As we’ve seen, this is far from the case. That’s such a general description that the idea that Hrungnir’s Heart and the Valknut are the same symbol could only really be taken seriously if the archaeological context in which the symbol appears were to match Snorri’s description. Weaving in this symbolic sense and spiritual power were almost synonymous, so it should come as no surprise that a symbol involving power over life and death would be visualized as a knot.Ī less satisfying explanation that some scholars have invoked is that the Valknut could be the “ Hrungnir‘s Heart” ( Hrungnis hjarta) mentioned in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda: “Hrungnir had a heart made of hard stone and pointed with three corners, just like the carved symbol which has been called Hrungnir’s heart ever since.” All that this description tells us about the visual form of “Hrungnir’s Heart” is that it had a triangular shape. 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. Ellis Davidson, “Odin had the power to lay bonds upon the mind, so that men became helpless in battle, and he could also loosen the tensions of fear and strain by his gifts of battle-madness, intoxication, and inspiration.” She and others interpret the Valknut, with its knot-like appearance, as a symbolic expression of this idea.
In the literary sources, Odin and his attendant spirits such as the valkyries often use magic that is described in terms of binding and unbinding, tying up the mind or untying it. Odin was also one of the most powerful of all magicians and shamans.
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. 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. Even in instances where he’s not present directly alongside the Valknut, we often find other symbols that are closely associated with him.
In most of these cases, Odin is also present. Similar-looking symbols can also be found on the cremation urns of the Anglo-Saxons, another Germanic people closely related to the Norse linguistically, ethnically, and in terms of their pre-Christian worldview and religion. In the archaeological record, the Valknut appears only in connection with the cult of the dead, as in the aforementioned runestones and ship burial. The longer answer is: The Valknut on the Stora Hammars I stone, Gotland, Sweden What, then, was the meaning of this symbol? Its name isn’t mentioned in any period sources valknut is a modern Norwegian compound word that means “knot of those fallen in battle” and was introduced by Norwegians who lived long after the Viking Age. 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. Visually, it’s comprised of three interlocking triangles. The Valknut (pronounced “VAL-knoot”) is one of the most widely-discussed yet enigmatic of all of the symbols that appear in connection with Norse mythology. Book Review: Neil Price’s The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia.Who Were the Indo-Europeans and Why Do They Matter?.The Swastika – Its Ancient Origins and Modern (Mis)use.
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The Old Norse Language and How to Learn It.The 10 Best Advanced Norse Mythology Books.The Vikings’ Conversion to Christianity.It is associated with the god Odin and symbolizes his power to lay bonds upon the mind, turning men helpless in battle, or making them fearless and filled with battle-madness, intoxication and inspiration. The Valknut (warrior’s knot) is an ancient symbol that appears on runestones as early on as the 8th century. 1475580592211 Valknut Pendant, Silver ///s/files/1/1565/1123/products/2897.jpg?v=1590589895 ///s/files/1/1565/1123/products/2897_large.jpg?v=1590589895 33.00 USD InStock Pendants ALL PRODUCTS Black Weekend 19 Facebook feed GRIMFROST PENDANTS JEWELRY MEN'S JEWELRY MEN'S PENDANTS POPULAR PRODUCTS VIKING JEWELRY VIKING PENDANTS WOMEN'S JEWELRY WOMEN'S PENDANTSĪ pendant with the Valknut - an ancient symbol associated with the god Odin.
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