The mysterious Vanir-woman whose killing and triple-burning by the Aesir ignited the first war in the world, and who is identified by many scholars with Freyja.
Gullveig is mentioned in the Völuspá in one of the darkest and most debated passages in all Eddic poetry. The Aesir stabbed her with spears and burned her in Hárr's hall three times, but three times she was reborn. Her name means roughly 'the power of gold' or 'the gold-drink', and her connection to gold and seiðr is clear.
Gullveig's murder and repeated resurrection appear to have been the direct cause of the Aesir-Vanir war, the first war in the cosmos. The Völuspá also calls her Heiðr when she is reborn and wanders as a seiðr-practising woman. The identification with Freyja rests on the fact that Freyja is likewise skilled in seiðr, loves gold, and came to the Aesir as part of the peace settlement that ended the war.
Sources in the Eddas
- Völuspá 21-22
- The only surviving strophes about Gullveig and her triple burning. Own translation.
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Gullveig's burning and resurrection in the Völuspá is well attested textually and forms the basis for understanding the Aesir-Vanir war in Old Norse religion.
B What we think we know
The identification of Gullveig with Freyja is supported by a strong scholarly tradition and by the structural parallels in their connection to gold, seiðr, and the Vanir world.
C What we do not know
Heiðr as Gullveig's reborn form has been interpreted as an epithet for Freyja but also as a separate seiðr-woman, and whether we are dealing with one, two, or three figures remains an open question.