Learnings: The Völva: A Soothslayer

A völva's stick made of iron / c. Viking Age

One way to divine was to read the runes; each one held a different power. Another way to gain magical insight was through a ritual trance: the seiðr. The first person to practice the seiðr was the goddess Freyja. This trance may have involved a wand, or staff, symbolically ending like a spindle, as they were used to spin the threads of Fate. Once spun, the threads could be read and understood.

A völva was likely to live a little bit on the fringes of society, for her powers were mysterious and intimidating. She could help people, but she could also harm them. The seiðr ritual could be used to curse someone—in spinning the threads of Fate, a völva could potentially damage a person's identity.