völva means in Old Norse society, a female practitioner of magic divination and prophecy. It carries an Arena rating of 1492, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, völva ranks #1,737 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,829 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,106 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,661 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
völva is pronounced /ˈvɜːlvə/.
Why “völva” is a great word
A female seer, prophetess, and ritual practitioner of magic and divination in Old Norse society, a völva is defined by her etymology: from Old Norse vǫlva (modern Icelandic völva), meaning 'staff-bearer' or 'wand-carrier,' related to vǫlr ('staff, stick'). Unlike 'witch,' a term freighted with alien and often malevolent associations, or the more generic 'spákona' ('prophecy-woman'), a völva was a distinct and respected figure of sanctioned, itinerant power. She is the draped figure seated on the high-seat cushion at a distant farm, her staff tapping a rhythm for the spirits; the traveler between settlements, her knowledge paid for in coin and feast; the voice that chants the Völuspá, seeing the world's beginning in ash and its end in fire—an acknowledged guide through the dark weave of fate.
Etymology
From Old Norse vǫlva (völva in modern Icelandic).
noun
- In Old Norse society, a female practitioner of magic divination and prophecy.e.g.“In the Eddas, Odin conjures up a dead volva and questions her about Baldur's fate.” — 1988, Freya Aswinn, Runes & Feminine Powers: Northern Mysteries & Magick, page 30:
- Any prophetess, sooth-sayer, or witch.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- spakona 70% match — A seeress, a prophetess, in Old Norse society. vs völva →
- vitki 65% match — A sorcerer in Norse Heathen societies. vs völva →
- seeress 61% match — A female seer, soothsayer or diviner vs völva →
- spaewoman 61% match — A female prophet or diviner. vs völva →
- valkyrie 59% match — Any of the female attendants of Odin, figures said to guide fallen warriors from the battlefield to Valhalla. vs völva →
- spaewife 58% match — female fortuneteller vs völva →
- seiðr 58% match — A form of magic originating in Viking society and revived by modern pagans, incorporating ritualistic, shamanistic, and divinatory elements. vs völva →
- vila 57% match — A type of female nature spirit in Slavic mythology, similar in some ways to a fairy or nymph. vs völva →