Völuspá 21-22: The Witches Prophesy
I remember the first murder
ever in the world,
when Gullveig
was pierced by spears
and burned
in Odin’s hall.
They burned her three times,
she was reborn three times;
often killed – not a few times!-
still she would live again.
They named her Heith (Frejya)
when she came into their homes,
a sorceress who foresaw good things.
She knew magic,
she knew witchcraft,
she practiced witchcraft.
She was the pride
of a (feminine, positive, creative, chaotic) family.
The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heros. Translated and Edited by Crawford, J. 2015. Hackett Publishing Company.
Image: Carl Emil Doepler
