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vǫlva. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
vǫlva, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
vǫlva in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Old Norse
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Germanic *walwǭ, an agent noun of *waluz (“staff”), which was characteristic of Germanic seeresses.
Pronunciation
- (9th century West Norse) IPA(key): /ˈwɒl.wa/
- (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈvɒl.va/
Noun
vǫlva f (genitive vǫlu, plural vǫlur)
- völva; prophetess, seeress, witch
- Baldrs draumar, stanza 4:
Þá reið Óðinn / fyrir austan dyrr,
þar er hann vissi / vǫlu leiði;
nam hann vittugri / valgaldr kveða,
unz nauðig reis, / nás orð of kvað.- Then rode Odin / before the eastern door:
there, he knew, was / the seeress’ grave;
He began (wise in witchcraft) / to sing a spell to wake the dead,
until reluctantly she rose / and spoke a dead woman's words.
- 13th century, Eiríks saga rauða, chapter 4:
Sú kona var þar í bygð er Þorbjǫrg hét; hon var spákona, ok var kǫlluð lítil vǫlva.- There was a woman there in the settlement named Thorbjorg; she was a prophetess, and was known as the little völva.
Declension
Declension of vǫlva (weak wōn-stem)
Genitive plural forms are unattested.
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Descendants