Gullveig

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.