Case file · Folklore / legend
The seeress at Herjólfsnes
The Saga of Erik the Red (composed c. 1265) describes Þorbjörg, a seeress (völva), holding a seiðr rite at Herjólfsnes in Norse Greenland during a famine.
1265 CE · 60.03, -44.68 · status: legend
The account
It gives the fullest surviving picture of a seiðr session: her costume of catskin and blue cloak, a high seat, and a young woman singing the spirit-calling songs.
The sceptical view
Written about 250 years after the events; scholars debate how far it reflects real pre-Christian practice.