A few hours ago, an unsavory post was made by another person about feeling a calling towards “norse shamanism,” a misnomer and a faux pas for Seiðr. While I’m not an authority on Seiðr, I have been an active practitioner for some time (six months, as of recently—I’ve been a norse pagan since January 2022). I’d like to share some of the resources I’m familiar with, even though they are few and far between, as well as a general overview on what Seiðr is. Maybe this will help someone.

To start, Seiðr is a form of magic primarily practiced by women (more on that later) which focuses on foresight and divination. Originally taught to Odin by Freya, this form of magic is believed to have been gifted to the Æsir gods by the Vanir through this exchange. Seiðr involves the chanting of spells and incantations, as well as connecting to the spiritual realm. Some sources claim sexual acts were involved in certain rituals, but this is disputable and can’t be proven. Overall, this is a vocally driven form of magic with ties to the spirit.

Practitioners of Seiðr have different names, which are gendered. Use what you’re comfortable with, gender norms aren’t binding and your practice is your own. Female practitioners of Seiðr can be referred to as vǫlur, seiðkonur and vísendakona, while male practitioners can be referred to as seiðmenn or seiðmaður (the latter of which is the singular term). I use “seiðmaður” for myself. As I stated before, Seiðr is primarily practiced by women (or was, when it was more wildly common). It was believed that this form of magic was too effeminate for men, and male practitioners were often shunned and called “ergi,” or unmanly. Today, with the rise of modern paganism, anyone can practice Seiðr without fear of persecution—gender no longer binds the general population as it once did.

Seiðr has been mentioned or alluded to in numerous sagas of the Viking age, though not as many as one would hope. In Lokasenna, Loki accuses Odin of practicing Seiðr, and calls him the aforementioned “ergi”—unmanly. In response, Odin had this to say in Stanza 23:

“You know, even if I did judge unfairly, and made the better side lose, I know that you, for eight years, loved on the earth down below, as a cow in milk, and as a woman, and you’ve given birth to children— I call that a pervert’s way of living.”

With this, Odin essentially called Loki a hypocrite.

In the Voluspa, while Seiðr is not outright mentioned, it should be noted that the seer giving Odin the vision could have used Seiðr to give the prophecy to him.

In the Saga of Erik the Red, a volva is mentioned in Greenland with the name “Þórbjǫrg.” From there, and without giving the plot of the entire saga away, Seiðr is mentioned numerous times, as well as the use of a “seiðstafr,” or staff.

I haven’t read The Prose Edda, and I only have a physical copy of The Poetic Edda. As such, I don’t have access to certain sources, so I implore anyone interested in Seiðr to research more.

As a practitioner of Seiðr, I tend to do my own thing. While I incorporate as much tradition as possible from the little we know, I wing most of my practice. I utilize crystals and herbs for things such as divination, dream work, and meditation. I’d be happy to share more in private, as my practice is personal.

Hopefully this helps someone! <3

EDIT: The OP of that other post decided to message me, though I didn’t read what he said. If you’re still lurking on my post, ya weirdo, know that norse paganism is for everyone. Everyone with love in their hearts is welcome. Eat dirt.