seiðr

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See also: seidr

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse seiðr.

Noun

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

seiðr (uncountable)

  1. (Germanic paganism) A form of magic originating in Viking society and revived by modern pagans, incorporating ritualistic, shamanistic, and divinatory elements.
    • 2004, Leo Ruickbie, Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History‎, page 48:
      One of the special methods of seiðr was to cover oneself with a cloak or similar garment like a blanket, or an animal skin, or even just a hood.
    • 2016, Nicholas E. Brink, Beowulf's Ecstatic Trance Magic: Accessing the Archaic Powers of the Universal Mind‎, page 212:
      To find the magic of seiðr we must give up our belief in the value of physical strength and power and our need to control others.
    • 2016, Stephen E. Flowers, Witchcraft Out of the Shadows: A Complete History‎, page 13:
      It has also sometimes been said that seiðr is closer to what is commonly thought of as “shamanic” practice.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:seiðr.

Old Norse

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *saidaz (“magic, charm”), from Proto-Indo-European *soytós.

Noun

seiðr m

  1. shamanism
  2. magic, especially that influences the mind, such as charm, delusion, and hallucination
  3. witchcraft, sorcery
Declension
Declension of seiðr (strong a-stem)
masculine singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative seiðr seiðrinn seiðar seiðarnir
accusative seið seiðinn seiða seiðana
dative seiði seiðinum seiðum seiðunum
genitive seiðar, seiðs, seiz seiðarins, seiðsins, seizins seiða seiðanna
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Icelandic: seiður
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: seid (learned)
  • → Swedish: sejd (learned)
  • → Danish: sejd (learned)
    • Norwegian Bokmål: seid
  • → Proto-Samic: *siejtē (see there for further descendants)

See also

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

seiðr m (genitive seiðs)

  1.  coalfish, pollack, saithe (Pollachius virens)
Derived terms
  • endiseiðr (“Jǫrmungandr”, literally “the boundary-saithe”)
Descendants
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia