Volva or Norse Practices?

I recently bought a book from Raven Kaldera and Galina Krasskova, titled "Neolithic Shamanism" and they say in their book that the Norse apparently didn't really have a word for those who practiced magick though my friend, who is also from SOM, says that there are these women called volva.

The authors claim to have decades experience in "Norse Shamanism" But I'm doubting their credibility if they don't even know something that is found all over the internet (after I searched the term Volva) And if it has references in the Sagas, I'm wondering how much these authors have even learned and from what sources lol?

Anyway, I just wanted to ask about the Volva and other norse and northern european practices. My father's side traces to places such as Germany, Hungary, Wales, and many other places. So I might as well start with norse traditions if I'm going to get more serious with magick. (I've gone off of personal gnosis and spririt guides too long now, but I think they're hinting that I should actually pursue what other people have done besides me feeling some things out and being disconnected with my ancestors)

I haven't yet contacted my ancestors, either. I usually do my own form of magick, and it's what ever I feel, but I havent done much at all in the sense of ancestry work.

The Norse didn't have shamans, if that's what you're getting at. The volva was a seer and a practitioner of seidhr or spaecraft. While one could draw their own conclusions between these practices and shamanism, they are not interchangeable.

The idea of Norse shamanism is a pretty new one. While the Norse may have had shamanistic practices, they were not shamans in the traditional sense. A lot of the books and practices I've found on Norse shamanism seems to be a lot of personal gnosis.

If you want to learn some more about Norse magic, the public forum actually has a wealth of information on various topics. If you have any further questions, I'm sure someone will be happy to answer.

Useful Links:

http://hrafnar.org/articles/

http://norse-mythology.org/concepts/magic/