Heiðr

Lore & Background

A seeress and witch named Heiðr appears in one stanza of Völuspá, related to the story of the Æsir-Vanir war. The stanza describes her as 'the wide-seeing witch, in magic wise' who bewitched minds. The general assumption is that Heiðr is an alternate name for the witch Gullveig, often thought to be a hypostasis of Freyja, though it is sometimes argued that the völva who recites the poem refers to herself. Heiðr also appears as a seeress in Landnámabók, Hrólfs saga kraka, and Örvar-Odds saga, where she predicts Örvar's death.

Heiðr is also the name of a child of the giant Hrímnir, according to Völuspá hin skamma (Hyndluljóð, 32).

A shield-maiden named Heiðr (spelled Hetha in Gesta Danorum, Hethae in Chronicon Lethrense) was a captain of the Danes serving in the army of Harald Wartooth at the Battle of Brávellir. In Chronicon Lethrense, Hethae and Wysna fought for Harald and carried his war banners; after Harald's death, the Danes made Hethae their king with permission of the conqueror Ring, and she founded Hedeby. In Gesta Danorum, Hetha and Wisna are described as having feminine bodies but the souls of men; during the battle, the advisor Brun placed Hetha in command of the right flank. After the war, Ring gave Hetha most of Denmark, but she was later overthrown by Olo and made a tributary ruler in Jutland only. In Sögubrot, Heiðr is positioned on the wing of Harald's forces with her own standard and a hundred champions, but she is not made ruler after the battle.

Reader's Guide

Heiðr represents a convergence of mythological and historical traditions in Norse culture. As a seeress and witch in Völuspá, she is central to the Æsir-Vanir war narrative, possibly serving as an alias for Gullveig or as a self-reference by the poem's völva. This ambiguity highlights the fluidity of identity in Norse myth. As a shield-maiden, Heiðr (Hetha) appears in multiple medieval sources describing the Battle of Brávellir, where she commands troops and later briefly rules Denmark. The Chronicon Lethrense and Gesta Danorum both record her as a female ruler, a rare occurrence in medieval historiography, though her reign is contested and ultimately curtailed. The name's recurrence across seeresses, a giant's child, and a warrior-queen underscores its thematic resonance with honor, brightness, and supernatural insight. Heiðr's legacy lies in illustrating how Norse tradition blended myth and history, and how women could occupy powerful roles—as prophets, warriors, and even kings—within the literary and historical record.

Did You Know?

• Heiðr is an alternate name for the witch Gullveig in Völuspá, who is often thought to be a hypostasis of Freyja.
• A shield-maiden named Heiðr (Hetha) was made king of the Danes after the Battle of Brávellir, according to Chronicon Lethrense.
• Heiðr founded the city of Hedeby, which was named after her, according to Chronicon Lethrense.