# Seidr Magic / Магия Сейда Comprehensive treatment of seidr — the "other" Norse magical tradition alongside galdr. Based on Freya Aswynn's essay *La magie du Seidr* (first published in *IRMIN* N4, 1995), translated from French by Т. Фаминская for the almanac "Мифы и магия индоевропейцев" (1999). --- ## 1. The Two Forms of Norse Magic Any serious approach to Norse magic and the runic Art requires understanding the two fundamental forms of Old Norse magical practice: ### Galdr - **Meaning:** Literally "magical incantation" (plural: galdrar) - **Nature:** Magic of chants and spells; a blend of poetry and sorcery - **Social status:** Tolerated and accepted during the pagan period; practiced openly ### Seiðr - **Nature:** Trance-based magic involving soul-journey, prophecy, and fate-working - **Social status:** Carried an "aura" of antisociality and vice; considered **unmanly** (ergi) for male practitioners, yet practiced by Óðinn himself - **Etymology:** Literally means "boiling" or "seething" — with connotations of intense excitement in trance states or exhaustion upon awakening. "Boiling forth" may also indicate the use of hallucinogenic substances for consciousness expansion. Can also be connected to Sanskrit **siddhi** ("magical abilities") The distinction between galdr and seidr is NOT the distinction between "good" and "evil" magic. Rather, it is the distinction between **incantatory** magic (galdr — words of power, spoken or carved) and **trance-journey** magic (seiðr — altered states, prophetic vision, fate-manipulation). Both are essential parts of the Norse magical tradition, and both were practiced by Óðinn. **Runic connections:** The galdr tradition is already extensively documented in `runic-galdr.md`. Seidr is the complementary practice — where galdr commands through voice, seidr perceives through trance. The two can be combined: chanting galdr to enter a seidr trance-state. --- ## 2. Seidr as "Unmanly" Practice — The Paradox of Óðinn ### The Warrior's Objection The practice of seidr induced a state of **temporary weakness** in the practitioner, making this form of magic unacceptable to warriors. Entering a trance-state renders one defenseless against physical aggression — a state that warriors found intolerable. The weakness induced by seidr is likely the result of **soul-separation** — the practitioner's spirit leaves the physical body to travel between worlds, leaving the body vulnerable. Prophetic dreams were acceptable (even warriors must sleep), but deliberately entering a vulnerable trance-state for magical purposes was considered beyond the pale. ### Óðinn's Practice of Seidr Despite the social prohibition, **Óðinn himself** — the greatest warrior of the Norse pantheon — practiced seidr. Snorri Sturluson's *Ynglinga Saga* describes Óðinn's seidr capabilities: - Determining a person's fate - Causing death, illness, misfortune, or failure - Producing mental confusion and physical weakness in enemies - Soul-journey between worlds This creates a profound paradox: the Allfather, the archetype of masculine warrior-wisdom, practiced the very magic deemed unmanly. For Óðinn's devotees, ignoring this aspect of the god would be akin to silently dishonoring him. ### The Ergi Concept The Old Norse term **ergi** — translated as "perverse" or "depraved" — in common usage meant **male homosexuality** and was one of the most grievous insults in the Norse world. To practice seidr, Óðinn had to accept the label of ergi. As the sources state: "This magic (seidr), when practiced, is accompanied by such ergi that it is considered a man cannot practice it without shame; therefore this form of magic passed entirely to the gyðjur (priestesses who perform sacrifices)." ### Freyja as the Teacher It was **Freyja** — not Óðinn — who was the original practitioner and teacher of seidr. Freyja taught seidr to Óðinn, establishing a chain of transmission from the Vanir (feminine, earth-connected) to the Æsir (masculine, sky-connected). This is consistent with the Vanaheim's "secret knowledge of witchcraft" documented in `norse-mythology-encyclopedia.md`. **Runic implications:** Since Freyja is the patroness of the 1st Aett, the foundational runic energies themselves have seidr-connections. The runes are not purely galdr-tools — they can also be used in seidr-trance contexts. The Perthro rune (lot-cup, fate) is especially seidr-related. --- ## 3. Rune Coloring — The Technical Connection Between Galdr and Seidr The *Hávamál* (where Óðinn's discovery of runes is narrated) contains instructions that one must know how to **color** (stain) runes when using them for magical purposes. This coloring practice forms the technical bridge between galdr and seidr. ### Blood as Colorant The most famous example comes from the *Saga of Egill Skallagrímsson* (934 CE). At a feast, Gunnhildr (daughter of Gormr) offers Egill a horn of poisoned drink. Sensing danger, Egill: 1. Carves runes on the horn's rim 2. Pronounces an incantation (galdr) 3. **Colors the runes** by pricking his hand and staining them with his own blood The horn shatters and the poison spills harmlessly. Blood cannot be obtained from the body without wounding — the sacrifice is inherent in the act. ### Other Bodily Fluids At the 1974 symposium "Myth in Indo-European Antiquity" (University of California), **Jeannine Talley** proposed that **male semen** could also have been used to color runes. Talley established a connection between: - **Runes** — the carved symbols - **Mandrake** (alraun/alrune) — the magical root - **Hanging** — Óðinn's preferred sacrifice method The mandrake (not native to northern regions, yet prominent in Norse folklore) was believed to grow from the semen of a hanged man falling at the foot of the gallows. The fact that a hanged man can produce an ejaculation was known both to witnesses of such executions and to medical practitioners. Semen produced during a ritual could serve as a "colorant" of great magical potency for staining runes. ### Menstrual Blood A third coloring method — exclusively feminine — involves **menstrual blood**, which flows once a month for nearly a week according to the natural cycle. Rather than being viewed as a stigma of impurity, menstrual blood was almost universally regarded as a **source of enormous magical power**. Most men were discomfited by this natural phenomenon, and its magical significance was labeled ergi — adding connotations of indecency and sexuality to the male perception of it. **Runic implications:** The practice of rune-coloring connects the rune-carver's vital essence to the carved symbol. This is not merely symbolic — the bodily fluid creates a literal physical bond between the practitioner and the rune. The choice of fluid (blood from wounding, semen from ritual, menstrual blood from natural cycle) determines the nature of the magical connection: - **Blood (wounding):** Sacrificial binding; the rune is sealed with pain and life-force - **Semen (ritual):** Generative binding; the rune is charged with creative/procreative power - **Menstrual blood (natural cycle):** Cyclical binding; the rune is connected to the periodic renewal of feminine magical power This provides a deeper understanding of why the `runic-seminar-shi.md` reference emphasizes red pigments (ochre, hematite, blood) for rune-carving — the coloring is not decorative but sacramental. --- ## 4. The Völva — Seidr Practitioner ### Thorbjörg the Völva (from the Saga of Erik the Red) The best historical description of a seidr session comes from the *Saga of Erik the Red*, describing the völva **Þórbjǫrg** ("Little Seeress"): **Her attire:** - Blue cloak with gem-studded clasp - Glass beads around her neck - Hood of black lambskin, lined with white catskin - Staff with a brass-bound knob set with gems - Belt of tinder-fungus with a large pouch for magical objects - Calf-skin shoes with long laces and large tin buttons on the toes - Catskin gloves, white inside **The seidhjallr (seidr-platform):** - A high seat was prepared with a cushion stuffed with chicken feathers - The seidhjallr was a kind of small scaffold/platform on which the völva sat during the ritual **The ritual:** 1. The völva takes her seat on the seidhjallr 2. **Vardlokur** (seidr-songs) are sung — in the Saga of Erik the Red, by women; in the Saga of Oddr the Archer, by a choir of **15 young men and 15 young women** 3. The völva enters a trance state through the monotonous chanting 4. Once in trance, the völva prophesies — answering questions about the coming year, individual fates, and the community's welfare ### Freya Aswynn's Practical Seidr Experience Aswynn describes performing seidr at an I.O.T. (Illuminates of Thanateros) seminar at Lockenhaus Castle: - No elevated platform was available, so she drew **nine rectangles** on the floor with chalk and sat on them dressed as a völva - Women sang runes in specific tones; men called "Óðinn!" - The monotonous chanting lasted approximately 10 minutes before she entered trance - In trance, she invited participants to draw runes from a cauldron and provided spontaneous readings — speaking even in German (which she doesn't speak well), with near-absolute accuracy - The ability to perform in this way before a large audience (~50 people) is what definitively determines whether someone is a völva **Runic implications:** The seidr session uses runes as entry-points into trance, but the prophetic utterance that follows is NOT rune-interpretation in the conventional sense. The rune drawn from the cauldron serves as a **focal point** for the völva's trance-vision, not as a symbol to be analyzed. This is fundamentally different from standard runic divination. --- ## 5. Three Types of Female Cult Practitioners Historical sources identify three types of female religious/magical practitioners in the Norse tradition: ### 1. Gyðja (Gothia) - Female equivalent of the **goði** (male priest) - Primary function: **temple management** — overseeing sacrifices, maintaining the shrine, conducting public rituals - Socially integrated and respected - Institutional role within the community ### 2. Völva - Works **outside the temple**, independently - Prophetic and divinatory function - In Germany: lived in wooden towers, communicating with the outside world only through intermediaries or servants — extremely isolated - In Iceland: traveled the country, visiting farms and communities — mobile and itinerant - More socially respected than feared, as völvas worked "for the good and healing of the community" ### 3. Seiðkona (pl. seiðkonar) - "[Continuously] practicing seidr" - The distinction between völva and seiðkona is difficult to establish precisely, as both practiced prophecy and magic - Seiðkonar likely practiced **darker seidr** and were **feared more than völvas** - Völvas were more integrated into the social community; seiðkonar were more marginal R. Boyer does not distinguish between völva and seiðkona, defining both simply as "a woman who practices seidr" and noting they tend to be "marginals: they have an unusual, not necessarily repulsive, appearance, easily fall into melancholy, and may have had difficult childhoods." --- ## 6. Practical Implications for Rune Work ### Combining Galdr and Seidr - Galdr can be used to **enter** a seidr trance (the Vardlokur songs are essentially galdr) - In trance, the runes become **portals** rather than symbols — each rune opens a specific pathway between worlds - The völva's prophetic speech is galdr emerging from seidr — the two traditions are not separate but complementary ### Seidr and the Aettir - **1st Aett (Freyr/Freyja):** Seidr's home territory — Freyja's seidr-knowledge, the Vanir's earth-magic, the runes of creation and abundance - **2nd Aett (Heimdallr):** The challenge of trance — the disruption of normal consciousness (Hagalaz), the constraint of the body (Nauthiz), the frozen stillness of soul-separation (Isa), the fate-web (Perthro) - **3rd Aett (Týr):** The warrior's dilemma — the sacrifice of physical strength for spiritual vision (Týr giving his hand), the rebirth that follows trance-death (Dagaz) ### Seidr-informed Rune Readings - A reading can be conducted in a **light trance state** induced by galdr-chanting of the drawn runes - The reader allows the rune's energy to **speak through them** rather than analyzing the symbol - This produces more spontaneous, intuitive, and often more accurate readings than purely analytical interpretation - The Perthro Principle ("this cannot be known") from `rune-mantic-kys.md` is essentially a seidr-principle: some rune-knowledge comes only through trance, not through analysis --- ## Sources - Freya Aswynn — *La magie du Seidr*, IRMIN N4, 1995; reprinted in *Northern Magic* (Северная магия) - Т. Фаминская — Russian translation from French (1999), almanac "Мифы и магия индоевропейцев" - Shelley — Translation (2000) for seidr.woods.ru - Snorri Sturluson — *Ynglinga Saga* — Óðinn's seidr practice - *Saga of Egill Skallagrímsson* — Rune coloring with blood - *Saga of Erik the Red* — Thorbjörg the völva's seidr session - *Saga of Oddr the Archer* — The 15+15 choir for Vardlokur - Tacitus — *Germania* (98 CE) — Germanic women as practitioners of magic - Jeannine Talley — 1974 symposium "Myth in Indo-European Antiquity" — Rune coloring with semen; mandrake-hanging-runes connection - R. Boyer — *Le Monde du Double: La Magie chez les anciens Scandinaves* (Paris, 1986)