Galdr
The Old Norse word for a sung or chanted charm, and later the name of Icelandic magical books.
Also: galdur, galdrar, galdrabók
Galdr, from the verb gala, to crow or chant, is a spoken or sung spell in Old Norse sources. In the Hávamál, Odin lists eighteen charms he knows, with aims such as quenching fire, calming a storm and dulling an enemy's weapon, though only their purposes are given. Galdr is usually set apart from seiðr, with galdr associated with chant and runes and seiðr with trance and vision, though the distinction is blurry. In Iceland, the Galdrabók and similar grimoires from the seventeenth century used staves, symbols called galdrastafir, and Christian formulas, and Icelandic trials of the period prosecuted men more often than women. Heathen groups today use the word for chanted work.