It was a bit chilly today so I had my favourite beanie hat covering my ears. The hat has the Valknut symbol on the front. Having a Saturday lunchtime, well-earned beer with my friend, he asks “what is that funny triangle thing on your head”?
Firstly, it is worth mentioning that a lot of knowledge has been lost over the centuries to the sands of time. The truth is that no one knows 'definitively' what the valknut means or even its original name! (So be wary of internet guru's who like to state exactly what it is whilst denouncing all other theories!)
I started by talking about what it means to me and a lot of other people right now in modern times. I wear it to show that I follow the old ways and that I am a Folkish Odinist. I also wear it because it reveals a connection between the Germanic culture and the Celtic cultures. Similar symbols were used in both ancient cultures. As I am British, I have both Celtic and Germanic heritage along my ancestral path as most British people do. Indeed, all of the main tribes of Europe share a common heritage because thousands of years ago the Proto Indo Europeans (PIE) who lived on what is now the Steppes of Russia and Ukraine migrated throughout and dominated most of Europe but that is a story for another time……..
A lot of people get this symbol tattooed or printed on a t-shirt. There are truly many reasons why they do this! Often, it’s for the same reasons that I have stated above, it might be that they are interested in ancient cultures; it could be that they’ve adopted the symbol for their own cause? They may have just watched too many episodes of the Vikings TV show or they might just think it looks pretty! You will have to ask them.
In contrast to the many reasons that the symbol is venerated in modern times, there are several sound theories as to its historical meaning. As these are theories I tend to try and keep an open mind.
Firstly, we do not know its historical name, the name used by the Norse or other Germanic peoples. The name Valknut is a mixture/compound of 2 relatively modern Norwegian words which roughly mean ‘Knot of those fallen in battle’. The archaeological evidence for the Valknut can be found on Runestones, funerary memorials in Sweden and from grave goods in the famous Oseberg ship burial in Norway all dating from the Viking age. There are other symbols which are similar to the Valknut found throughout the Germanic ancient world but it remains a matter of debate if they are the exact same symbol. An example of this would be the very similar symbols found on cremation urns in England that were made by the Anglo Saxons.
The significance of finding the Valknut on Grave sites and memorial runestones should not be understated. Think about what you see when visiting a modern graveyard? Every grave has a cross on it because the cross is the most important symbol in the Christian faith. With this in mind it makes sense to suggest that the Valknut was very important to our Odinist ancestors.
In virtually all of the historical finds relating to the Valknut the symbol is depicted in relation to death and Odin is depicted nearby. The Valknut is normally pictured upside down and pointing to the right – towards the ‘warrior’ who has died. I always think of this as Odin pointing a big finger at the fallen that are worthy, those who can go to Valhalla. Maybe he’s pointing them out for the Valkyries, so they know who to take to Odin’s great hall? (This may be just my imagination though!). You might think of the Valknut as the mark of the worthy that were slain in battle.
One theory is that the Valknut symbolizes a brave warrior’s heart. This comes from a story in the Prose Edda where a giant killed by Thor had a triangularly shaped heart of stone / diamond. This particular theory is a tad sketchy as it’s not clear how this relates to the archaeological finds. It’s always worth remembering that the Prose Edda was written after the Viking age during xtian times.
Another theory is that the 9 points of the 3 triangles represent the 9 worlds of Yggdrasil which are; Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim and Helheim. Both the numbers 9 and 3 appear over and over again in the legends of our Germanic Gods.
When discussing the Valknut historians often talk about how the literary sources that we have, portray Odin as a great sorcerer and practitioner of ‘Seidr’ magic. Many of the sagas and stories in the Edda’s describe Odin as someone who can ‘tie’ a mans mind up in knots. He can take the fear away or render an opponent motionless during battle by controlling their fate / minds. Odin could exist on a higher level where he could discern the web of destiny / wyrd and re-weave this web so as to achieve his goals – in effect, changing the future.
The triskel (3 shapes in one). We just mentioned that Odin could exist on a higher level of consciousness. Odin is often seen in the legends as a man, walking among men. Indeed the Anglo Saxons listed Odin in their lineage of kings. Odin is also seen as a divine priest-king and a God. Odin represented 3 beings in one. Christians may recognise this in what they call the holy trinity. The holy trinity or a person being 3 beings in one was a concept that xtians ‘borrowed’ from European faiths/culture. They did this when writing their bibles and other fictitious stories to make it easier for Europeans to accept this new forced religion. This can be evidenced by looking through the literary data of the Middle East. A man being 3 beings in one was a completely alien concept to them. However, in ancient Europe, there are quite a few examples of Gods being 3 beings in one across the cultures of all the main tribes of Europe. I always look at this from a practical point of view. Odin existed as a man, a priest king and a God because he was a living example of how mortal men like us might one day reach for the divine with our own efforts.
Some people look at triskel symbols and see 2 opposing forces coming together and then moving forward thus creating something new and stronger which is a great symbol for the European spirit. It can also be seen as a father and mother joining together and giving birth to a child which is the basis for life. Some people (including myself) might say it calls to them in a way that they don't understand. I could list more ideas that people associate with this symbol, some, very abstract and some not but I think you get the picture!
To conclude let's focus on what we do know about the Valknut. You know what it means to you personally. No one can take that from you. You know it was an important symbol for our ancestors and therefore part of who we are. You know it was associated with Odin, a central figure in our peoples history. Due to its connection to Odin it is something that all of us reaching for the divine need to study. You know that even a 1000 years after the viking age and after Europeans stop using triskeles this symbol is still important to so many people and it encourages great debate to this day.
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