Queens: N

Hljós bi ek allar
helgar kindir,
meiri ok minni
mögu Heimdallar;
viltu, at ek, Valför!
vel framtelja
forn spjöll fíra,
au er fremst um man.

Hear me all
sacred beings,
More or less
Heimdals offspring.
Do you, Valfather
Want me to tell
The people’s tales
The first I remember.
– Völuspá: The prophecy of the Seeress

Heid, the seeress, can see into different worlds and ages. She describes the origin of the Universe from the Void: Ginnungagap, the origin of the dwarfs, humans, the Norns: Fates, who live by one of the roots of Yggdrasils’ ash, the two tribes war of the gods the Vanir and Aesir, Balder’s death and Ragnarok: The End of the World, re-birth of the new world and Nidhog the snake guardian, omen of a coming end to the new world.
Völva / Walwün: Wand Carrier (also Vala, Spákona: Prophetess a.k.a Spaewife): A shamanic seeress in Norse. She appears in the evening dressed in a blue or black cloak, decked with gems to the feet, a necklace of glass pearls, & a headpiece of black lamb trimmed with white cat skin & calfskin shoes.

Nwywre, Vouivre, Völva, Wuivrä (Viper, Queen of the Serpents) Nathaira, Nathara (Snake) Syrena (Mermaid) Elda Mother, Fraü Holunder (The Old Mother)
(pron. VOO-EE-vrah) Primordial goddess of sovereignty, divine wisdom, alchemy, and guardian of the sacred waters and treasures of Meerebrunn or Marienbronn: Well of the Sea of Lobsann, France. She is the harmonious fusion of the elements of air, fire, water, and earth. She takes the form of a bright white snake under elder trees and hazelnut bushes or wingless lindworm: linn tree dragon. Destroying an Elder tree will lead to illness. She calls her snakes by whistling and is the messenger between life and death. She is of divine beauty, slender with black or strawberry blonde hair, wears a jewel-like diamond eye in the middle of her forhead that she lays aside when bathing, a crown made of rubies (symbol for the blood of menstruation and moon cycles), white garment, silver, gold, and diamonds in all colors of the rainbow (bridge symbol of the Otherworld) or a crown of herbs. She bathes in the waters naked. She reveals the secrets of magic herbs and potions, like the toad, brings loving men their anima and gives them female insights. A king goes to the menhir stone to mate with the goddess. When she has her orgasm, the dragon got wings, merging water with light. She is the foundress of Warszawa (Warsaw) and guards the sacred river Wisla (Vistula). Alsatian dowsers look for her in water veins. In later legends she became male as sacred snakes and dragons became animals of the devil and retired into the mountains that have rivers of milk and honey. She is featured in Marcel Aymé’s book. Her castles are at Dôle and Montbéliard. (71, 77, 113, 115, 195)

The Old Mother takes the form of a tiny, shriveled, limping old woman with lively sparkling eyes and floor length hair. She has long hands with hollow fingers through which she blows to summon the People of the Mosses. She wears a long green dress with a black and purple apron, white shawl, and bag of seeds. She feasts on rainwater and grains brought to her by the birds. Offerings of primroses are made to her at elder trees on May Day Eve to ensure a good harvest. Legends say she was born in Scandinavia. She protects and watches over the happiness of those who come and ask her advice. Those ‘in the know’ the ‘gatherers of medicinal herbs,’ those who still have ‘green fingers.’ The faeries produce a champagne in eight days by mixing 4 ounces of dried flowers, three quarters of a pint of wine vinegar, 3 pounds of sugar and 10 gallons of water. (197)

[French Ministry of Education Site: Centre national de documentation pédagogique]