Huld- Norse FigureMortal
Domains
Description
Paid by the scorned Drífa to work seiðr against King Vanlandi, Huld sent a mara that fell upon the sleeping king at Uppsala. His retainers tried to shield him, but wherever they guarded one part of his body, the creature trampled another until he was dead.
Mythology & Lore
The Death of Vanlandi
The Yngling king Vanlandi married Drífa during a stay in Finland and promised to return within three winters. He broke his oath and never came back. Drífa, determined to either compel his return or punish him, sought out the seiðr-worker Huld and paid her to work magic against the king.
Huld performed the spell. A mara descended upon Vanlandi as he slept at Uppsala. 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 bed. Þjóðólfr of Hvinir commemorated the killing in the Ynglingatal, naming it a witch-riding that destroyed the king despite every hand raised to save him.