völva

See also: volva, vǫlva, and vølva

English

Engraving showing two völvas.

Alternative forms

• volva

Etymology

From Old Norse vǫlva (völva in modern Icelandic).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜːlvə/, /ˈvɒlvə/, /ˈvəʊlvə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑlvə/, /ˈvoʊlvə/
• Rhymes: -ɑlvə

Noun

völva (plural völvas)

1. (historical) In Old Norse society, a female practitioner of magic divination and prophecy.
2. (by extension) Any prophetess, sooth-sayer, or witch.

Translations

in Old Norse society, a female practitioner of magic divination and prophecy

• Basque: völva
• Bulgarian: вьолва f (vjolva), велва f (velva)
• Danish: vølve c
• Dutch: völva f, volva f
• Faroese: vølva f
• French: völva (fr) f
• Galician: völva f
• German: Völva (de) f
• Icelandic: völva f
• Italian: völva f
• Marathi: व्होलव्हा f (vholavhā)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: volve f

  Nynorsk: volve f

• Old Norse: vǫlva f
• Portuguese: völva f
• Russian: вёльва (ru) (vjólʹva)
• Spanish: völva f
• Swedish: völva (sv) c, vala (sv) c

Further reading

• völva on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Witchcraft in the Orkney Islands
• Folklore.ee

Anagrams

• Valvo

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse vǫlva (“prophetess”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvœlva/

  Rhymes: -œlva

Noun

völva f (genitive singular völvu, nominative plural völvur)

1. völva; prophetess

   Synonym: spákona

Derived terms

• tölva (“computer”)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• volva

Noun

völva f (plural völvas)

1. völva (Old Norse prophetess)

Swedish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Norse vǫlva. Compare the more philologically accurate (but still not naturally inherited) vala.

Noun

völva c

1. völva (a prophetess)

Declension

Declension of völva

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	völva	völvas
	definite	völvan	völvans
plural	indefinite	völvor	völvors
	definite	völvorna	völvornas

Further reading

• völva in Svensk ordbok.
• völva on the Swedish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^sv