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Unlike the Celtic druids, the Germani had no large, tightly organised priestly caste. Cult and sacrifice often lay in the hands of chieftains and heads of families. Yet we know of special religious roles.
Tacitus reports priests who performed the cult in the sacred grove, read the signs of the sacred horse and consulted the lot. In the north a cult leader was later called goði, a speaker of sacred words þulr (thul).
Especially respected were seeresses. Tacitus names Veleda, who was almost divinely revered in the Batavian revolt, as well as Ganna and Albruna. These women interpreted the future and held great political influence – a forerunner of the later Norse völva.
"They believe that something holy and prophetic dwells in women."after Tacitus, Germania 8 (public domain, own translation)
The priests and seeresses lead into the heart of the Germanic cult. Continue with Veleda and Germanic religion.
Veleda · Germanic Religion · The grove of the Semnones · Nerthus – the earth goddess · The Nahanarvali.
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