The Saga of Vanadís, Völva and Valkyrja

In the poem Baldurs draumar Óðinn descends to Hel’s realm, to seek the
interpretation of the völva on some strange dreams, which no one in the world of Æsir
can decipher. He disguises himself and rides to the Underworld. He is met by a blood-
swaddled dog, but he doesn’t let him prevent his journey. He rides on to the huge house
of Hel, turning towards the east-door, where he knows he can find a völuleiði (the grave
of a völva. Singing his galdur he awakens her. She has been resting below for a long
time.
Var ek snivin snævi
ok slegin regni
ok drivin döggu,
dauð var ek lengi.
Baldurs draumar, st. 5
Snow has fallen on me,
rain has rapped me,
the dews have dropped on me,
long have I been dead.
She is like her sister, sitting outside, tired and reluctant to give in to his wishes,
but he coerces her to answer his questions. Each bit of information she gives, is followed
by the words: “nauðug sagðak, nú mun ek þegja” (I spoke reluctant, now I will stay
silent), but he eggs her on. The völva can tell him that the dreams predict Baldur’s death,
his upcoming descent to her realm. She finally recognizes Óðinn and he her. She is the
underworld giantess Angurboða, Loki’s consort and mother of the fearful trinity: the wolf
Fenrisúlfur, the serpent Miðgarðsormur, and the mistress of that domain, Hel. The link
between the völva and the goddess of death, whether called Hel, Angurboða or Freyja, is
clearly revealed in Baldurs draumar, since she rises from the völva’s grave. Till this day
Islanders seek answers to their questions to the dead, mediums being much more popular
than psychologists, when life becomes too difficult to handle.
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