Heiðr

"Brightness", "Shining one?" In the eddic poem Völuspá, an alternative name for the traveling seer and witch Gullveig, who is mentioned in the previous stanza.

Heidi they called her,
whithersoe'r she came,
the well-forseeing Vala:
wolves she tamed,
magic arts she knew,
magic arts practised;
ever was she the joy
of evil people.

Outside Völuspá, several other wise women or prophetesses are called Heiðr, such as in Landnámabók, Hrólfs saga kraka, and Örvar-Odds saga.

References

Sources

  • Völuspá, 26.
  • Orchard, Andy. (1997). Cassell's Dictionary of Norse Myth & Legend. London: Cassell PLC.