Seidr Norse Magic And Noaidi Shamans Shaping Destinies
Controlling outcomes, steering destiny and reversing fate in ancient times was all about spells and old-school hands-on magic. Practitioners in ancient Greek and Rome commonly used ‘binding spells’ to affect the outcomes of trade transactions, affairs of the heart and to wage revenge, while ancient Jews maintained a universal magical system known as ‘kabbalah’ which described all of creation between earth and divine realms. However, less well-known are the systems of magic in the northern regions, not because magic was any less important to ancient Norse cultures, but more so because Christianity all but stamped it out.
The Tjängvide image stone with illustrations from Norse mythology. Gotland, Sweden. (Berig/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Practice Of Seidr
The Old Norse term seiðr described a type of Norse magic practiced in the Late Scandinavian Iron Age which essentially attempted to foresee and shape future events. Having been developed over many centuries the practice declined across Scandinavia after its Christianization, which occurred in the mid-11th century in Denmark and Norway, and in the mid-12th century in Sweden. Ancient Norse Sagas contain detailed accounts of people working seiðr rituals and archaeologists have unearthed many magical devices. This suggests seiðr was a form of shamanism where cult leaders undertook visionary journeys and returned to depart cosmic knowledge to followers.
