Gullveig appears in a difficult passage of the Eddic poem Völuspá. The gods spear and burn her three times in Odin’s hall, yet she is reborn three times. Soon afterward the poem describes the first war in the world between the Æsir and Vanir.
Gullveig and Heiðr
The poem may identify the revived Gullveig with Heiðr, a seer who practices seiðr and is welcomed by harmful or desirous people, but the grammar permits debate. Gullveig’s name is often translated with elements meaning gold and intoxication, which has encouraged theories about greed.
The first war
Völuspá asks whether the gods should pay tribute or share offerings, then describes Odin throwing a spear and the Vanir breaking the Æsir’s defenses. The poem does not give a straightforward prose cause. Placing all blame on Gullveig turns a sequence of obscure stanzas into more certainty than the text provides.
Interpretations, not settled biography
Scholars have proposed that Gullveig is Freyja, a Vanir goddess, a figure of gold, or a ritual specialist. None is proven by an explicit ancient statement. Her burning, return, and link with seiðr are secure; a complete family tree and motive are not.