#veleda

As a seeress, Veleda wielded tremendous power over her people and played a role in a rebellion against the Romans.

A mighty woman

Veleda belonged to the Germanic Bructeri people. According to Tacitus, she held a position of great prestige and veneration:

Veleda was an unmarried woman who enjoyed wide influence over the tribe of the Bructeri. The Germans traditionally regard many of the female sex as prophetic, and indeed, by an excess of superstition, as divine. This was a case in point.

The word “Veleda” may have been a title rather than a name, possibly derived from the Celtic "Veleta" (“prophetess”), though Celtic languages were not spoken in her region. More likely, it comes from the West-Germanic "Waldon," meaning “to have power.”

Veleda lived in a large tower near the Lippe River. Her authority was widely recognized, as even the inhabitants of the Roman city of Cologne accepted her arbitration in a conflict with the Tencteri tribe.

She was not the only Germanic prophetess known to the Romans. Tacitus further wrote:

They even believe that the female sex has a certain sanctity and prescience, and they do not despise their counsels, or make light of their answers. In [the emperor] Vespasian's days we saw Veleda, long regarded by many as a divinity. In former times, too, they venerated Aurinia, and many other women, but not with servile flatteries, or with sham deification

The Batavian Rebellion

In 69 CE, Veleda predicted that the Batavian people would successfully rebel against the Romans. Her exact role beyond this prophecy remains uncertain. The Batavian leader captured the legionary base at Xanten, and the captive commander of the Roman garrison was sent to Veleda to become her slave. However, he was killed en route.

Later, the Batavians captured the flagship of the Roman navy and rowed it up the Lippe as a gift to Veleda.

However, the Batavian uprising was ultimately crushed. By 77 CE, the Romans had either captured Veleda, possibly as a hostage, or offered her asylum. It is known that she later aided Roman interests by negotiating with hostile Germanic tribes. She may have played a role in helping the Bructeri accept a pro-Roman king in 83 CE.

An epigram satirizing her prophetic powers was found at Ardea, a few kilometers south of Rome. This suggests that Veleda may have later resided there, though this remains uncertain.

Veleda's story has inspired many works of art, and an asteroid has been named in her honor.

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Further reading: 

Chrystal Paul, Women at war in the Classical world

Lendering Jona, “Veleda”

From New Champions #002

Art by Ivan Fiorelli and Arthur Hesli

Velléda [1852] - Germanic/Celtic Seeress aka Veleda

Germanic Seeresses

The seeress played an important role in the society of the Germanic people. A few of these powerful women have been recorded by the Romans and their descriptions show how the seeresses were almost worshiped like Goddesses and had an influential role in the politics of the Germanic and Roman people.

The most famous Germanic seeress mentioned by name is Veleda. It's however still not 100% clear if Veleda was her actual name or if Veleda was the title of a seeress or both. The seeress Veleda lived during the first century AD, she was born in the Bructeri tribe but her early life is completely unknown. What is known however is that Veleda doesn't seemed to have been important for just the Bructeri people but for virtually every Germanic tribe.

Veleda lived in a tower and settled disputes between people. One such example is the dispute between the Roman citizens of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium and the people of the Tencteri tribe. Her influence must have been great because she managed to solve the dispute without violent conflicts between the Romans and the Germanics.

Her most famous act was a prophecy that she made. This prophecy foretold how the Germanic people would be greatly succesfull in a revolt against the Romans. In 69AD the Batavi did revolt against the Roman empire and they were initially successfull until the revolt sadly failed a year later. It is however unknown if the Batavi heard about this prophecy and used it as a 'Casus Bellum' to start their revolt.

Here is a small description on Veleda written by Tacitus: "Veleda was an unmarried woman who enjoyed wide influence over the tribe of the Bructeri. The Germans traditionally regard many of the female sex as prophetic, and indeed, by an excess of superstition, as divine. This was a case in point. Veleda's prestige stood high, for she had foretold the German successes and the extermination of the legions."

The Romans understood the power that a Germanic seeress could have over the Germanic people so in 77AD the Romans captured Veleda. It is unknown what happened to her, we do not know when she died or how she died. We do know that the Greeks criticized her powers in an epigram which was found near Rome.

After Veleda disappeared, the Germanic people found a new seeress. Her name was Ganna and she belonged to the Semnones tribe. Just like her predecessor Veleda, Ganna held political and religious power over the Germanic people. The Roman emperor Domitianus travelled to Gaul in 82AD in order to attend a census. The king of the Semnones was also present together with Ganna. Just like Veleda, Ganna managed to keep the peace between the Roman and Germanic people.

Another notable Germanic seeress is Waluberg, she was also born in the Semnones tribe but somehow she ended up in service of the Roman governour who ruled over Egypt. Her name has been discovered on a 'ostrakon' shard on a small island in the river Nile. The inscription described her as following: Waluberg, seeress of the Semnones. She was most likely hired by the Romans in order to read signs and predict the future. This shows that even the Romans respected the powers of a Germanic seeress.

Waluberg's life would make for an excellent film. How did a Germanic seeress end up in Egypt? How did she meet the Roman governour of Egypt? How was she hired? Did she get paid? Was she a hostage? Sadly we will never be able to answer these questions but it is clear that the Romans were happy to cooperate with the powerful seeresses of Germania. Perhaps the Romans truly believed in their magical capabilities or they viewed the seeress as an excellent diplomat.

Even though the Germanic society was a patriarchy, several women became quite powerful and managed to even influence the Romans. Women with magical abilities were greatly respected by virtually any polytheistic culture and it is clear that the Germanic people viewed these women almost as gifted as their Goddesses. They also played an important role in conserving the peace by settling disputes between tribes and even between empires.

The title of Veleda can be compared to the later Völva of the viking age. These were also powerful women who were able to see into the future, just like the Veleda, they used sticks carved with symbols in order to make prophecies and carefully observed nature for any important signs of the Gods. The Völva were only a bit more influenced by the Sami culture than the Veleda.

Veleda Wood Tarot by Betty Skeet is a beautiful followup to what some of you may know as the Veleda Oracle, a minimalist oracle deck. The imagery in the tarot deck is slightly more complex than the original Veleda Oracle, but still beautiful and minimal colors and symbolism. This deck is a fully illustrated 78-card deck that contains plenty of complimentary colors, elements, plants, and crystal related colors. The suits of coins, cups, wands, and swords are supplanted by suits acords, foxglove, hawthorn, and dandelions, respectively. Unlike a lot of traditional decks, this deck is mostly gender neutral, so gendered cards like the king and queen become the guardian and the harvester. This is a wonderful deck if you’re a green or garden witch that loves minimalist style.

Kickstart the deck!