The mysterious world of the Völva seer is offered to be visited at the National Museum of Denmark. An exhibition dedicated to a powerful woman who made the strongest Vikings tremble has opened in Copenhagen.
Between 793 and 1066, the Scandinavians, known as the Vikings, carried out large-scale raids, conquering lands and trading throughout Europe.
For many, a Viking is a bearded man in a helmet with horns. But it was the völvas who had incredible influence in that society. The word itself means “staff bearer.” Historians believe that they were a kind of shaman-fortune-tellers.
Numerous references to Viking sorceresses are found in ancient poems and sagas. They probably had a high status in society. They predicted the future of entire settlements, as well as members of the royal family.
The curator of the exhibition says that the history of the völva goes back centuries.
Archaeologists say that among the ruins of a ring fortress in Denmark they found the grave of a völva. She was buried around 980. A collection of ritual objects was found in the tomb, including several metal staves, a bronze bowl, bird and mammal bones, and a leather bag containing hallucinogenic herb.
One of the parts of the grave could not be opened. Later, X-rays showed that there was a völva’s mouth there.
As the famous Viking king Harald I Bluetooth spread Christianity throughout his kingdom, the Völvas gradually lost their influence. And in the Middle Ages, laws were introduced banning pagan rituals.
