('Thorbjörg little-''völva;'' CE) was a renowned seeress (''völva'') in Norse colonial Greenland during the late

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. She is featured in the ''

Saga of Erik the Red The ''Saga of Erik the Red'', in (), is an Icelandic saga on the Norse exploration of North America. The original saga is thought to have been written in the 13th century. It is preserved in somewhat different versions in two manuscripts: ''H ...

'' and her description is the most detailed presentation of seeress behavior, associated

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

, and

material culture Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...

– such as her distinctive clothing and use of a

wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, bone or stone. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, whi ...

– found in the

sagas of Icelanders The sagas of Icelanders (, ), also known as family sagas, are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic Saga, sagas. They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and earl ...

''Saga of Erik the Red''

According to the saga, times were tough in Greenland; hunters caught few animals, and some simply didn't return at all. In the Norse settlement lived a seeress by the name of Þorbjörg, called the ''lítilvölva'' (meaning 'little (or lesser) seeress'). She had nine sisters, all of whom held the gift of prophecy, but Þorbjörg had outlived them all.Kunz (2000: 658). Every winter, Þorbjörg visited each farm to which she was invited in the district. She regularly received invitations from those who wanted to know their future, or the future of their farms. One winter, Þorkel, a major farmer, invited Þorbjörg to his farm, and he and his family began making preparations for her arrival:

After the tables were cleared, Þorkel asked Þorbjörg what she thought of the estate and the household's conduct, and how soon he could expect a response to his questions about the future, as everyone was eager to know. Þorbjörg said she would not provide a response until having spent a night at the farm. Late the next day, people at the farmstead provided her with "things she required to carry out her magic rites." Þorbjörg asked if any woman present knew ''varðlokkur'' (Old Norse 'ward enticers, ward songs'), chants necessary to carry out magic rites. No woman present knew the charms. The people of the household asked around the settlement until a woman named Gudrid (introduced earlier in the saga) responded that, "I have neither magical powers nor the gift of prophecy, but in Iceland my foster-mother, Halldis, taught me chants she called ward songs".Kunz (2000: 659). Þorbjörg responded that this was more than she expected. Gudrid, however, says that because she is a Christian woman, she intends to take no part in the seeress's activities. Þorbjörg, undaunted, says, "It could be that you could help the people by so doing, and you'd be no worse a woman for that. But I expect Thorkel to provide me with what I need." Þorkel urged Gudrid to assist the seeress, and she agreed. Together the women "formed a warding ring around the platform raised for sorcery, with Þorbjörg perched atop it." Gudrid successfully sang the chants, impressing those in attendance with the beauty of her voice. Þorbjörg thanked Gudrid for her assistance, and said that earlier the spirits refused to do her bidding, but that the spirits had been attracted to Gudrid's beautiful voice. The seeress said that she can now see clearly into the future, and that the hardships the farmers faced would clear up as spring arrives, and that the sickness that plagued the people there would also soon improve. For her help, the seeress provided special insight for Gudrid, predicting her future, and wished her well. The ceremony over, farmers approached the seeress to learn what was in store for them. The saga informs the reader that she provided answers for them, and that "little that she predicted did not occur". After, a retinue arrived to escort her to another farm.Kunz (2000: 659-660).

Scholarly reception

According to philologist and religious studies scholar

Rudolf Simek Rudolf Simek (born 21 February 1954) is an Austrian philologist and religious studies scholar who is Professor and Chair of Ancient German and Nordic Studies at the University of Bonn. Simek specializes in Germanic studies, and is the author ...

, ''Saga of Erik the Red'' may be an embellished literary narrative but details regarding the seeress, such as the high seat, staff, and the circle derive from historical practices in Germanic paganism.Simek (2007: 326).

Notes

References

* Kurz, Keneva. 2000. "Eirik the Red's Saga" (trans.) in ''The Sagas of Icelanders'', pp. 653–674. Penguin Classics. * Sephton, John. 1880. ''Eirik the Red's Saga: A Translation''. D. Marples
Online
* Simek, Rudolf. 2007 993 ''Dictionary of Northern Mythology''. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorbjorg Litilvolva Germanic seeresses 10th-century Icelandic women 10th-century Icelandic people Norse settlements in Greenland

''Saga of Erik the Red''

Scholarly reception

See also

Notes

References