galdr

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noun

An ancient form of shamanic chanting, an improvisational magical song, especially for a protective effect. Compare the custom of the joik and other chanting traditions among the Sámi shamanic noaidi who shares mutual influence with the Norse shamanic vǫlva and other Norse magical customs.

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Scrabble 7

Meanings

noungaldr (plural galdrar or galdrs)

plural galdrar · plural galdrs

  1. An ancient form of shamanic chanting, an improvisational magical song, especially for a protective effect. Compare the custom of the joik and other chanting traditions among the Sámi shamanic noaidi who shares mutual influence with the Norse shamanic vǫlva and other Norse magical customs.

    Synonyms: galder

    1. A similar style of chanting that is a modern reinvention of Norse and later magical traditions.

      There are different kinds of galdr; the most common is runegaldr, which consists of singing the various names of a single rune with Intent.

      2012, Raven Kaldera, Galina Krasskova, Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition

      Synonyms: galder

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn ancient form of shamanic chanting, an improvisational magical song, especially for a protective effect. Compare the custom of the joik and other chanting traditions among the Sámi shamanic noaidi who shares mutual influence with the Norse shamanic vǫlva and other Norse magical customs.

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nounA similar style of chanting that is a modern reinvention of Norse and later magical traditions.

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Origin

  1. Old Norsegaldr“witchcraft, sorcery, magic arts”
  2. Englishgaldr

Borrowed from Old Norse galdr (“witchcraft, sorcery, magic arts”), akin to Old English ġealdor (“incantation, magic”). Related to English gale, yell.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

galdr. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galdr

MLA

“galdr.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galdr. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “galdr,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/galdr.

Source: galdr on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.