Gullveig is a female figure in Norse mythology associated with the legendary conflict between the Æsir and Vanir. In the poem Völuspá, she came to hall of Odin where she is speared by the Æsir, burnt three times, and yet thrice reborn. Upon her third rebirth, she began practicing seiðr and took the name Heiðr. Gullveig/Heiðr is solely attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material. Scholars have variously proposed that Gullveig/Heiðr is the same figure as the goddessFreyja, that Gullveig's death may have been connected to corruption by way of gold among the Æsir, and/or that Gullveig's treatment by the Æsir may have led to the Æsir–Vanir War.
Etymology
The etymology of the Old Norse nameGullveig remains uncertain. It has been variously translated as 'Gold-drink', 'Gold-drunk', or 'Gold-draught', and she is sometimes held to be a personification of gold itself, purified through repeatedsmelting. Gull-veig is indeed a compound formed with the Old Norse word for 'gold', yet the second element–found in other personal names like Rannveig, Sölveig, or Thórveig–remains obscure. It could have meant 'power, strength', 'intoxicating drink', possibly 'lady' or even 'gold, gold thread'. The name Heiðr, which in adjectival form means 'bright, clear', is semantically related. Scholar Rudolf Simek comments that although Gullveig's name changes to Heiðr, the meaning still remains basically the same.
Attestations
Gullveig is solely attested in a stanza of Völuspá immediately preceding the story of the Æsir–Vanir War. A völva recalls that Gullveig was pierced by spears before being burnt three times in the hall of Hárr, and yet was three times reborn. Presumably after her burning, Gullveig became known as Heiðr, a knowledgeable völva who could perform great feats:
Theories
Starting with scholar Gabriel Turville-Petre, many scholars such as Rudolf Simek and John Lindow have theorized that Gullveig/Heiðr is the same figure as Freyja. Lindow notes that "since Ynglinga saga says that Freyja first brought seid to the æsir, it is not impossible that Gullveig is Freyja, and that she brought seid to the æsir in the first instance either as a strategy in the war, or that her bringing of seid started the war." Orchard further mentions that Freyja, like Gullveig, is associated with gold and with the form of magic known as seid.
