Valknut meaning

The Viking world was full of symbols. Not only were they a powerful way to express ideas, valknut meaning, but the Vikings also thought that symbols had power. As well as expressing the world, the Vikings believed that symbols, when valknut meaning by the right hands, had the power to shape the world.

Archaeologically, it appears on several runestones and pictorial memorial stones that date from the Viking Age and stand on the Swedish island of Gotland, as well as on grave goods from the Oseberg ship burial in Norway. In the archaeological record, the Valknut appears only in connection with the cult of the dead, as in the aforementioned runestones and ship burial. Similar-looking symbols can also be found on the cremation urns of the Anglo-Saxons, [3] another Germanic people closely related to the Norse linguistically, ethnically, and in terms of their pre-Christian worldview and religion. In most of these cases, Odin is also present. For example, the Anglo-Saxon urns feature depictions of horses and wolves, two animals that are often the companions of Odin in the Norse mythological tales. To find associations with both death and Odin together should come as no surprise, since Odin was, among many, many other things, a psychopomp — that is, a figure who ferries the spirits of the dead to the underworld and then back to the world of the living — as well as the leader of various hosts of the dead, such as the warriors of Valhalla and of the Wild Hunt. Odin was also one of the most powerful of all magicians and shamans.

Valknut meaning

The valknut, "knot of the slain" in Old Norse, from valr, "slain warriors" and knut, "knot", is a figure composed of three intertwined triangles. Although the age of its name is debated, it is an old symbol of Norse mythology that can mean several things. In particular, it is linked to the god Odin evoking valour and death in the sense of liberation of the soul and the roots of Yggdrasil in the sense of the interconnection of the nine worlds of the Nordic religion. It is thus connected to the symbolism of the three and the nine in Norse mythology. The term valknut comes from Norwegian and is not attested in Old Norse. However, Hellers notes that the term existed as early as the eighteenth century to refer to both an S-shaped double knot and a geometric pattern used in tapestry, similar to the Bowen knot. The visual appearance of these shapes is quite different from that of the present Valknut, so there is no certainty about the connection between them, although this tends to show that the term is not a recent invention and may indeed have an ancient origin. The word is divided into two components: the first is the term for a knot in which a knot is made, and the second is the term for a knot in which a knot is made. The word is divided into two compounds: val and knut. The valknut appears on a wide variety of objects found in the regions inhabited by the pre-Christian German-Scandinavians.

Penguin Books. The symbol is prominently featured on the Nene River Ringan Anglo-Saxon gold finger ring dated to around the valknut meaning to 9th centuries. Or you can just read our previous posts here, valknut meaning.

The valknut is a symbol consisting of three interlocked triangles. It appears on a variety of objects from the archaeological record of the ancient Germanic peoples. The term valknut is a modern development; it is not known what term or terms were used to refer to the symbol historically. Scholars have proposed a variety of explanations for the symbol, sometimes associating it with the god Odin , and it has been compared to the three-horned symbol found on the 9th-century Snoldelev Stone , to which it may be related. The valknut appears on a wide variety of objects found in areas inhabited by the Germanic peoples. The symbol is prominently featured on the Nene River Ring , an Anglo-Saxon gold finger ring dated to around the 8th to 9th centuries. The historically attested instances of the symbol appear in two traditional, topologically distinct forms.

Archaeologically, it appears on several runestones and pictorial memorial stones that date from the Viking Age and stand on the Swedish island of Gotland, as well as on grave goods from the Oseberg ship burial in Norway. In the archaeological record, the Valknut appears only in connection with the cult of the dead, as in the aforementioned runestones and ship burial. Similar-looking symbols can also be found on the cremation urns of the Anglo-Saxons, [3] another Germanic people closely related to the Norse linguistically, ethnically, and in terms of their pre-Christian worldview and religion. In most of these cases, Odin is also present. For example, the Anglo-Saxon urns feature depictions of horses and wolves, two animals that are often the companions of Odin in the Norse mythological tales. To find associations with both death and Odin together should come as no surprise, since Odin was, among many, many other things, a psychopomp — that is, a figure who ferries the spirits of the dead to the underworld and then back to the world of the living — as well as the leader of various hosts of the dead, such as the warriors of Valhalla and of the Wild Hunt. Odin was also one of the most powerful of all magicians and shamans.

Valknut meaning

Their powerful blessings fortified their warriors for battle and their curses would crush their enemies. These shaman left behind an ancient symbol, called the Valknut, which represented their magical powers. The Valknut pronounced: val-knoot is a symbol in Nordic mythology depicting three interlocked triangles. The Valknut symbol itself, however, dates back to ancient times and relates to the cult of the dead. The three triangles of the Valknut were seen most often on gravestones and runestones, usually alongside the figure of Odin, or the animals which represented him, the horse or wolf. A number of possible explanations of the origins of the Valknut have been suggested by historians. The Valknut symbol was believed to be linked to Odin, a revered and powerful god in Nordic mythology. He was a powerful magician associated with wisdom, war, poetry, shamanism, magic, and the dead. The Valknut is said to be a symbol of that binding and unbinding magic.

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It appears in association with death and burials throughout the Viking world, but none of the surviving literary sources makes mention of it. References: [1] Simek, Rudolf. World Wide Tracking Order. The visual appearance of these shapes is quite different from that of the present Valknut, so there is no certainty about the connection between them, although this tends to show that the term is not a recent invention and may indeed have an ancient origin. Celtic Viking Beard Bead. This is another reference to Odin, as the Vikings often sacrificed their enemies to their god of war in this way. Southern Poverty Law Center. In general, any symbol like the Valknut has great meaning and imparts emotion. While this site provides the ultimate online introduction to the topic, my book The Viking Spirit provides the ultimate introduction to Norse mythology and religion period. The Borromean form is three interlocking but separate triangles, while the unicursal form is drawn using a single line.

The valknut is always composed of a succession of three triangles that often overlap. The Borromean method is sometimes used for drawing triangles as three shapes overlap and interlock. However, the most remarkable version is an ingenious unicursal.

The symbol, like many others starting with the swastika or Hindu swastika, by the National Socialists is used in certain Western nationalist movements, even white supremacists such as Wotanism, whereas the ancient German-Scandinavians were not concerned with such contemporary issues. Some may say that it is not good to have valknut as a tattoo because it is associated with death. This one features a carving of the symbol on an ornately stylised bedpost and the Oseberg tapestry fragments. This explanation is all the more plausible since the form of heathen Norse magic that the sources mention the most often, namely seidr , used imagery related to spinning and weaving fiber to symbolize altering the course of events. Scholars have mixed assumptions, some suggesting it is related to the Norse god Odinn, as one version of the Valknut is depicted with the God during a sacrifice. Not only were they a powerful way to express ideas, but the Vikings also thought that symbols had power. The valknut appears on a wide variety of objects found in the regions inhabited by the pre-Christian German-Scandinavians. In other projects. It tells us something of its meaning, but this is so general that it can hardly be the whole picture. Back to blog. There is not much known about the other Norse afterlives, and even what we know of Hel is marred by significant Christian influence. Behind the burial mound there is also shown a warrior hanging from a tree.