- Heiðr
Heiðr (from the
Old Norse adjective meaning "bright" or the noun meaning "honour") is the seeress and witch ("völva ") mentioned in one stanza of "Völuspá ", related to the story of theÆsir-Vanir war ::Heith they named her:who sought their home,:The wide-seeing witch,:in magic wise;:Minds she bewitched:that were moved by her magic,:To evil women:a joy she was.:::—"Völuspá" (22), [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm Bellows’ translation] [Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.). 1923. "The poetic Edda". New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation.]
The general assumption is that Heiðr is an alternate name for the witch
Gullveig , mentioned in the previous stanza, who, in turn, is often thought to be a hypostasis ofFreyja . But it is sometimes argued that the "völva" who recites the poem refers to herself.Heiðr is also a seeress in several works such as "
Landnámabók " (S 179 / H 45), "Hrólfs saga kraka " (3) and "Örvar-Odds saga " (2), where she predicts Örvar's death.Heiðr is lastly a child of the giant
Hrímnir according to "Völuspá hin skamma " ("Hyndluljóð ", 32).References
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