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''Seiðr'' (sometimes anglicized as ''seidhr'', ''seidh'', ''seidr'', ''seithr'', ''seith'', or ''seid'') is an Old Norse term for a type of sorcery which was practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age. Connected with Norse religion, its origins are largely unknown, although it gradually eroded following the Christianization of Scandinavia. Accounts of ''seiðr'' later made it into sagas and other literary sources, while further evidence has been unearthed by archaeologists. Various scholars have debated the nature of ''seiðr'', some arguing that it was shamanic in context, involving visionary journeys by its practitioners. ''Seiðr'' practitioners were of both genders, although females are more widely attested, with such sorceresses being variously known as ''vǫlur'', ''seiðkonur'' and ''vísendakona''. There were also accounts of male practitioners, known as ''seiðmenn'', but in practising magic they brought a social taboo, known as ''ergi'', on to themselves, and were sometimes persecuted as a result. In many cases these magical practitioners would have had assistants to aid them in their rituals. Within pre-Christian Norse mythology, ''seiðr'' was associated with both the god Oðinn, a deity who was simultaneously responsible for war, poetry and sorcery, as well as the goddess Freyja, a member of the Vanir who was believed to have taught the practice to the Æsir.〔Price 2002. pp. 91 and 108.〕 In the 20th century, adherents of various modern pagan new religious movements adopted forms of magico-religious practice that include ''seiðr''. The practices of these contemporary ''seiðr''-workers have since been investigated by various academic researchers operating in the field of pagan studies. ==Terminology and etymology== Seiðr is believed to come from Proto-Germanic '' *saiðaz'', cognate with Lithuanian ''saitas'', "sign, soothsaying" and Proto-Celtic '' *soito-'' "sorcery" (giving Welsh ''hud'', Breton ''hud'' "magic"), all derived from Proto-Indo-European '' *soi-to-'' "string, rope", ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '' *seH2i-'' "to bind".〔Hyllested, Adam, 2010, 'The Precursors of Celtic and Germanic'. in SW Jamison, HC Melchert & B Vine (eds), Proceedings of the Twenty-first Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference, Los Angeles, October 30th and 31st, 2009. Dr. Ute Hempen Verlag, Bremen, pp. 107-128.〕 Related words in Old High German (see German Saite, used both in string instruments and in bows) and Old English refer to "cord, string," or "snare, cord, halter" and there is a line in verse 15 of the skaldic poem Ragnarsdrápa that uses seiðr in that sense.〔Heide (2006:164-168).〕 However, it is not clear how this derivation relates to the practice of seiðr. It has been suggested that the use of a cord in attraction may be related to seiðr, where attraction is one element of the practice of seiðr magic described in Norse literature and with witchcraft in Scandinavian folklore.〔 However, if seiðr involved "spinning charms", that would explain the distaff, a tool used in spinning flax or sometimes wool, that appears to be associated with seiðr practice.〔 Old English terms cognate with seiðr are ''siden'' and ''sidsa'', both of which are attested only in contexts that suggest that they were used by elves (''ælfe''); these seem likely to have meant something similar to seiðr.〔Hall (2004:117-130).〕 Among the Old English words for practitioners of magic are ''wicca'' (m.) or ''wicce'' (f.), the etymons of Modern English "witch". Seiðr involved the incantation of spells (galðrar, sing. ''galðr'') and possibly a circular dance.〔Edred Thorsson.〕 Practitioners of seiðr were predominantly women (vǫlva or ''seiðkona'' "seiðr woman"), although there were male practitioners (''seiðmaðr'' "seiðr-man") as well. These female practitioners were religious leaders of the Viking community and usually required the help of other practitioners to invoke their deities, gods or spirits. The seiðr ritual required not just the powers of a female spiritual medium but of the spiritual participation of other women within the Norse community: it was a communal effort. As they are described in a number of other Scandinavian sagas, Saga of Erik the Red in particular, the female practitioners connected with the spiritual realm through chanting and prayer. Viking texts suggest that the seiðr ritual was used in times of inherent crisis, as a tool used in the process of seeing into the future, and for cursing and hexing one's enemies. With that said, it could have been used for great good or destructive evil, as well as for daily guidance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Seiðr」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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