Seiðr: All the Norse Historical Sources
Sources Below
In Old Norse, seiðr was a type of magic which was practised in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age.
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Sources
Heimskringla, Ynglinga saga, Olav Tryggvassons Saga, Harald Fairhairs saga
Poetic edda
Prose Edda
Lausavisa of Vitgeir Seiðmaðr
Sigurðardrápa by Kormakr Ogmundarson
Sagas of the Icelanders(Erik the Reds Saga, Egils saga, Gisla saga, Laxdaela saga)
Kormaks saga
Hrólfs saga kraka,
Landnamabok
Örvar odds saga
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The practice of seiðr is believed to be a form of magic which is related to both the telling and the shaping of the future. Connected to the Old Norse religion, its origins are largely unknown, and the practice of it gradually declined after the Christianization of Scandinavia. Accounts of seiðr later made it into sagas and other literary sources, while further evidence of it has been unearthed by archaeologists. Various scholars have debated the nature of seiðr, some of them have argued that it was shamanic in context, involving visionary journeys by its practitioners. Seiðr practitioners were of both sexes, with sorceresses being variously known as vǫlur, seiðkonur and vísendakona. There were also accounts of male practitioners, who were known as seiðmenn or seiðmaður in the singular. In many cases these magical practitioners would have had assistants to aid them in their rituals. In pre-Christian Norse mythology, seiðr was associated with both the god Óðinn, a deity who was simultaneously responsible for war, poetry and sorcery, and the goddess Freyja, a member of the Vanir who was believed to have taught the practice to the Æsir.
00:00- Intro
03:30- Definition
06:25- Gods/Myths
07:40- Feminine
10:30- Odin
16:15- Oldest Sources
17:15- Full Ritual
22:50- Punishments
24:00- Change Weather
25:15- Shapeshifting
27:45- Galdr
29:00- Archeology
31:30- Broomsticks
33:15- Substances
As a Lakota and Scandinavian woman, I am considered the 'Medicine Woman' of my family, due to the magic I can hold, for healing and protection. I am no shaman, but I have delved the Mysteries many times. I do like using both Indigenous and Norse elements together, feeling an affinty for both, and it's very effective most times. Thank you for these videos, they are quite helpful!
What do you know about black magic?
This is natural as our peoples had historical interactions including creating family bonds.
@@daveconrad6562 Only enough to protect against.
I'm a Cajun and my family has a Treatúre tradition
American Indian paganism and European paganism share a cultural link through the arctic region, which is why theres so much overlap with Norse specifically. Both have been victims of Christianity. Cheers!
There is a case where a Lakotah man had been brutally beated and no one could figure out who did it. A Medicine man was brought in (Wallace Black Elk) to the hospital and he was able to call in Spirit using song(s) to help. During the Ceremony, Spirit dropped the car's license plate on the floor and told those there ( a Police Officer attended) where the car was as well as the whereabouts of the vicitm's missing rifle that he was beaten with. Then, Spirit requested the 'send them back song' at which point the plate disappeared. Upon further investigation, the Officer found the car and the rifle (that had been buried under a bridge) and the individuals involved were arrested. Shamanism" probably not. But Spirit-intervention and help none-the-less.
Once, I had a voice in the back of my mind say "get ready to meet your neice." That weekend, my brother invited us all over & told everyone he & his girlfriend were pregnant. Despite the fact that our family overwhelmingly tend to have male children (previous generation combined had 12 kids & only 2 were girls), it was a girl. I'd told my brother it would be a girl. After it was confirmed, I pulled him aside & said "Thank God I was right, so I don't look like a complete idiot." LOL I'm one of those Appalachian people whose family thought we had Native ancestry. Turns out we do, on top of a crap ton of other things, but it's only about 5% or less.
As an American if Dane and German ancestry, this was an impressive, enlightening, educational video. Thank you so much. Subscribed.
Yes please for a southern hemisphere calendar! I’ve been meaning to make one for years but haven’t had the time. I run a Meadery (Valknut Meadery) and I’m sure a lot of my followers would love one too. I’ll gladly advertise it for you. Huge fan btw. Long time watcher, 1st time commenting. Skål
Immensely interesting, and very well conveyed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My mom always called me a Wetterhex ("weather witch" in German) because as a kid, I was really into studying and watching the weather. She also had a little docorative doll that was a witch on a broom hanging over the kitchen sink. It was partly like a cute decoration, but also had the feel of an endearing good luck charm.
Great video! Super happy to see you returning to this type of video content. Long informing videos are so much more needed and appreciated in this era of "quick fix" BS with zero actual source and/or understanding.
Agreed!
I usually imagine the underhanded indirect nature of cursing, especially for petty reasons, was probably what was considered unmanly more than any magic itself. An example that comes to my mind would be Wormwood from LotR corrupting the king. But that Loki quote was an interesting reminder how channeling spirits in voluntary possession was frowned upon. I keep picturing the dynamic between Zoolander and his dad, as being like a magician in the viking world. Shamans are viewed as having a different type of soul than the typical person, usually plagued by the spirits until the spiritual path is taken. It's the best word we have to describe the phenomenon, as it's not synonymous with being just a magician. There's also medicine man and witch doctor, but the average person wouldn't know those terms.
Not really. It was that Seidr was a special form of magic typically connected with intuition, empathy and animism. These were considered typical female attributes compared to males which were supposed to be more on the fighter side. Think of the male is warrior while female is shaman trope. I would consider Seidr a form of magic closely related to the mind which allows practices of divination, mediumship and seeing through patterns. Source: I originate from a colony of danes and saxons in southern europe which created seven villages and kept intermarrying between each other. Thus our traditions became a mix of Germanic paganism and Christianity. For example our protective archangel michael and later saint george was previously a Norse god which we called Wodan ( in modern german it is called Odin ). As far as I know magic in terms of cursing, hexing and jinxing was considered bad and not really practiced. However they were fine with death curses ( we had a past of mercenaries and merchants ) and they loved weather spells and herbalism. Ofc the old religion was almost lost, but the continuous wars between the Ottoman empire, various european empires, slavic states and Balkan ethnic people allows us to preserve our traditions until late 19th century. If there is constant war around you, you need to stick to your own to survive and you refuse outsider influences. Our traditions are a mix of Germanic and Celtic paganism with later christian influences.
I have scandinavian, nordic, icelandic, germanic, french, irish, and british DNA. These videos always make me so happy. Learning of my ancestors and their possible practices. I love it! I intuitively have studied norse mythology, and norse paganism even before i knew my ancestry. ❤
Well researched, really good structure in the presentation. 😊 No idea if you've read it, but I highly recommend Neil Price's book "The Viking way - magic and mind in late iron age Scandinavia". He goes into great detail of the archaeological finds of völva graves and explores possible correlations with the written sources. 👌👌
I just recommend prices books. I have a better understanding now and live in America so I mix my germanic style with my local tribes style the Cherokee in the same fashion in a mixed ritualistic style and tool's, check out fjallvaettir workshop they make great stuff, that mix the to, and is part Cherokee, and Scandinavia and mix the 2 in his tools I got a hand drum with Scandinavia rock carvings, Rattles, all kinds of cool stuff.
Forn Siðr and seiðr is according to Vargs theory one and the same thing, long time ago. According to Varg, it got seperated in early iron age. But originaly it simply ment custum, womens domain. I like this idea becouse it explains the "magic and custum and religion was one and the same"
Wonderfully researched. Thanks so much!
I just would like to distinguish very clearly that the priests and a few chosen to be sung about communicate with the gods while the shaman communicates with just about all possible. But only in early stages of hunter/gatherer societies have the 2 roles, the priest and the shaman, been by tradition played by the same individual. Wherever societies became agrarian, the priests became the ones connected to specific deities and who assure the communication stays open between the deities and the community. As such, they were kept within the community and well treated and honoured. Much unlike the shaman, who is shoved beyond the outskirts of the community, the last archaic natural metaphysical stand, the wild, the unknown, the shaman who communicates with just about all.
I really enjoy the videos you put out. You do an amazing job going into detail on how the culture and beliefs were and where they have evolved
This was fascinating. Thank you so much for all the information.
Very much looking forward to learning more. 😊👍
Mush love brother. Keep up the great work
This video was so informative. You covered so much. I love the archeology stuff at the end as well as the broomstick lore. Grateful for the knowledge you share! You also have a beautiful smile. Looking forward to more videos from your channel!!
Hey man love your vids been watching for years now
Awesome video, that you for for all you research, work and information..blessed be!
Thank you. I really learn a lot and enjoy your content. You tell the truth which is refreshing. 🙏🙏
Ty for continuing these amazingly awesome videos.. I hope life is treating you very well my friend 😎 ✌️ ❤️
Well, after watching this, I am now subscribed. Greatly appreciated.
Fascinating, thank you 🌹.
Thank you for the video and information ⚔️
I just want to say thank you so much for this video and all of your research and sharing your thoughts and information with us.
So excited for this series!!
Beautiful calendar! You should be proud of that. An extraordinary resource imo
Great information thanks for making this
Very interesting! Here's some more information I found on hembane seeds which fits perfectly with the rituals described: Atropine, one of the alkaloids found in henbane and other Solanaceae species, can be easily absorbed through the skin when mixed with fat or oil and rubbed to the body. Exposure to this ointment, applied mainly to the armpits or the genital area, produced the sensation of flying. Administered rectally after smearing on a stick or pole, this is reputedly the reason why witches are often depicted as flying on broomsticks. They contain several psychoactive alkaloids such as atropine, scopolamine and specially hyoscyamine. These are contained in all parts of the plant, although the highest concentration is found in the seeds. Henbane is also known as 'witche's plant' or 'witches favorite'"
That's really interesting. I wonder how hard they are to get or cultivate
@@gcanaday1at least where I live in Canada on the prairies. Zones 4a - 4b it is incredibly easy to find. It typically grows in garbage, uncultivated, dense soil where other vegetation has difficulty growing.
Fascinating and most enjoyable to listen to.
Just made a purchase of the Thor hammer "Fitjar" and the beautiful calendar in pdf. Your website is easy to navigate, very clean and I thank you for the first time customer discount. I could certainly use and benefit from the health and protection aspects of the elegant jewelry piece. I know a little about it. I'm looking into it more and adding to my understanding of it. I've learned quite a lot from you during these past few years as a subscriber and I honor your dedication to educating us on this platform. Thanks so much. May great health happiness, and fortune be yours.
That was a great video, tons of information. I love your longer videos, really could listen for hours at a time, taking down notes and sources to look up. Thank you again, good sir.
I'm a man and I'm into magick, and I'm sertainly not gay...but ever since I decided to be open about it Iv been treated like a weirdo by some of my male "friends" (some are not friends anymore) I don't do seithr, but other types of mental magick. The women that's in to it that I know of is treated like normal, so this mindset seems to still be present here in Skåne, Sweden.
because its still very womenly to do magick like that.
Women won't like it either, unless you've been going out with one for quite some time & she's like minded. It's not good to broadcast that you're into "magic". It also can attract competitive negative types that either feel envy & want to compete or want to test you out. It's better & wiser to be discreet.
@@am9359 because women (generalising)don't like when you use "their" power or, that you are aware of when they are using it on you.
As a woman of Norse ancestry who is also "into magick" (my father's family is actually from Skåne) I'm going to say this has nothing to do with magick being a woman's thing, but because it's magick. Where I live in the US people of either gender are treated like weirdos if they're interested in magick. Some people are extremely prejudiced against male witches too, but it's usually only those who don't really know that much. You're in good company though.
@@ELCinWYO maybe it's because you're a woman and therefore have a difficult time experiencing these things as a man. In my experience it's accepted for women to do magick and spirituality. I'm not originally from skåne. My kin is spread out through Sweden, Blekinge, norrland, Stockholm even Vajle in Denmark and I have no memory of hearing of any man in my kin that was into these things, only women.
You say it was a long video but I was transfixed and thought it was over too soon >_< Thanks for all your work and providing the links!
Love the video, reminds me to get the splinters out of my broomstick 😝. I'd definitely love a Southern hemisphere calendar!
It can go as far as the subtle direction you stir a pot, spin the fibers, dance around the circle, and bind the herbs for spells.
Tak bra! 30 years ago in Berkeley California, the modern practice of seidhr was revived through intense Eddic study and mantic contact with willing seidhkonas-in-spirit, and direct transmission from Freyja and Odhinn by the author Diana Paxson and her group, Hrafnar. I was in that group as a seidhkona and primary consultant on shamanic trance technique (in which I had depth experience) and can testify to the long hours of period reconstruction like an authentic seidhjallar high seat with hen feather rune-embroidered cushion, each seidhkona finding and singing their own power song, and the group “choir” singing and drumming of the main journey song and call-back song to the hamr. You are entirely correct, it takes a large crew to pull the thing off, shapeshifting’s gonna happen (!) and the rede you get is often staggeringly accurate….and sometimes entirely inaccurate, depending on the seidhkona/madhr. Yes, we had seidhmadhrs. Most were gay, others were not. All were fine human beings and earnest scholars and reconstructionists. The group became quite popular and went on to tour many pagan festivals regularly and probably still do. They are findable online. If you practice seidhr in America today, you have Hrafnar to thank. Look up Diana’s book on the subject as well as that of Jan Fries that describes the “seething trance” from Dutch resources. These are foundational, but the real teachers you’ll find in spirit, and the Æsir and Vanir themselves. Again thank you for this wonderfully reminiscent video. Subscribed & grateful for your service, my brother. Wes thu hal!
@Marwe Wow! What a strange coincidence. 25 years ago, in Connecticut, I did a training with Hrafnar. There, Patty Lafayllve, Victorria, Cat, Lisa and I formed Björnsàl. At a Starwood festival, Patty and myself took the high seat with Lorre. Wes Thu hael, Denise
Favorite video you've done so far. Very well done. As a practitioner of seiđr, accurate information is a joke. Ironically enough I was just paid to do a talk on seiđr yesterday then saw this. 😊
Du er simpelthen uvurderlig og meget værdsat broder. 🎉❤
There’s absolutely nothing that has shown me more rage, frenzy or knowledge than the pain I have experienced in my life these last few years. The emotional and physical pain that I have endured on a daily basis for the last three years.
I would love you to make a Norse calendar for the southern hemisphere. Please do! 😊
...the connection to the theatre is one of the parts that grabs my attention, it's kinda a left field reference... And in any case though for my own brain, I see connections to our growth as a species in these types of translations I know I carry the "eccentric" label and so anyways. I'm gonna say thank you and shut up now. ...and so thank you for the post, always absolutely appreciated.
Wow. I was literally just reading about this in one of my books like an hour ago. (Cringe Pagan Mode: Activate) Truly the gods smile down upon me this day!
It is not cringe to recognize the blessing of the divine.
🙏@@bjarkiengelsson
@@bjarkiengelssonidk if he said he's proud to be a cringe pagan or what but I know cringe pagans are universalist.
You look like family.😊 I am three quarters Norwegian. My great grandparents emigrated to the North and South Dakota areas. I'm 63 so it was awhile ago. Love your stuff.❤️❤️❤️
Wonderful video my friend 👍🇬🇧
Thank you for talking about this stuff, lest it's forgotten. Even if "shamanism" is not the right name, we can't ignore a people's spiritual mores. It's important to understand it so to compare it and hopefully draw some practices that are useful to us too, right now
Thank you
Thank you for interesting stories!!! 👍 jeg elsker Norge!!!
The Norse calendar reminds me of Stonehenge. Lends credence to the hypothesis that Stonehenge was astronomical in design, in my opinion...
Great video this one. The *articles* you mentioned towards the end, I can't find the link you would put in the description. In the three link you did put there, I find no articles.
Hey man, could you please do a video on Nordic/Germanic hairstyles for men? It would tie in very well to your Germanic names video. Love your work!
Tak bra ❤
@11:50 this and the concept of shape shifting makes me wonder if they held individuals with what we would call manic depression/ bipolar in high regard. I would expect they were viewed as exceptional for raiding or spiritual matters.
I think you’re on to something, I would also include schizophrenia and a number of other so called “conditions”. Investigate how the western med industry names or identifies psychological maladies, hint; it’s bullshyt. How many potentially talented individuals are being labelled, stigmatized and drugged up for profit$? To be a spiritual leader these days you must go through indoctrination programs and get your certificate issued by the government for a registered religion. The ancient ways haven’t been tolerated for many years, for if you are discovered practising or healing you will be incarcerated, if found...
This is so interesting
awesomeness on ya calender .... wish i had one
Nice calendar!
As a practitionner, I find this video to be indeed quite good! I have posted my own one on the staff, in case you'd be curious! It's very satisfying, particularly to hear spirit possession mentionned. Then only other place I saw it mentionned in the context of Western/North paganism is in "Drawing down the spirits", by Kaldera & Filan, which is an excellent book by practitioners, for practitioners who come to have to deal with possession within the context of ritual work. You mention "scholars" a few times, I would have appreciated to hear their names. I don't have a lot of money to spend on books, so I'd have appreciated to know in which books exactly of your amazon list some scholars dare mentioning the potential link between seidr & spirit possession! And by the way, psychedelics do allow to practice some sort of shamanic ritual work (with some practice), or at least psilocybe mushrooms or truffles do!
I heard you say it is unlike shamanism but is there anything linking plant medicine to the act or trance like in other cultures or even how it may have influenced the berserker trance? Thank you, love this channel!
Very interesting
Unrelated tradition of the near East, the goddess takes off one piece of clothing for each of the seven doors to the underworld. Perhaps something similar happens in seidr...
Please come back to America one day! Haha thank yo Igor this interview and thank yo Igor the wisdom spread! ✊🏻🙏🏻🙌🏻💚
Can you make a video on viking higene? i remember saying they actually smelled good and i wanna know more about it, especially if there are perfumes or w/e that are made to be historically close to what they used or something./
Dear Thor, What is your opinion on Varg Vikernes's interpretation of the myths and his opinions regarding Óðinn? While Óðinn is the lord of the posessed, is he also the accumulated wisdom of your ancestors and related to reincarnation?
Thank you for the well researched content once more. The weaving part is so intriguing! Could it be that those trials where referred to broom riding as to not be ever recorded as pagan and spiritual practice?
I'd imagine that, towards the end, people began discarding the actual pagan implements &, when doing such rituals, would substitute everyday items if such a ritual ever occurred, so a broom would be a common enough substitute for a magical staff that women might have on hand.
I wish you did more long videos.
Thank you very much for the video and information!! So as someone still learning of my Norse Pagan heritage, and very new to it, should I practice Seidr as a man? If not, what magic can men practice??
Thanks man ✌️🖖👍
Honestly I think seid involving sexual acts is a ridiculous notion. The fact that it's 'ergi' for men can simply be explained by the fact that it can be very underhanded, like cursing someone. Women however cannot always physically defend themselves, from men for example, thus cursing is an understandable way for women to enact vengeance and protect themselves.
I don't think the sexual aspect is ridiculous, but I agree with you on the power of cursing, or more commonly, being the power behind the power figure. A woman, a wife or anyone involved with a powerful man could have moved events without direct violence. Information was power. "Gossip" is so often assigned to females, in a bitter or dismissive way, but it can be information, used for power. It would be easy for a bitter angry person to blame their problems on a "bitch/witch" figure who uses magic. "Don't tell anyone, wink wink, but apparently Helga saw Sven in the hayloft, and he was doing... "
Its interesting how Finns are associated with this type of magic and it even carries over into sailor superstitions in the 1800s. There was a story from a memoir book I read that ship captains believed Finnish sailors had magical powers to control the weather. There was an account where an American ship was stuck in a bad storm and the captain yelled at the Finnish sailor that he was not doing enough to calm the storm and even threatened to flog him over it.
I greet the Vikings, as mine brothers, I as the Slavic White Eagle.
Greetings, steppe warrior. How fare?
@@bjarkiengelsson well fare, build dungeons, no drone can see
McDonalds Clan is cursed, sending drones, were to rocket
@@vilijanac Fellow member of the koryos - remember the principles of guerilla warfare. They cannot attack if their homelands are decimated behind them.
@@bjarkiengelsson yet blind they do...
I'm 1/3 Lakota Blackfoot and Cherokee, and one half German Saxon, and can tell you for a fact that there are far more similarities between the shamanism practiced by those two cultures than there are differences. Also, the ideas or images people have in the West concerning witches come from Germany. All of Disney's witches are German. The name of Snow White's evil stepmother is "Grimhilde the wicked", for instance.
I'm living in South America and would be very happy if you made a calendar for the Southern hemisphere!
Great video(s). Where can one purchase that 2023-24 calendar? Thanks.
Neil price does the best book on shamanism and, viking and Scandinavia culture. He did children of ash and Elm and the viking way, some of the best study, grimfrost has one of his books, but his book the Archaeology of shamanism breaks it down from it's roots Siberia, to when the word was basically released in the 1800s, but hits on all cultures and symbols, and ritualistic styles and tools, of each cultures similarities its hands down the best book and will teach you everything you wanna know and view it, as being creative and believing in the medicine of each cultures with respect if you are going to try and do shamanism, it's helped me a lot
The joke from The Office by Creed Bratton about witches needing the ‘grip’ the broom was the funniest thing ever
southern hemisphere calendar please. So interesting !
Is there a good source to look into the healing shaman aspect of the magic? Like a book or particular website?
Hi I'm Carlett, from Nebraska, USA, I'm interested in one of your calendars as I'm a new Nordic druid and my cheiftain would like for me to learn as much as possible and I'm wanting to learn we much Nordic magic and healing as possible
Hello from down under, please make a Southern hemisphere calendar please.
32:25 The application you’re talking about has similarities to Orphic rites, which I’m guessing you know already lol
Shamanism is one of, if not. The oldest from of religion and spirituality in the world. And still going on till this day. Interesting subject. 🙂👍
Most religions are based from some form of shamanisms. Calling on angels, gods. Saints. Holy spirit and even God to come to them or in them and bliss them and others . Even some call up demons, Evil spirits or devil's. So it's still going on. But in a different way.
32:00 "all around their puss" made me laugh so damn hard. I love the way you word things lmao
In Pite-sami säjjde means offeringstone - place to make offerings. I don't know Sami but it sounds a lot like seidr. So perhaps the word origin of seidr could be Finnic.
Harald Hårfagre's main seiðrkone was a Samí woman, so you may very well be correct.
I think generally we can use the word "shamanism" for any such practices around the world. Yeah it comes from the syberian culture, but that's because that's where it was first anthropologically recorded. I practice native south-american shamanism, known here as "pajelança", but the tecniques are pretty similar to other shamanic ones around the world in the basics
“Siddhe” Irish for fairy- also, a derogative term -“Siddah” Sanskrit for psychic abilities - how do you feel? These are related etymologically & thologically to Seidr ???
I'd love a Southern Hemisphere one. Can you make sure it rotates anticlockwise? That's sunwise for us.
12th comment! I recall that she didn't really become the seiðkona, but she and the sorceress switched and took each other's places so that she could visit her brother in the woods, then switched back.
Thanks for the information! My only single critique is that you mentioned that Valhalla may have been a viking age era concept, when in reality it actually most definitely came from the early proto Indo Europeans. The celts, Scythians and Greeks seem to have had a unique hall or place for the warrior classes in the after life. For example the celts had a unique island called Magh Meall. We don’t know to much about it other than that it was a unique island for the local hero’s and that it’s a place where people feel no pain or hunger. The Greeks also had the Elysian Plains where “honorable men” go to rest. Like the celts it was depicted as more of an island where the people feel no hunger or physical pain. So in my opinion the concept of Valhalla or at least an afterlife for warriors is something that likely came from our proto Indo European steppe ancestors.
Please, look for reliable sources of information and knowledge. Then review all you think you know.
love claims like that, give some sources to back up that.
@@Fiduenawhy is this the comment you say sources are needed? Only when we disagree with comments we insist they are incorrect?
@@user-em3tg6ib1e, when you twist and turn the mythologies of so many ethnic groups, erasing their true similarities and making up new ones that never existed just by pretending they all had the same mythography, you're either coming forth with a new theory which you'd better fundament or it can't be validated or you're just venting and nothing relevant is being said because it's wrongly explained. So, if your data are not substantiated, you can't simply change what History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Literature, Linguistics, Semantics and Semiology have given us so far. It's not about agreement or disagreement. It's about facts.
Europeans originate from the Forests of Europe, not the steppes.
another excellent video. I have little knowledge of Seiðr before you. almost next to nothing. this was another excellent video. Unfortunately Hercules would have practiced it or would probably could have. as with some Greek gods they swung both ways. this is something most people do not know because it is usually not talked about.
Very well known, on the contrary.
1:59 it is common for Shaman to carry a mark since birth. That mark indicates that spirit has selected them to work with spirit. Thus, the purpose of Shaman is set by spirit, not utility for human culture nor training nor initiation. Shaman means "one who knows," and this gift of knowlege is from spirit. All of the descriptions of modern shamanism pointing to trance, guides, power animals, plant allies, channeling or possession, journey, healing, soul recovery are merely tools that can be used by any magical arts practitioner. Yes, modern shaman may choose to use these tools and even choose to serve human culture, but this is not a defining necessary characteristic for Shaman, nor exclusionary in any way. If Seidr was chosen and marked by spirit, then that individual was Shaman, in addition to being Seidr.
Sounds a lot like Sieida worshipping (Seita / Seidan palvonta in Finnish). Do you have something to tell about Smiergatto / Trollkat? Stories tell that a woman witch could give a part of their soul to animal forms or objects like broom, so they could fly on it, or live through the animal form. But if the broom or Smiergatto were destroyed, the witch would also die or get hurt. Seems like there has been different practicing for women, cause they had to trade their life after death for powers. Men usually seem to get services from spirits against some trade that needs to be done when they are still living.
Remember,. the feminine form of the title Shaman is Shamanka. It sounds so much cooler I think, and nicely rolls off the tongue. I believe there was also a female punk band called Shamanka. Off topic a bit, I know... 🙂
The human Spine is also the 'seat' of all the chakras where energies are worked with in Eastern Traditions........
I like the theory that Valhalla is a kenning for a mass battlefield grave
Yes please to southern hemisphere!🙏🙂
Shamanism applies to ANY spiritual practice of indigenous and or tribal societies not affected nor influenced by Abrahamic Religions. Not just the Siberians. Thanks for interesting content.
Curious. was the "Seer" found in the "Vikings" series an actual Norse Figure or a Hollywood creation??
Might also be interested in the books Rauðskinna and Grænskinna.
Do not rule out the amanita muscaria shroom. To go out and beyond is one thing but to bring knowledge back is quite another.