Spae Wife
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
A Spae Wife, also known as an elf damsel or volva, is a seer familiar to Scandinavia and other Nordic countries. In Iceland this also refers to a type of elf. The word spae means prophesy.
Human spae wives
Human spae wives are respected members of the community, acting as both priestesses and healers. They practice their craft by recognising omens, emotions, and premonitions; through recognition of these signs they can discover the outer and inner signs linked with the forecast of an event.
Fairy spae wives
No taller than a human finger, fairy spae wives are usually dressed in the clothes of a peasant. However, when properly summoned, the attire changes from common to magnificent: blue cloak with a gem-lined collar and black lambskin hood lined with catskin, calfskin boots, and catskin gloves. Like human spae wives, they can also predict the future, through runes, tea leaves and signs generated by natural phenomena, and are good healers. They are said to be descended from the erectors of the standing stones.
References
Melville, F The Book of Faeries 2002 Quarto Publishing
