A seiðr-practising seeress with a staff, revered and feared in Old Norse culture.
The völva was a wandering seeress hired by communities to foretell the future, heal illness and perform seiðr. Her staff, the völr, was her badge of office and gave rise to her title.
The most famous völva in myth is the prophetess in Völuspá who recounts the history of creation and destruction to Óðinn. Eiríks saga rauða gives a detailed description of how an actual seiðr ceremony with a völva was conducted.
Attestations
- Völuspá, str. 1
- The völva opens the poem by describing her knowledge and role.