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Gullveig, a MythSource painting
Norse

Gullveig

Gullveig · Heiðr · The Völva

01Identity

Gullveig in Norse tradition

Gullveig is a Norse being associated with gold, prophecy, seiðr, burning and rebirth. The name Heiðr appears for her in the following stanza, while völva is a title meaning a prophetic seeress, not another personal name. The Æsir speared and burned Gullveig three times in the High One’s hall, yet she survived each fire and was reborn, an ordeal linked with the first war among the gods.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Gullveig?

    Gullveig is a Norse being associated with prophecy; seiðr and magic; gold and avarice; death, burning, and rebirth; and the Æsir-Vanir conflict.
    Source

    Source

    • Price, The Viking Way
    • Dictionary of northern mythology
    • Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland

  • What is Gullveig associated with?

    Gullveig is associated with prophecy; seiðr and magic; gold and avarice; death, burning, and rebirth; and the Æsir-Vanir conflict.
    Source

    Source

    • Price, The Viking Way
    • Dictionary of northern mythology
02The names

The names Gullveig answers to

Heiðr

A name meaning brightness or honour; the name given to her in the following stanza

SourcePrice, The Viking Way

Völva

Prophetic seeress

SourceTeutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland

Seiðr-worker

A practitioner of seiðr, a form of magic

SourcePrice, The Viking Way

03The myths

The myths of Gullveig

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Gullveig’s Burning and Rebirth

The Aesir drove spears into Gullveig and held her over a fire in the High One’s hall. The flames failed to destroy her. They burned her three times, and each time she was reborn. She survived every attempt to kill her.

Völuspá recalled Gullveig as a seeress called Heiðr wherever she came to houses. She gave pleasing prophecies and practised seiðr, a form of spirit magic. She performed it where she wished and was favoured by wicked women. In one telling, the vala was Gullveig in Asgard and Heiðr on earth.

After the burning, all the Powers gathered at the thrones of fate. The sacred gods considered whether the Aesir had to yield tribute or whether all the gods had to share the sacrificial feasts. The dispute concerned Gullveig’s treatment and divided the two divine groups. Völuspá associated her mistreatment with the first war in the world.

Odin then hurled a spear into the host, and the war began. The wooden rampart of the Aesir’s stronghold broke. The Vanir continued across the plain under the protection of a war spell. The conflict separated the Aesir and Vanir, and the Vanir gained the power of the Aesir.

Gullveig’s Burning and Rebirth, a MythSource painting of the scene

3 sources· checked 2026-08-19

  1. 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
  2. 2the ancient sourcesT1

    Quote

    “Gullveig is pierced with spears and burned three times, but she rises again each time, after which the dispute over her treatment helps bring about the first war between the Aesir and Vanir.”

    the ancient sources

  3. 3Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the NorthlandT1