Volkhv

Volkhvs (Волхвы, Volkhvy; singular: Volkhv, Волхв) from Norse völva (female prophet, seer, shaman) were heathen priests in pre-Christian Rus’. Volkhvs were believed to possess mystical powers, particularly the ability to predict the future. The first literary reference to a volkhv occurs in the Primary Chronicle under the year 912; there, the priest-soothsayer predicts Prince Oleg's death. With the adoption of Christianity, the pagan priests came under persecution and sometimes tried to channel social discontent against the church.

Volkhvs were targets of the witch-hunts in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.