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.