The Valknut is a symbol in Norse mythology representing three interlocking triangles. The name ‘Valknut’ is a modern word, meaning ‘killed warrior’s knot’, and was recently coined in Norwegian. The Valknut symbol itself, however, dates back to ancient times and is related to the cult of the dead.
An example of the Valknut symbol was found in the 7th century in Gotland, Sweden, on the Tängelgårda stone. The three triangles of the Valknut nut were most often seen on gravestones and runestones, usually alongside the figure of Odin or the animals that represented him, the horse or the wolf.
Through trance, chanting, and possibly even sexual magic, practitioners of Viking-era magic and shamanism were supposedly able to control people’s minds and weave the threads of fate to fulfill their desires. Their powerful blessings fortified their warriors for battle, and their curses would crush their enemies. These shamans left behind an ancient symbol, called the Valknut, which represented their magical powers.
Origin
Historians have suggested a number of possible explanations for the origins of the Valknut. The Valknut symbol was believed to be linked to Odin, a revered and powerful god in Norse mythology. Odin’s name translates as “Master of Ecstasy.” He was a powerful wizard associated with wisdom, war, poetry, shamanism, magic, and the dead. He had the ability to use magic to bind and unbind things, and thus control people’s minds. The Valknut is said to be a symbol of that binding and unbinding magic.
Pagan Norse shamanism and magic, also called Seidr (pronounced SAY-der), were generally only practiced by women. Men who followed this practice were persecuted, as such things went against the Germanic social norms of the time. Female followers prayed, sang, and entered a trance during rituals.
According to certain sources, the rituals may have incorporated the use of energy and sexual stimulation: sexual magic. The staff used in the ceremonies resembles a phallic epithet, as seen in numerous Norse writings. Practitioners were able to control the path of reality and its various threads by reaching a higher level of consciousness and traveling through the Nine Worlds to glimpse the future and achieve their goals.
The Nine Worlds are the domains of different types of beings and include the world of humanity, gods and goddesses, giants, ice, fire, elves, and the dead. The Nine Worlds are also held up by the branches of the world tree, Yggdrasil (pronounced IG-druh-sill). The ash tree is the center of the Norse spiritual world. Odin travels between the worlds riding his horse, Sleipnir, through the branches of the world tree.
The Valknut nut is also said to be related to the heart of Hrungnir, mentioned in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. Hrungnir was a giant and the spirit of night, winter, darkness, and the grave. He had a heart of stone that had three pointed corners. However, because the visual description is not very detailed, this is not the most popular view of the Valknut’s source.
The three triangles and nine points of the Valknut are said to symbolize fertility, rebirth, and reincarnation, and its intertwined triangles may show the connection between Earth, Hel (the goddess who rules the underworld, Helheim), and the heavens.
Symbols similar to the Valknut
The Valknut symbol is comparable to the three-horned symbol found on the Snoldelev stone, a 9th-century rune stone originally found in Snoldelev, Denmark. The stone also has a swastika symbol, which was a common symbol at the time. The Nazis, who later adopted the symbol, believed they were descendants of the Vikings.
The swastika symbol actually dates back more than 11,000 years and has been used previously by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. In Norse mythology, the swastika apparently represented Odin moving through all the worlds as a flying disc. Other sources claim that it meant a blessing or good luck in the Norse religion, bringing those who wore the symbol from a state of chaos to a state of order and strength.
A symbol carved in stone of a triple spiral, called Triskele, dating from pre-Celtic and Celtic times, is another symbol similar to the Valknut. It is believed to be connected with the sun, life after death, and reincarnation, as well as pregnancy.
Modern use
A less commonly used version of the Valknut, the triceps symbol, resembles the Valknut with its triangle formed by three diamonds. It was a symbol of magical protection and is used today as a symbol of Asatru. Asatru means belief in the gods and is a modern revival of the Norse pagan religion. It has spread throughout North America, Europe, and Australasia. The beliefs of the movement center on the pre-Christian belief system of the ancient Germanic peoples, and practitioners worship many gods and goddesses.
The goal of Asatru is to live a life worth living. Rather than acceding to a modern sense of morality, followers’ values are based on Nine Noble Virtues: truth, courage, discipline, honor, fidelity, hospitality, perseverance, industriousness, and self-reliance.
Symbols such as the Valknut knot can have great meaning and hidden depths of emotion for many people. Their meanings can become entangled over time and often represent notions that seem extraordinary or even supernatural to us today. The ancient Norse shamans left us the Valknut as a symbol of their magic. The Valknut is a reminder of their power, the power to control the path of destiny!
