Are Magic And Divination Meant For Men ?

This is a much debated question among those who follow the Old Ways, or practice as Modern Polytheists.

When I leaned into doing the research on this topic, the bias was already in my head that any forms of Seiðr, specific types of Norse Magic, were only for women. From every bit of public opinion on the matter, this seems to be the popular stance. Seems to be, being the operative words there. Let me explain.

What I found was that this belief that magic isn't for men, is pretty much isolated to some Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish traditions, a.k.a. the Vikings. Even among these groups of Vikings though, there were acceptable types of “Magic” for men to use. Although these forms are vastly different types than Seiðr magic, they are certainly considered forms of magic, and they are still practiced to this day by men. The first and most well known type is Rune Magic. The second type is known as Galdr, and to an outsider this type would seem similar to a Gregorian Monk’s vocalizations and chanting. We will get into these two types in more detail, but that's coming later in the article. First we will step outside of the Norse / Germanic spectrum of paganism, and look at some other Ancestral beliefs, ones where Men practice most of the magic.

Some of the following practices that we will be discussing have existed for thousands of years. Just to help us all keep an open mind, we have to remember that if these things did not produce results for the practitioners, they would have given them up long ago. We aren't talking about Criss Angel’s style of street magic, mentalism, and slight of hand. These are practices which are tied to their Religion, Ancestral Tradition, and Ancient knowledge that has been passed down through families for several millennia.

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The Leaders of the Ancient practices, and in the modern reconstructions of the Celtic, and Pict people (the native residents of England and Scotland), of who's highest positions are still to this day largely held by men. Among whom, most of the magic, ritual, and sacrifices were, and still are preformed. However these Magic wielding societal positions and religious stations, like the Druids and Shaman, were not limited to only men. Women practiced them also, but unlike the “Modern” Vikings the men were clearly not banned from practicing it, or outcast and shunned from their communities.

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Where Did These Beliefs Start ?

The fact that some modern Norse pagans are claiming that magic is only for women, lets me know two things almost immediately. The first thing it tells me, is that they get large portions of their spiritual and religious information from YouTube and TikTok videos. The other thing it tells me, is that they likely only became “Pagan” after watching the TV show Vikings.

Here is why I say that, and believe me when I say, it pains me to have to lay this whopper at their feet… again.

First and foremost, Odin sacrifices one of his eyes to gain “cosmic wisdom” by drinking from Mimir’s well. It is known as a source of truly immense knowledge, and is guarded by the wise being Mimir. Only in the TV show Vikings, and later in the movie The Northman, do they refer to this cosmic wisdom as “Woman's Magic.” This event is not explicitly detailed in the poetic stanzas of the Poetic Edda, but it is narrated in the Prose Edda, specifically in the section Gylfaginning. However, it is alluded to in the Poetic Edda’s Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress), which hints at Odin’s wisdom, and tells what the cost was for him to gain it.

Völuspá, Stanza 28 (Poetic Edda):

Old Norse:

„Veit ek, at Óðinn gaf auga sitt / í Mímisbrunninn fræga; / drekkur hann mjök af meði sínum / ór veði Valföðrs.“

Translation (approximate):

“I know that Odin gave his eye / into Mimir’s famous well; / he drinks mead every day / from the pledge of Valfather [Odin].”

This stanza doesn’t narrate the sacrifice in detail, but it does confirm Odin’s act of giving up his eye for a drink from Mimir’s well, tying it to his pursuit of Cosmic Wisdom. The “pledge” refers to his eye, left in the well as payment, and an endless supply of mead for the giant.

No mention of “Women's Magic” is detailed here, and with the way the Eddas are laid out as lessons, it would have been to warn men from pursuing it.

Odin’s second major sacrifice, was hanging himself on Yggdrasil (the World Tree), for nine days and nights to gain the knowledge of the runes. This tale is vividly described in the Poetic Edda, specifically in Hávamál (The Sayings of the High One), a poem attributed to Odin himself.

• Hávamál, Stanzas 138–141 (Poetic Edda):

  • Stanza 138:

    • Old Norse:
      „Veit ek, at ek hekk / vindga meiði á / nætr allar níu, / geiri undaðr / ok gefinn Óðni, / sjalfur sjalfum mér, / á þeim meiði / er manngi veit / hvers hann af rótum renn.“

    • Translation (Hollander):
      “I know that I hung / on a windy tree / nine long nights, / wounded with a spear, / dedicated to Odin, / myself to myself, / on that tree / of which no man knows / from where its roots run.”

    • Context: Odin describes his self-sacrifice, hanging on Yggdrasil, pierced by a spear, as an offering to himself—a paradoxical act reflecting his dual role as sacrificer and sacrificed. The “windy tree” is Yggdrasil, and the nine nights symbolize a complete cycle of suffering.

  • Stanza 139:

    • Old Norse:
      „Við hleifi mik sældu / né við hornigi, / nýsta ek niðr, / nam ek upp rúnar, / æpandi nam, / fell ek aptr þaðan.“

    • Translation (Hollander):
      “No bread did they give me / nor a drink from a horn, / downwards I peered; / I took up the runes, / screaming I took them, / then I fell back from there.”

    • Context: Odin endures hunger and thirst, gazing into the depths (possibly the underworld or the runes’ origin). His cries mark the moment he seizes the runes’ magical knowledge, after which he collapses or returns from the ordeal.

  • Stanza 140:

    • Old Norse:
      „Fimbulljóð níu / nam ek af inum frægja syni / Bölþorns, Bestla föður, / ok ek drykk of gat / ins dýra mjaðar, / ausinn Óðreri.“

    • Translation (Hollander):
      “Nine mighty spells / I learned from the famed son / of Bölthorn, Bestla’s father, / and a drink I got / of the precious mead, / poured from Odrerir.”

    • Context: After gaining the runes, Odin learns nine powerful spells from a figure tied to his maternal lineage (Bölthorn’s son, possibly Mimir or another giant). The “precious mead” (poetic inspiration) from Odrerir connects this to his broader quest for wisdom.

  • Stanza 141:

    • Old Norse:
      „Þá nam ek frævask / ok fróðr vera / ok vaxa ok vel hafask; / orð mér af orði / orðs leitaði, / verk mér af verki / verks leitaði.“

    • Translation (Hollander):
      “Then I began to thrive, / and wisdom to gain, / to grow and to prosper well; / word from word / gave me words, / deed from deed / gave me deeds.”

    • Context: The aftermath—Odin’s wisdom and power grow exponentially, as the runes unlock both knowledge and action.

Both of the above examples are still considered types of magic to this day, Rune Casting which includes Divination, and Binding, along with gaining Cosmic wisdom. The latter of which has many explanations on how to achieve in modern day. Including ceremonially drinking in the Meade of poetry, or Mushroom spiced Meade. This is done in a controlled environment with a spiritual guide, and from my very own personal experience is a vastly different thing altogether from the recreational usage of mushrooms. (Check your State and local laws before engaging in either of the above mentioned practices, as they may not be legal where you live.)

Now we come to the hard question. . .

What Is Galdr?

To an outsider, Galdr appears to be a type of vocalized meditative chanting, and that interpretation isn't entirely wrong. However it is absolutely incomplete as an explanation of what what Galdr actually is. First let me introduce the concept of “Cosmic Wisdom” a type of ancestral knowledge that is actually buried in ones DNA. By tapping into this pipeline of ancient knowledge, any person who knows how can reach back through their ancestral line looking for answers to a variety of different things. They can also do this to solve personal issues, see the past, and a whole gaggle of other fun things. Many of which can be achieved through Galdr, as opposed to waking this knowledge up through the alternative route, which is drinking in of the Meade of Poetry. In some aspects they are two doors to the same place.

This may all just be tapping into what is known as the Web of Wyrd, but in different ways. It's just a far more intense form of a Christian asking their deceased relative like a Grandparent or Parent for guidance. The practice goes back at least 3,000 years in Norway, and England, and nearly 3500 in the Schleswig-Holstein area. It may go back far longer, but as of now the experts haven't found older proof… yet.

In layman's terms, this experience can be like grabbing your guardian angel out of the spirit realm, yanking them into a place between where you can ask them for guidance, foresight, answers, or even for protection, and getting a response. It's not for the faint of heart, and I do not recommend that people with undiagnosed mental disorders ever attempt the spiritual or ceremonial use of mushrooms. Getting there with Galdr is often something that takes years of practice, or an already intense link to ones Ancestral folk, or their way of life.

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To Sum It All Up …

Odin made two great sacrifices to bring us this knowledge, and to give us this ability to reach out to him or the other Aesir Gods, and ask them for the same things.

Conclusion : These Types Of Magic are Meant For Everyone ….

If your instinct is to look into these things, by all means please do. Something is guiding you to look further, and deeper than you ever have. Embrace it.

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Caution : This is by all means an abyss that will look as deeply into you, as you do into it.

You have been warned.