sejd

Danish

Etymology

From Icelandic seiður, from Old Norse seiðr (“sorcery, witchcraft”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sajd/, [sɑjˀd̥]

Noun

sejd c (singular definite sejden, not used in plural form)

1. (Norse mythology) a particular kind of sorcery, witchcraft
2. (Norse mythology) magic potion

Declension

Declension of sejd

common gender	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	sejd	sejden
genitive	sejds	sejdens

Hypernyms

• magi, trolddom, trolderi, trylleri

References

• “sejd” in Den Danske Ordbog

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Icelandic seiður or Old Norse seiðr. First attested in 1712.

Noun

sejd c

1. (Norse mythology) seiðr
   • 1905, Verner von Heidenstam, Folkungaträdet [The Tree of the Folkungs]: Folke Filbyter‎^[1], Albert Bonniers förlag, accessed at Litteraturbanken.se, courtesy of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek, archived from the original on 2 September 2025:

     Bönderna sade [...] att hon [har] försökt att [öva] sejd mot dig, konung Inge.

     The farmers said that she has tried to use seiðr against you, King Inge.

   • 1926, Erik Gustaf Geijer, edited by John Landquist, “Den nordiska sagan [The Nordic saga]”, in Samlade skrifter IV [Collected Works IV]‎^[2], P. A. Norstedt & Söners förlag, accessed at Litteraturbanken.se, courtesy of Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek, archived from the original on 2 September 2025:

     Genom den trollkonst, som kallas sejd, hade han blivit hård mot alla vapen.

     Through the form of magic called seiðr, he had become resistant to all weapons.

Declension

Declension of sejd

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	sejd	sejds
	definite	sejden	sejdens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• sejda
• sejdare

References

• “sejd”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• sejd in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)