Drífa- Norse FigureMortal
Also known as: Drifa
Description
When the Yngling king Vanlandi broke his oath and never returned to Finland, his abandoned wife Drífa hired the seiðr-witch Huld to bring him back or kill him. A mara was sent to Uppsala and trampled the king to death in his bed.
Mythology & Lore
Marriage to Vanlandi
Drífa was the daughter of Snær the Old, a Finnish king whose name means "snow." The Yngling king Vanlandi Sveigðisson traveled to Finland and stayed there over the winter, during which time he married Drífa and fathered a son, Vísburr. When spring came and Vanlandi prepared to depart, he swore a solemn oath to return within three winters. He never did.
Vengeance Through Seiðr
After ten winters had passed with no sign of Vanlandi, Drífa hired the seiðr-witch Huld to either enchant the king into returning to Finland or, failing that, to kill him. Huld performed her magic, and a mara was sent to Uppsala. The creature descended upon Vanlandi as he slept. His retainers tried to protect him, but wherever they guarded one part of his body, the mara attacked another. It trampled the king to death in his own bed.