Or Speak softly and carry an iron staff
Viking witches (in Old Norse – volva singular, volur plural) were largely women. A small number of men took on the role but they were looked down on as effeminate.
Unlike a seer, a volva wandered from settlement to settlement, and they weren’t always welcome. Sometimes Viking people met them with rocks and shouts to leave. This was because they didn’t want trouble. A volva (who could also be a seer) was paid to cast spells and speak curses. A Viking could pay the volva to rain tribulation on an enemy’s head. That’s bad if your neighbor doesn’t like you, and even worse when a settlement gets caught up in strife.
The volva often traveled with a staff, such as the iron staff (wand) pictured above. In this case, the wand was bent at the end, like some Viking swords, to remove its power after the volva died.
While this wand is iron, many have copper and bronze alloy tips. Why does that matter? Because when copper is put to fire, it turns the flame green.
There’s nothing like messing with the elements to wow the locals.
دیدگاهتان را بنویسید