The fullest description of an Old Norse divination session is found in chapter four of the Saga of Erik the Red (Eiríks saga rauða), written in Iceland in the thirteenth century. It relates an episode set in the Scandinavian settlements of Greenland around the year 1000. The text is precious because it dwells on concrete details: clothing, objects, food, the position of the participants. Students of northern magic regard it as a fundamental page.
The context: a famine
In a winter of great scarcity, the inhabitants of a Greenland settlement decide to consult a seeress to learn when the famine will end. Her name is Thorbjörg, and she is nicknamed lítilvölva, "little seeress". The saga specifies that she was the last surviving of nine sisters, all seeresses, and that in winter she travelled from farm to farm at the invitation of those who wished to learn their own fate or that of the season.
The master of the house, Thorkell, prepares a solemn welcome: a raised seat with a cushion stuffed with hen feathers.
The seeress's garments
The saga describes her clothing with rare precision:
- a blue cloak with straps, set with stones down to the hem;
- around her neck, glass beads;
- on her head a hood of black lambskin, lined with white catskin;
- in her hand a staff with a brass knob set with stones;
- at her belt a pouch holding the objects needed for her art;
- on her feet calfskin shoes with laces ending in brass buttons;
- on her hands catskin gloves, white and furry inside.
Each element seems to carry meaning: the cat is the animal associated with Freyja, the staff is the seeress's instrument, and the stones and the blue colour signal rank and solemnity.
The ritual meal
Before the session Thorbjörg is served a special meal: a porridge of goat's milk and a dish made from the hearts of every animal on the farm. She eats with a brass spoon and a knife with a walrus-ivory handle. The meal of hearts has been interpreted as a way of entering into relation with the life of the whole farm, but the saga does not explain the reason. It simply describes.
The song and the young Christian woman
The next day, the seeress asks for women who know the songs required, called varðlokkur. None knows them except Guðríðr, a young guest who learned them in Iceland from her foster mother. Guðríðr hesitates: she is a Christian and does not wish to take part. Thorkell persuades her, explaining that she would help the community without becoming a worse person for it.
The women form a circle around the seat, and Guðríðr sings so beautifully that the seeress says she has never heard a lovelier song. Thanks to that song, she explains, many spirits have drawn near and revealed to her things that were hidden before.
The prophecy
Thorbjörg announces that the famine will end with the spring and that conditions will improve. Then she turns to Guðríðr and foretells an illustrious marriage in Greenland, which will not last long, and a future in Iceland from which a large and honoured line will descend. Finally many of those present ask her about their own fate, and she answers each one. The saga remarks that little of what she said failed to come true.
The structure of the session
| Phase | What happens |
|---|---|
| Invitation | the community asks the seeress to come |
| Welcome | raised seat, feather cushion |
| Meal | goat's-milk porridge and animal hearts |
| Song | varðlokkur sung by a knowledgeable woman |
| Vision | spirits draw near and reveal |
| Response | general prophecy and individual answers |
How to read the episode
Historians debate how far this scene reflects real Viking-age practices and how far it is a reconstruction by the Christian author. The author shows respect for Guðríðr and her faith, while describing the seeress without ridicule. Some objects, such as knobbed staffs, find possible parallels in the grave goods of Scandinavian women's burials.
Symbolically, the scene illustrates a principle found in many traditions: vision is not a solitary act. It needs the community that invites, the voice that sings and the silence that listens. The seeress sees, but it is another person's song that opens the door.
In short
- The Saga of Erik the Red describes a divination session in Greenland.
- The seeress Thorbjörg wears garments rich in symbols, including catskins and a staff.
- Before the rite she eats a dish made from the hearts of the farm's animals.
- The varðlokkur songs are sung by Guðríðr, a young Christian woman.
- The prophecy concerns the end of the famine and Guðríðr's destiny.
