The Valknut: History, Symbolism, and Meaning

Masters of magic and mysticism from the Viking era were said to be able to manipulate people’s views and spin the threads of destiny to fit their wants through hypnosis, singing, and perhaps even sexual magic.

Their mighty blessings bolstered their troops for combat, while their curses crushed their foes. These shamans left behind an old sign known as the Valknut, which symbolized their magical abilities.

Valknut Meaning

The Valknut (pronounced val-knoot) is a Nordic mythological emblem consisting of three interlaced triangles. The term ‘Valknut’ is a contemporary phrase that means ‘slain warrior knot’ and was just coined in Norwegian.

The Valknut emblem, on the other hand, dates back thousands of years and is associated with the worship of the deceased.

The Valknut sign was discovered on the Tängelgrda rock in Gotland, Sweden, throughout the seventh century.

The 3 triangles of the Valknut have been most frequently shown on headstones and runestones, generally accompanying the image of Odin or the animals that signified him, such as the horse or wolf.

Valknut Origins

Researchers have proposed a variety of different reasons for the Valknut’s beginnings. Odin, a beloved and mighty deity in Norse folklore, was thought to be associated with the Valknut emblem. Odin’s name means “Master of Ecstasy.”

He was a strong sorcerer who was linked to knowledge, war, literature, shamanism, sorcery, and the afterlife. He possessed the capacity to utilize magic to tie and disable objects and hence manipulate people’s minds. According to legend, the Valknut is a sign of binding and unbinding power.

Pagan women were often the only ones who performed Norse mysticism and magic, also known as Seidr (pronounced SAY-der). Guys who engaged in the activity were prosecuted because it violated Germanic societal norms at the period.

Even during rites, the female companions would simultaneously pray, sing, and enter a trance. Some accounts claim that the ceremonies may have included the utilization of physical desire and stimulation: sexual magic.

As mentioned in several Nordic texts, the stick used in the rituals resembles a phallic epithet. By achieving a higher level of awareness and traveling through all the Nine Worlds to see the future and accomplish their goals, the followers were able to manage the route of existence and its different strands.

The Nine Worlds are the realms of several kinds of beings, including humans, divinities, titans, ice, fire, fairies, and the deceased. The Nine Worlds are likewise kept in the Yggdrasil globe tree’s limbs (pronounced IG-druh-sill).

The ash tree represents the mystical core of the Norse realm. Odin travels across realms by mounting his horse, Sleipnir, through to the world tree’s roots.

The Valknut is also linked to Hrungnir’s heart, which is recorded in Snorri Sturluson’s Poetic Edda. Hrungnir was indeed the god of the nighttime, frost, obscurity, and the dead. He wore a stone heart with 3 pointed edges.

Nevertheless, thanks to the shortage of clarity in the visual depiction, this is not the most common interpretation of the Valknut origin.

The Valknut’s 3 triangles and 9 tips are thought to represent fertility, regeneration, and resurrection, and its interconnecting triangles may represent a link among Earth, Hel (the deity who reigns over the abyss, Helheim), and the skies.

Corresponding Symbols

The Valknut emblem is similar to the three-horned sign discovered on the Snoldelev Stone, a ninth-century runestone discovered in Snoldelev, Denmark. The rock also bears a swastika icon, which was a popular emblem at the time.

The Nazis, who eventually incorporated the insignia, claimed they were Viking ancestors. In truth, the swastika sign has been utilized by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains for thousands of years.

In Norse mythology, the swastika appears to depict Odin as a winged disc traversing all planets.

According to some versions, it represented a blessing or good luck in Nordic religion, transforming individuals who carried the emblem from a state of turmoil to one of organization and power.

Another sign comparable to the Valknut is the Triskele, a stone-carved emblem of a triple helix going back to the pre-Celtic and Celtic periods.

It is thought to be associated with the sunlight, the underworld, rebirth, and fertility.

The Valknut Today

The Triceps sign, a less commonly used variation of the Valknut, mimics the Valknut including its triangle created by 3 diamonds. It was an emblem of mystical safety and is still used now as an Asatru emblem.

Asatru, which translates as “believing in the gods,” is a contemporary resurgence of the Norse pagan tradition. It has expanded throughout North America, Eurasia, and Australasia.

The ideas of the group are based on the pre-Christian belief structure of the medieval Germanic people, and followers revere a variety of divinities.

The purpose of Asatru is to live a meaningful life. Rather than accepting current morality, followers’ ideals are based on the Nine Noble Virtues: honesty, bravery, control, honor, loyalty, kindness, persistence, ingenuity, and self-reliance.

Icons like the Valknut can hold a lot of meaning and a lot of passion for a lot of individuals. Their meanings can grow muddled with time, and they frequently reflect concepts that appear exceptional, if not otherworldly, to us now.

The Valknut was entrusted to us by the early Nordic medicine men as a sign of their sorcery. The Valknut serves as a reminder of their strength, of their ability to control the course of their fate!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can The Valknut Be Found?

For the aforementioned reasons, especially in light of the valknut’s significance, we see this design on tombs and funeral stones.

It was discovered, for instance, on the rocks of Stora Hammars on the Swedish archipelago of Gotland. They were also unearthed in Norway, at the Oseberg burial site, in which a Viking Drakkar had been uncovered.

What Does Odin’s Symbol Mean?

When the God Odin is not around, the Valknut is frequently portrayed by animals regarded to be his associates in Norse folklore, such as hounds and horses. Similarly, Odin is seen as a soul thief, a strong Chaman competent in escorting souls when they incarnate or die. 

He was also the commander of huge armies of the deceased, including the army of Valhalla’s soldiers, and the wonderful chase. Odin, who was frequently accompanied by Valkyries, has been said to use power adept in “attaching and removing everything from the soul.”

This concept of a knot, that would describe the form of the valknut, is still there.

What Is A Rune?

Runes are characters of a family of alphabets defined as runic alphabets. Well before Latin script, runes were employed to express several Germanic languages, and they were later utilized for specific reasons.

The term ‘rune’ literally means ‘mystery, secret, or mystery,’ and it refers to a type of prophecy or divination interpretation method used to obtain insight into circumstances or problems.

Runes can be composed of a mixture of substances, but the most frequent is built of limestone and bear a character from the runic language.