Meaning & History
Veleda was a priestess and prophet of the Germanic tribe of the Bructeri 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.Her name is of uncertain origin and meaning. A current theory believes that it might be Celtic in origin and in fact be a generic title for a prophetess, in which case it would likely be derived from Proto-Celtic *welet- "seer" (ultimately from *wel- "to see").