga (6), where magic is used to drive a couple apart, and in Njáls saga (6), where Queen Gunnhildr takes revenge on a man by making him impotent.

In Vǫlsunga saga (7), a magical transformation is used for an incestuous encounter. The role of a völva as a professional seeress also had sexual undertones, as evidenced in Vǫluspá 22, where Gullveig-Heiðr leads people away from the Vanir to the mysteries of seiðr. The idea that magic can cause impotence is further elaborated in Vǫluspá 23.

In the Edda it is suggested that valkyrja’s besides serving beer to warriors also provided sexual services. Although this interpretation of ritual prostitution may be exaggerated. Nevertheless, there is a connection with Ibn Fadlan’s account of the Rus'. It reports that after the death of their leader, a female slave voluntarily sacrifices herself to travel with her master to Valhalla. Before she does this, a ritual is performed where she has sex multiple times with all the leaders, symbolizing the community's love for their deceased leader.

Vǫlur were considered sexually dangerous. In Hávamál 113, it is warned that a man should not sleep with a woman skilled in magic, because she can enchant him. Sexual magic was used to manipulate men, undermine their health, and disturb dreams. This is exemplified in Haralds saga hárfagra, where the Sámi-witch Snæfríðr enchants King Haraldr.

Some magical rituals were aimed at seduction or sexual control. In Sǫrla saga sterka (4), female trolls use magic to lure sailors, who then serve as food. Male seiðmenn could seduce women in the same way, as in Nikulás saga leikara (10), where magic is used to take another man's beloved.

In short, seiðr had strong sexual aspects, both in execution and in purposes. These magical practices were not only associated with fertility and seduction but also with control, protection, and transformation. This reflects the broader relationship between magic, sexuality, and power in the Viking Age.

There is also a sexual connotation found in the name of the renegade leader of the seiðmenn in Haralds saga hárfagra, Rǫgnvaldr réttilbeini. His nickname can simply mean "straight-legged," but Pipping suggests that it refers to an erection. This could mean that his name translates to something like "Rǫgnvaldr the Stiff," which fits within the sexual aspects of male seiðr.

A striking example is the Völsa þáttr, in which both the staff and the penis share the same name. This story is part of the saga of King Óláf the Holy (Óláfs saga helga) in the Flateyjarbók (265–65), a source from the late 14th century. The saga tells how King Óláfr, a Christian ruler, travels through Northern Norway to investigate whether pagan rituals are still being performed. During his journey, he arrives at a farm where a remarkable fertility ritual takes place.

According to the saga, this ritual began seven nights before the king's arrival, when the family slaughtered a large workhorse. The female slave who had killed the animal wanted to discard the phallus (völsi), but the son of the family picked it up, brought it inside, and showed it to his mother, sister, and another female slave. As he did this, he recited the following verse:

“Here you can see a sacred phallus, cut several times from the horse. For you, servant, this völsi will surely come in handy”

The mother accepted the phallus and declared that it should not be lost. She carefully wrapped it in linen, stored it with herbs or onions, and placed it in her bosom. Every evening, a ceremony took place around the phallus. During these rituals, the phallus was passed from person to person, in order of status, while each participant recited a verse and exchanged a touch or kiss.

When the king finally arrived and was received as a guest, he followed the ritual. The lady of the house unwrapped the phallus and offered it, upon which the king recited the final verse:

“Use the völsi with force”

As usual, the phallus was then ceremonially handled, and the ritual concluded with the words:

“I certainly could not hold back, to penetrate deeply, like a leg together in pleasure.”

That this ritual had a sexual charge is evident from a passage in stanza 6. There, the phallus is passed to the daughter of the family with the words: "They will roll the phallus tonight." However, the daughter refuses to participate, as she alone realizes that the king is disguised. She therefore passes the phallus to the female slave, who speaks last.

The Völsa þáttr was once considered a very ancient text (cf. Heusler 1991 [1903]), but its precise dating has been debated over time. 

The story parodies the pagan tradition of horse worship, where the king had 'intercourse' with the animal, symbolizing his bond with the land. Subsequently, the community ate the horse meat. This tradition finds similarities across Indo-European cultures. The mother in the story was likely a ritual specialist. Notably, this story contains allusions to a period long before the Viking Age.

In Völsa þáttr, the phallus plays an important role as a ritual object. This is revealed in various ways:

• The phallus is personified and even revered as Völsi, a name likely derived from völr ('staff').

• It is rubbed with herbs, which may have a symbolic or magical function.

• A woman takes care of the phallus and leads the ritual, indicating a strong female role within the ceremony.

• The phallus is the most important object in the ritual and even seems to 'grow' within the context of the ceremony.

• Some stanzas (1, 6, and 9) suggest a connection with sexual acts, which may indicate a fertility ritual.

Although the text is filtered through a medieval Christian author, Völsa þáttr gives us a rare glimpse into the sexual and spiritual rituals of the Viking Age. Some researchers, such as Steinsland & Vogt, suggest that the phallus of Völsi and the staff of a völva were actually ritually equivalent. This would mean that the staff, like the phallus, symbolized power and magical strength.

Völva's and Henbane

Henbane is a powerful drug that quickly becomes harmful. But it is also used for medical purposes. In the grave of the völva of Fyrkat, traces of Henbane were found. These herbs can have a hallucinogenic effect but are also associated with sex and eroticism as a stimulant. Various poems and sagas may refer to this when they talk about the erotic skills of the völva. An 11th-century source from Worms describes a ritual where henbane is harvested and a young woman must completely undress beforehand and perform a series of rituals in the presence of the village. Including sprinkling her body with water. Possibly this sexual attraction was also associated with influencing the weather.

In the Middle Ages, witches were condemned for all sorts of sexual acts. Possibly, these are in some cases related to völva rituals, where sexuality was taken out of context. 

Beauty stands for the cosmic order and biologically, beautiful women are associated with authority. This provokes aversion, leading to Machiavellian and passive-aggressive behavior that resulted in witch trials. After there were no more witches, being beautiful was enough for a woman to be confronted with the same aggressive approach. Finally, where cosmic order is no longer worshipped, some people benefit from chaos.

There is probably a connection between some seiðr rituals and eroticism. We can only guess at the exact reason and circumstances. Many subjects of seiðr rituals were directly or indirectly related to sexuality. It is important that we approach this connection with a pragmatic open mind while remaining aware that seiðr encompasses much more than just the possible erotic element.