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Imagine that you are wandering in ancient times through dense forests and across vast highland plains, where the northern lights flicker in the sky and nature hides secrets you can only sense. More than a thousand years ago, in the Viking Age and the time before it, people lived in the area we today call the Nordic lands and Sápmi. They believed in several worlds – humans, gods, spirits and mysterious forces – and a few people had the abilities to open the gate to these worlds. These practitioners went by the name völur in the Nordic lands and noaidi in Sápmi, and they practiced the magical art called seidr.
What is seidr really?
Seidr was a form of magic and shamanism – a way of coming into contact with spirits and invisible forces, in order to foretell the future, heal illnesses and influence the world. The Vikings called this practice seidr, and it was especially women such as the völur who carried it out. The völur could enter a trance, in which their soul went on journeys to other worlds to fetch wisdom and guidance. Many perhaps think of witchcraft when they hear of seidr, but in the old Nordic world this was a highly respected body of knowledge, yet also a powerful and dangerous art.
How did the seidr rituals proceed?
The völva or seiðkona often seated herself on a special platform called a seiðhjallr. She could sing magical songs – galdr – in order to enter a trance. When the soul rose out of the body, it traveled through the realms of the heavens and the underworld. There the völva asked the gods and spirits for answers to difficult questions. Sometimes the rituals also had a strong physical and symbolic side, with movements, dance or other elements.
Seidr could also be used to influence fate – both for good and for ill. A seidr practitioner could bring luck and health, but also harm enemies with magic. Therefore there was a balancing act between respect and fear in society.
Gender and magic – who could practice seidr?
In the Viking Age, seidr was first and foremost connected to women. They were the experts, the key figures in magical rituals. Men who practiced seidr were often looked down upon, perhaps because the magic was regarded as connected to the feminine principle. The goddess Freya, a mighty goddess in Norse mythology, is said according to the saga texts to have been the teacher of the völur in magic.
At the same time, gender in these rituals was not always so simple. Part of the understanding of seidr is about being able to move between different states of consciousness and social roles. Sometimes the practitioner could step into a role that did not fit their usual gender, which made the rituals all the more mysterious.
Seidr in Sámi tradition – noaidevuohta and the noaidi
In the northern regions, in what is today Sámiland, there existed a parallel belief and practice called noaidevuohta, practiced by the noaidi – Sámi shamans. The noaidi also used drums, song and trances to communicate with the spirit world. They could travel with their soul to the underworld to fetch healing forces or remove illness. Spirit helpers, often animals or ancestors, played an important role.
There are strong similarities between Nordic seidr and Sámi noaidevuohta. Both traditions are about journeys between worlds, about using magic to help people, and about balancing the powers of the invisible world. The Sámi had their own cosmology, with worlds beneath the earth and in the heavens, and important ritual sites such as the sieidi – sacred stones or mounds where they carried out sacrifices and contact with the spirits.
Cultural meeting points and influences
The Nordic lands and Sápmi were not isolated areas. Through millennia the Sámi and Scandinavian peoples have had contact, exchanged goods, stories and knowledge. It is therefore difficult to say exactly who learned what from whom, but many scholars believe that seidr in the Nordic lands was influenced by Sámi shamanism and vice versa.
Both traditions have roots in the broad shamanic culture that stretches across the Arctic regions of Eurasia, marked by belief in several worlds, spirit communication and healing rituals. At the same time, each culture has its own peculiarities and its own traditions.
The trances and power of the noaidi also had a different side than Norse seidr. For example, there was a stronger emphasis on the community's collective survival in noaidevuohta, with ritual sacrifices for luck in hunting and fishing, while seidr was strongly connected to fate and personal power.
Sámi shamanism in practice
The noaidi often prepared for a long time before a ceremony, with rituals that included drumming, song and the use of sacred objects. The drum was an important tool and symbol, painted with images of worlds and spirits. When the noaidi went into a trance, his soul could "travel" to the underworld to fetch help for those who were sick or in need of counsel.
In contrast to the single-tracked faith of Christianity, noaidevuohta was marked by a strong belief in the active role of the spirits in everyday life. The Sámi believed that the shaman could negotiate with the dead in order to protect the living from sickness and evil.
Seidr and noaidevuohta today
Even though the Christianization of the Nordic lands and Sápmi placed strong constraints on magical and shamanic practices, many of the traditions have survived in folk belief and culture. In recent decades interest in both seidr and the noaidi has grown, both among the indigenous population and in Neopagan movements. People seek ancient wisdom in order to find balance in a modern world.
Seidr reminds us that we have a heritage that stretches far back, to a time when the world was perceived as living, magical and full of hidden forces. Both in the Norwegian land and in Sápmi there were people who dared to step into the invisible – to help others, find answers and create a connection between the worlds.
References
DuBois, Thomas A. (1999): Studies of old Scandinavian religions and the relationship between Scandinavians, Sámi and Finns, with perspectives on religious practices.
Lindow, John (2001): Handbook of Norse Mythology. A systematic survey of Norse mythology that includes magical rituals such as seidr.
Price, Neil S. (2002): The Viking Way: Religion and War in Late Iron Age Scandinavia. Discusses Norse magic, seidr, and possible shamanic elements.
Clunies Ross, Margaret (1994): Prolonged Echoes: Old Norse Myths in Medieval Northern Society. Analyzes Norse texts using anthropological methods.
Ellis Davidson, Hilda R. (1964, 1990): Works on Norse religion, witchcraft, and magic, including seidr.
Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ingjald (1928): Norsk trolldomsmedisin, a classic work on Nordic magic.
Strömbäck, Dag (1935): Sejd: Textstudier i nordisk religionshistoria. An important study that distinguishes seidr from other magic and points to its distinctive features.
Hultkrantz, Åke and Bäckman, Louise (1978, 1985): Sámi pre-Christian religion, discusses the role, rituals and social status of the noaidi.
Snorri Sturluson (1982/1988): Edda, a central source for Norse mythology and magical practices.
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