The Witch's Heart

The narrative structure of these pages employs the archetypal quest journey to systematically deconstruct and reforge Angrboda’s primary allegiances, emphasizing her shift toward a matriarchal support system. Her departure from the domestic space of her cave initiates a period of trial and isolation that ultimately solidifies her bonds with other women. The steadfast loyalty of Skadi, who provides the wagon for her journey without demanding to join her, gives Angrboda a reliable emotional anchor, and her alliance with the she-wolf reconnects her with the identity of “Mother Witch,” the most primordial version of herself. Even her adversarial encounter with Freyja represents a pragmatic alliance between powerful women, one based on mutual need. By contrast, the damaged relationships in her life are largely the result of patriarchal interference. Hel’s bitter rejection is caused by the irreparable damage of the gods’ intrusion into their lives, and later, the revelation of Loki’s complicity in Baldur’s death cements his status as an agent of chaos. As Angrboda actively distances herself from unreliable male figures and builds a new foundation of power through female kinship and self-reliance, Gornichec uses these narrative patterns to challenge the patriarchal power dynamics of the original myths.

These pages chronicle Angrboda’s intense psychological and spiritual journey, and her physical travels parallel her internal quest to reintegrate the forgotten shards of herself—primarily, her past life as “Mother Witch,” when her knowledge of seid and magic went far deeper than she can currently recall. When she realizes that the loss of her seid is not a curse from Odin but a result of the ruinous trauma that she has endured, she knows that she must find a way to overcome the mental barriers that now prevent her from doing what she must to protect her family. Freyja later confirms her understanding of the problem, stating that fear is what is “holding you back. Fear of being forced down and held under” (250). Because the trauma is psychological rather than magical in origin, Angrboda’s recovery requires her to reclaim the dissociated parts of her psyche.

When she finally embraces the lost fragment of her own self, the ancestral identity of Mother Witch, the she-wolf explains that this presence “is you… As you were meant to be” (233-34). Angrboda’s personal quest directly reflects the struggle of Reclaiming Identity in the Face of Imposed Roles, moving her beyond the limiting labels of victim, lover, or wife, or mother as all of these identities—and more—are integrated into a more holistic vision of who she is meant to be, and this reforged identity is rooted in her own ancient power as one of the Járnvidjur.

In this context, the motif of seid and prophecy undergoes a significant transformation, evolving into a framework for Angrboda’s active resistance against the prophesied doom to come. Initially, she remains a victim of prophecy itself, with Odin violently extracting the details of Ragnarok from her mind. However, her realization that Odin does not seek to prevent the apocalypse but rather to find “some kind of loophole” (214) fundamentally alters her relationship with fate, empowering her to adopt the same strategic approach in her quest to save Hel from destruction. As her focus shifts to the unwritten the fates of Hel and Skadi, she finds a new sense of empowerment despite her heartbreak over the events that she cannot change: namely, the deaths of her sons. The text thus reframes the mythological concept of fate as a set of narrative constraints within which it is still possible for individuals to exercise a degree of agency.

As Angrboda pursues this course, the narrative deepens its exploration of The Fiercely Protective Nature of Motherhood, for her entire quest is catalyzed by her single-minded goal of saving her daughter, Hel, from the conflagration of Ragnarok. However, Hel’s bitter rejection complicates this goal, demonstrating that even Angrboda’s kind intentions cannot erase the wounds of abandonment. This fraught dynamic is contrasted with Odin’s strategic approach to safeguarding his own children, for as the narrative will later reveal, he allows the death of his son Baldur as a calculated move within the larger framework of Ragnarok. When he labels Angrboda “the mother of the giants” (267), he positions her as an opposing force in the coming war, elevating her motherhood to the status of a cosmic, world-shaping power that challenges the patriarchal, fatalistic order of the gods.