ABSTRACT

The Saga of Eirík the Red describes the visit of a spákona, a seeress, to a Greenland farm, one thousand years ago. Her clothing and shoes, her staff and cloak, are detailed. She is asked to predict the progress of the community; she eats a meal of the hearts of the farm animals, and the next day a ‘high seat’ is made ready for her, where she will sit to foretell. She engages in ritual practices known as seidr, which requires a special song to be sung to ‘the powers’ in order that she may gain their knowledge, in what appears to be ecstatic trance.