In Nordic culture, there is a word that specifically refers to the practice of occult arts. This word is "seiðr," pronounced as "sigh-ther." Seiðr is an ancient form of magic that was widely practiced in pre-Christian Scandinavia. It encompassed a range of magical techniques, including divination, healing, and spellcasting. **Seiðr** was predominantly performed by individuals known as seíðkonur (female practitioners) or seíðmenn (male practitioners), who had a deep understanding of the supernatural and the ability to communicate with spirits. These practitioners would often enter a trance-like state to connect with the spiritual realm and harness its power for various purposes.
The AKO CURATORIAL AWARD
Award is established to support and stimulate the development of the curatorial skills of graduating students in the master’s program Curating the Art Museum at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. The prize is awarded on the basis of exhibition proposals based on Nicolai Tangen’s large art collection of Nordic modernism in all media. The contributions to the AKO Curatorial Award 2020, were judged by a jury consisting of Martin Caiger -Smith, Head of Curatorial Studies at Courtald Gallery, Dr. Barnaby Wright, Vice Director at Courtauld Gallery, Trude Gomnæs Ugelstad, Artistic Director at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum and Beate Mjaaland, general manager of AKO Kunststiftelse.
The AKO CURATORIAL AWARD Award is established to support and stimulate the development of the curatorial skills of graduating students in the master s program Curating the Art Museum at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. In the works of Sonja Ferlov Mancoba and Arne Bruland, we meet figures who are on the threshold of another world, and protect the integrity of spiritual values.
These practitioners would often enter a trance-like state to connect with the spiritual realm and harness its power for various purposes. The **main idea** behind seiðr is the belief in the existence of hidden forces and the ability to manipulate them through ritualistic practices. The word "seiðr" itself can be traced back to Old Norse, where it is associated with concepts such as fortune-telling, sorcery, and witchcraft.
Witches of the Norse World
Belief in witches stretches across almost all cultures in history, and the Vikings definitely did not invent them. Vikings believed in magic and never took it lightly. There are about 40 different words for magic and magic users in their language of Old Norse, showing the range of understanding and the importance they placed on it. Freyja, the most venerated of the Norse goddesses, was a goddess of magic and taught her arcane arts to Odin. Freyja is sometimes called a witch in the Eddic poems and was much maligned for this by later Christians. Freyja traveled in a chariot drawn by black or gray cats. These quiet, intelligent, ruthless creatures are her familiars or messenger spirits. A Viking who looked up to see a raven might see it as an omen from Odin, just as he might see a black cat as a sign that Freyja was watching.
Witches, sorcerers, and wizards were taken seriously and respected in the Viking world. This is further attested by the many Viking Age graves archaeologists have discovered that have grave goods (valuables deliberately interred with the body) associated with magic users. One tell-tale sign of a witch’s grave is an iron staff. It is thought that these iron staffs were used by Völva sorceresses in certain magic rituals, held between the thighs as the witch entered a shamanistic trance. At such times, it was thought that the witch’s layers of inner self left their outer body (what occultists now refer to as astral projection).
One passage referring to this is in the Havamal:
I know a tenth spell
If I see witches
at play in the air
I can cast this spell
So that they get lost
So they can’t find their skins
So they can’t find their minds
If the Viking Age, witches used their iron rod as a means of traveling across levels of consciousness, it is easy to see how later Medieval Christians would say that witches “flew through the air riding on brooms.”
So, the pagan Vikings respected (and feared) witches and often turned to them for help, but when the Vikings gradually became more Christian, witches were targeted as public enemies by the Church. Witchcraft never wholly died out, though. In Iceland, in particular, witchcraft survived in a well-documented line from early Viking times until the present – though it certainly changed and took on elements and influences from other cultures.
It is not just the Medieval Christian that shifted the perspective of the witch from medicine woman and soothsayer to evil, hexing hag, though. Viking lore is replete with frightening or “wicked” witches. There are at least three Eddic poems in which the speaker is a dead witch awoken by Odin or Freyja’s necromancy, and forced to lend her wisdom to the gods though she is full of spite for them. The worst of the evil witches were sometimes referred to as “Troll Wives” and were Jötnar rather than human. Like many fearsome beings in Norse lore, Troll Wives are seldom described in detail. However, the impression given fits the Halloween image of a lank-haired, green-skinned disfigured distortion of the elderly.
But it is clear that there is a broad range of witches. Only some of them could really be classified as good or evil – which is typical of the moral complexity and honesty that has made Norse lore so poignant and enduring.
Source: Sons of Vikings
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In Norse mythology, seiðr is closely associated with the god Odin, who is depicted as a powerful practitioner of these arts. It is believed that he learned seiðr from the primordial goddess Freyja, who herself was a skilled sorceress. This association with powerful deities further reinforces the significance of seiðr in Nordic mythology and culture. While **seidr** may be considered a form of magic, it is important to note that it was not universally accepted or practiced by all members of Nordic society. In fact, seiðr was often stigmatized and associated with witchcraft, leading to persecution and suspicion towards those who openly practiced it. Despite this stigma, seiðr remained an important aspect of Nordic culture and mythology. Its influence can be seen in various sagas and folklore, where seíðkonur and seíðmenn play significant roles in shaping the destinies of individuals and societies. In conclusion, seiðr is the Nordic word that specifically refers to the practice of occult arts. It encompasses a range of magical techniques and is associated with concepts such as sorcery, fortune-telling, and witchcraft. Although stigmatized at times, seiðr remains a significant aspect of Nordic culture and mythology, with its practitioners playing crucial roles in shaping the spiritual and supernatural realms..
Reviews for "Marriage and Love in Nordic Occult Traditions"
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