What do you think?
Rate this book
Seiðr Magic: The Norse Tradition of Divination and Trance
A practical guide to the Norse shamanic techniques of seiðr
• Explains the techniques used to achieve trance in seiðr, how to journey in the Nine Realms, and the different gods and spirits you may encounter
• Discusses the tools of seiðr, such as the seiðr staff and hood, and how to create them, empower them, and care for them
• Details Norse divination methods, ways to alter fate, healing techniques, the use of protective songs, and the practice of Norse soul retrieval
While Norse rune work is well known, there is another major ancient Norse magical seiðr (pronounced “sayther”), a form of trance spirit work and divination. Although seiðr is often considered an ancient form of witchcraft, recent archaeological evidence suggests it is more closely related to shamanism.
In this practical guide to seiðr, Dean Kirkland, Ph.D., reconstructs the magical and shamanic techniques of the seiðr priest or priestess using the sagas and other literature from the Viking age, tools found in the archaeological record, and surviving indigenous shamanic traditions. He addresses the misconception that seiðr was a practice reserved only for women and shows how anyone called to this work would have been accepted in ancient Norse society. He discusses the tools of seiðr and how to create them, empower them, and care for them. He explores the use of protective songs (varðlokkur) that involve forming bonds with spirits, a practice he likens to the medicine songs of Amazonian shamans. He explains the techniques used to achieve trance in seiðr and how they are based on finding balance between the light and the darkness.
Looking at trance journeying in the Nine Realms of the Norse cosmos, the author discusses the different gods and spirits the seiðr practitioner may encounter in the Upper Realms, the Middle Worlds, and the Lower Realms. He shares exercises on the Wyrd, divination methods in seiðr, as well as ways to alter Ørlög, or fate, through spiritual work. Discussing soul-healing techniques in seiðr, the author looks in depth at the Norse shamanic practices of soul retrieval and reintegration of the soul parts. He then explores seiðr’s role in death, dying, and dealing with the dead, including work with the Valkries and the ancestors.
Presenting a historically based handbook for contemporary heathens, this book offers a practical path for anyone seeking to explore Norse trance magic and mysticism.
• Explains the techniques used to achieve trance in seiðr, how to journey in the Nine Realms, and the different gods and spirits you may encounter
• Discusses the tools of seiðr, such as the seiðr staff and hood, and how to create them, empower them, and care for them
• Details Norse divination methods, ways to alter fate, healing techniques, the use of protective songs, and the practice of Norse soul retrieval
While Norse rune work is well known, there is another major ancient Norse magical seiðr (pronounced “sayther”), a form of trance spirit work and divination. Although seiðr is often considered an ancient form of witchcraft, recent archaeological evidence suggests it is more closely related to shamanism.
In this practical guide to seiðr, Dean Kirkland, Ph.D., reconstructs the magical and shamanic techniques of the seiðr priest or priestess using the sagas and other literature from the Viking age, tools found in the archaeological record, and surviving indigenous shamanic traditions. He addresses the misconception that seiðr was a practice reserved only for women and shows how anyone called to this work would have been accepted in ancient Norse society. He discusses the tools of seiðr and how to create them, empower them, and care for them. He explores the use of protective songs (varðlokkur) that involve forming bonds with spirits, a practice he likens to the medicine songs of Amazonian shamans. He explains the techniques used to achieve trance in seiðr and how they are based on finding balance between the light and the darkness.
Looking at trance journeying in the Nine Realms of the Norse cosmos, the author discusses the different gods and spirits the seiðr practitioner may encounter in the Upper Realms, the Middle Worlds, and the Lower Realms. He shares exercises on the Wyrd, divination methods in seiðr, as well as ways to alter Ørlög, or fate, through spiritual work. Discussing soul-healing techniques in seiðr, the author looks in depth at the Norse shamanic practices of soul retrieval and reintegration of the soul parts. He then explores seiðr’s role in death, dying, and dealing with the dead, including work with the Valkries and the ancestors.
Presenting a historically based handbook for contemporary heathens, this book offers a practical path for anyone seeking to explore Norse trance magic and mysticism.
- GenresSpiritualityWitchcraft
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2024
22 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 10, 2024
The information on Seidr was very interesting. The author managed to paint a logical sounding picture of it, using the few sources he had, and by comparing it with similar traditions. I like how he is open to UPG, and I was interested in his own experiences, and how he encourages others in having their own UPG. The way he talks about spirits and the other realms makes it feel like he's a pretty experienced shaman and that he has a deep understanding of his tradition.
The organization of the book was a bit chaotic. He kept referring to things that had not been explained, yet, where in other parts he got repetitive. (Like mentioning several times that Seidr workers don't use drums.)
There were several negative sounding parts that I didn't care about. He kept explaining things from his tradition by comparing it to other traditions. There were several parts where he wrote that you shouldn't do/say something (practice Seidr, etc...) if you do ... (whatever). Kirkland could have gotten the information across without sounding judgemental. Especially since there are a lot of instances where he does sound open minded, and encourages readers to follow their own intuition, I feel this is just a matter of wording and could have easily been avoided.
There were several parts where he wrote about things he clearly didn't know much about, like about dementia, the use of trance and casting circles in witchcraft, and many others. Other parts were just short-sighted, such as the part on self-development in spirituality and the part on the causes of dis-ease. It is okay not to know everything and I doubt a lot of people will notice, but still it may have been cleaner if these parts were better edited.
I enjoyed the parts about zombies and gandr a lot.
The organization of the book was a bit chaotic. He kept referring to things that had not been explained, yet, where in other parts he got repetitive. (Like mentioning several times that Seidr workers don't use drums.)
There were several negative sounding parts that I didn't care about. He kept explaining things from his tradition by comparing it to other traditions. There were several parts where he wrote that you shouldn't do/say something (practice Seidr, etc...) if you do ... (whatever). Kirkland could have gotten the information across without sounding judgemental. Especially since there are a lot of instances where he does sound open minded, and encourages readers to follow their own intuition, I feel this is just a matter of wording and could have easily been avoided.
There were several parts where he wrote about things he clearly didn't know much about, like about dementia, the use of trance and casting circles in witchcraft, and many others. Other parts were just short-sighted, such as the part on self-development in spirituality and the part on the causes of dis-ease. It is okay not to know everything and I doubt a lot of people will notice, but still it may have been cleaner if these parts were better edited.
I enjoyed the parts about zombies and gandr a lot.
Read
July 15, 2025In the modern world, we might consider the ideal doctor to be one who is themselves healthy (showing the ability to cure themselves). But, at least according to Kirkland, the ideal Norse magic worker is not one who is themselves lucky:
"hamingja [luck] is not great for trance workers. Broadly speaking, hamingja feeds the ego, and the ego is the explicit enemy of the shaman"
"hamingja [luck] is not great for trance workers. Broadly speaking, hamingja feeds the ego, and the ego is the explicit enemy of the shaman"
December 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. Dean's writing was direct and not verbose. It gives a great overview and some practices to try out. The information on history and archeology was really refreshing. I really hope the author writes a follow-up book with further detail.
The below does not take away from the many positives regarding the book.
I would have given five stars if the additional things were addressed, changed, explored further, etc.
- Instructions for journeys be reformatted into steps or dot point form as it was hard to follow some of the steps as a result
- more detail on journeys and instructions. Some of them need further detail or guidance.
- restructuring the first 4 chapters is needed. for example, chapter 3 is about obtaining and empowering your staff but it requires you to have read chapter 4 before you can do the steps in chapter 3. It required a lot of flipping back and forward and taking of lots of notes. The later chapters flow better.
- there is a bit of assumed knowledge.
- it was hard to conceptualise some of the things in the book, like what a guardian/ward song sounds like, what the rhythm of the beating of the staff sounds like - a link to guided practices or recordings would be really helpful as it was hard to conceptualise how to do this. A bit more on how to get into trace and different techniques would be very helpful.
- The author was really good at acknowledging when something was his own experience/UPG and not historical; occasionally, the author explains things that are clearly UPG without stating it.
- Some of the conclusions and inferences, such as referencing 'shamanic' practices of other traditions, cultures, etc., concerned me a bit. This is because the use of the word 'shaman' has a problematic history of colonisation, oppression and cultural appropriation. While the author is pretty careful, the author didn't state that they had visited these communities and witnessed them, or were trained by them, so for me, it raised issues of potential cultural appropriation. I do not know if this is the case, but the text does not clarify it. I would assume it is an academic comparison rather than a personal experience. I understand the intention to reconstruct Seidr practices due to the lack of a long living tradition or detailed historical documents, thus the desire to compare it to other practices, but it made me cautious.
- The author spends a bit too much time explaining why it is okay to be a straight male and practice Seidr. This feels more like a personal justification rather than helpful for the reader. It's clear from historical records that there were male practitioners, not just called female volvas historically, that's all that needed to be said.
Again, all this does not diminish the book's many amazing attributes and content. I learned a lot, wrote a lot of notes, highlighted many lines and was inspired. It made me want to start practising.
I really hope the author writes further on Seidr, trance, Norse mythology/magic, and Heathenry and creates videos or recordings about the practice.
The below does not take away from the many positives regarding the book.
I would have given five stars if the additional things were addressed, changed, explored further, etc.
- Instructions for journeys be reformatted into steps or dot point form as it was hard to follow some of the steps as a result
- more detail on journeys and instructions. Some of them need further detail or guidance.
- restructuring the first 4 chapters is needed. for example, chapter 3 is about obtaining and empowering your staff but it requires you to have read chapter 4 before you can do the steps in chapter 3. It required a lot of flipping back and forward and taking of lots of notes. The later chapters flow better.
- there is a bit of assumed knowledge.
- it was hard to conceptualise some of the things in the book, like what a guardian/ward song sounds like, what the rhythm of the beating of the staff sounds like - a link to guided practices or recordings would be really helpful as it was hard to conceptualise how to do this. A bit more on how to get into trace and different techniques would be very helpful.
- The author was really good at acknowledging when something was his own experience/UPG and not historical; occasionally, the author explains things that are clearly UPG without stating it.
- Some of the conclusions and inferences, such as referencing 'shamanic' practices of other traditions, cultures, etc., concerned me a bit. This is because the use of the word 'shaman' has a problematic history of colonisation, oppression and cultural appropriation. While the author is pretty careful, the author didn't state that they had visited these communities and witnessed them, or were trained by them, so for me, it raised issues of potential cultural appropriation. I do not know if this is the case, but the text does not clarify it. I would assume it is an academic comparison rather than a personal experience. I understand the intention to reconstruct Seidr practices due to the lack of a long living tradition or detailed historical documents, thus the desire to compare it to other practices, but it made me cautious.
- The author spends a bit too much time explaining why it is okay to be a straight male and practice Seidr. This feels more like a personal justification rather than helpful for the reader. It's clear from historical records that there were male practitioners, not just called female volvas historically, that's all that needed to be said.
Again, all this does not diminish the book's many amazing attributes and content. I learned a lot, wrote a lot of notes, highlighted many lines and was inspired. It made me want to start practising.
I really hope the author writes further on Seidr, trance, Norse mythology/magic, and Heathenry and creates videos or recordings about the practice.
Read
October 11, 2025- Seidr is not Norse “Shamanism.”
- It was really funny in a sad ironic way to see the book open up with Kirkland suggesting that “Norse Witchcraft” was not even remotely similar to ancient Seidr… and then ended with having a chapter dedicated to folk magic and witchcraft..
- He references two works by Stephen Flowers/Edred Thorsson, who if you didn’t know, is not a good guy. All I ask is to check sources before recommending them to other people.
- The books layout is just bad. The upsetting amount of times that he had to interrupt what he was talking about to say “but I’ll get into that in chapter (#)” made for bad formatting.
- I’m always going to disagree with the idea of “only a select few people will ever be able to successfully do this practice.” Type talking. I also really hated the sentiment that he was suggesting Seidr was directly connected to your “bloodline.” Even after he over corrected to clarify he wasn’t saying it was a race thing. It’s still weird to suggest that it’s limited to bloodline. often different jobs and practices were limited to families in lore NOT because of family genes being better built for a task, but because your families had trades, and trade secrets that would get passed down. It makes sense that these things USED to be familial, it’s nonsense to suggest it stayed that way.
- Constructing an idea of what a practice we have limited sources for from references of different similar practices across cultures works great in Anthropology and Archaeology… It however does not look as great when you are taking the practices of other cultures and changing the words and “flavors” to be Norse, to say that you’ve ‘recreated’ a dead practice.
- I’m more upset also because I could see a few times, Kirklands Ecology background came into play in this book. It almost made me wish he had written a book on how to approach spiritual practices from an ecology point of view. How to collect plants and branches without damaging the plants is a genuinely helpful piece of knowledge.
- It was really funny in a sad ironic way to see the book open up with Kirkland suggesting that “Norse Witchcraft” was not even remotely similar to ancient Seidr… and then ended with having a chapter dedicated to folk magic and witchcraft..
- He references two works by Stephen Flowers/Edred Thorsson, who if you didn’t know, is not a good guy. All I ask is to check sources before recommending them to other people.
- The books layout is just bad. The upsetting amount of times that he had to interrupt what he was talking about to say “but I’ll get into that in chapter (#)” made for bad formatting.
- I’m always going to disagree with the idea of “only a select few people will ever be able to successfully do this practice.” Type talking. I also really hated the sentiment that he was suggesting Seidr was directly connected to your “bloodline.” Even after he over corrected to clarify he wasn’t saying it was a race thing. It’s still weird to suggest that it’s limited to bloodline. often different jobs and practices were limited to families in lore NOT because of family genes being better built for a task, but because your families had trades, and trade secrets that would get passed down. It makes sense that these things USED to be familial, it’s nonsense to suggest it stayed that way.
- Constructing an idea of what a practice we have limited sources for from references of different similar practices across cultures works great in Anthropology and Archaeology… It however does not look as great when you are taking the practices of other cultures and changing the words and “flavors” to be Norse, to say that you’ve ‘recreated’ a dead practice.
- I’m more upset also because I could see a few times, Kirklands Ecology background came into play in this book. It almost made me wish he had written a book on how to approach spiritual practices from an ecology point of view. How to collect plants and branches without damaging the plants is a genuinely helpful piece of knowledge.
January 12, 2025
Provides a thorough, interesting, and frank look into the world of Norse shamanism. The author is very transparent about what information is based on research and what is based on personal experience, as well as what is based on sources related purely to Norse shamanism and what has been deduced via analysing the shamanic practices of other cultures.
The basics of starting your own practice in this craft are gone through step-by-step in simple terms which still gives plenty of necessary detail. The author is also very honest about what practices can be challenging, dangerous, or unsuitable for some people.
My main complaint is that there were very few pictures and illustrations which would have been particularly helpful for some tasks, such as crafting a shaman's staff.
Trigger warnings: Mentions of historic use of corpses in shamanic rituals, mentions of historic homophobia and sexual assault.
The basics of starting your own practice in this craft are gone through step-by-step in simple terms which still gives plenty of necessary detail. The author is also very honest about what practices can be challenging, dangerous, or unsuitable for some people.
My main complaint is that there were very few pictures and illustrations which would have been particularly helpful for some tasks, such as crafting a shaman's staff.
Trigger warnings: Mentions of historic use of corpses in shamanic rituals, mentions of historic homophobia and sexual assault.
February 9, 2025
It was a bit slow start, but covering the basics is important! I enjoyed the references to archaeological records, but also personal gnosis and the distinction between the two. This book also references other shamanistic cultures and the similarities and differences based off location and the type of spirits they have available to use. Overall it was very informative book.
September 22, 2024
Incredibly insightful introductory book for anyone interested in practicing Seiðr. Kirkland uses the sources as a base for bringing the practice into the modern age while simultaneously comparing it to neighboring Shamanistic techniques and sprinkling in some UPG.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews