Veleda (fl. AD 69–84) was a seeress of the Bructeri, a Germanic people who achieved some prominence during the Batavian rebellion of AD 69–70, headed by the Romanized Batavian chieftain Gaius Julius Civilis, when she correctly predicted the initial successes of the rebels against Roman legions. Ancient Roman and Greek literature records the name of several Germanic seeresses, including Albruna, Veleda, and Ganna.
Appearance List Les martyrs, ou, Le triomphe de la religion chrétienne (1809) by François-René de Chateaubriand — features the character Velléda; Germania (1914, Loeb ed.) by Tacitus — explicitly mentions Veleda among Germanic prophetesses; Histories, Books IV–V (1931, Loeb ed.) by Tacitus — principal ancient narrative for Veleda’s role in the Batavian revolt; “Une sorcière germaine aux bords du Nil” (1920) by Théodore Reinach & Camille Jullian — brief note on a Germanic seeress in Egypt, often cited in discussions of Veleda/Germanic prophetesses; “Inscription grecque métrique concernant Véléda” (1948) by Édouard des Places — study of a Greek metrical inscription about Veleda; “Veleda” (1949) by Jean Bousquet — focused article on Veleda; “Der germanische Personenname Veleda” (1964) by Wolfgang Meid — on the etymology/name of Veleda; “Veleda” encyclopedia entry in Der Kleine Pauly (1979) by Heinz Cüppers — concise scholarly overview as of 1979.
Sample Read “Veleda” (1949) by Jean Bousquet [Persee]
Description Veleda (fl. AD 69–84) was a seeress of the Bructeri, a Germanic people who achieved some prominence during the Batavian rebellion of AD 69–70, headed by the Romanized Batavian chieftain Gaius Julius Civilis, when she correctly predicted the initial successes of the rebels against Roman legions. Ancient Roman and Greek literature records the name of several Germanic seeresses, including Albruna, Veleda, and Ganna.
