Heiðr (also renderedHeid,Hed,Heith,Hetha etc, from theOld Norse adjective meaning "bright" or the noun meaning "honour") is aNorse female personal name. Several individuals by the name appear inNorse mythology and history.
A seeress and witch (völva) named Heiðr is mentioned in one stanza ofVöluspá, related to the story of theÆsir-Vanir war:
The general assumption is that here, "Heiðr" is an alternate name for the witchGullveig, mentioned in the previous stanza, who, in turn, is often thought to be ahypostasis ofFreyja. But it is sometimes argued that thevölva who recites the poem refers to herself.
Heiðr is also a seeress in several works such asLandnámabók(S 179 /H 45),Hrólfs saga kraka(3) andÖrvar-Odds saga(2), where she predicts Örvar's death.
Heiðr is also the name of a child of thegiantHrímnir according toVöluspá hin skamma (Hyndluljóð,32).
Saxo Grammaticus reported ashield-maiden bearing this name as captain of the contingent fromSle fighting for the Danes at theBattle of Brávellir in the year 750. She was said to be the daughter of KingHarald Hildetand.[2] This may draw on the tale from the earlierChronicon Lethrense, in which a woman named Hethae, who had fought with Harald, became queen of Denmark after Harald's defeat in that battle. In this version, she founded the city ofHedeby ("Hethæby"), which was named after her.[3]
Heiðr also appears as a shield-maiden under Harald at the Battle of Brávellir inSögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum. No relationship to Harald is indicated in this version (a separate shieldmaiden named Visma carried Harald's banner; Visma is defeated byStarkad the Old). Heiðr is positioned on the wing of Harald's forces with her own standard, perhaps in command of the wing, with a hundred of her own champions and accompanied by other commanders. Herberserkers are named: Grim, Geir, Holmstein, Eysodul, Hedinn the Slim, Dag of Lifland and Harald Olafsson. Before the battle, Heiðr accompanies Harald's commander Bruni to scout the enemy forces ofSigurd Hring.[4][5]
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