of spiritual practices that bears a remarkable similarity to the Scandinavian seiðr and its
related rituals.
The possible shamanic overtones of Óðinn’s powers have been recognised for more
than a century, embracing the complex beliefs in transformation and shapeshifting and
the northern thought-world of spirits and supernatural communication. Though there is
still fierce debate on the subject, it now seems increasingly likely that seiðr was firmly
a part of this circumpolar shamanic sphere, evolving not under the influence of Sámi
religion but alongside it, as part of the common spiritual heritage of the north.
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–– Neil Price––