The symbol is often associated with that of Hrungnir’s Heart (the heart of a giant defeated by Thor which was made of stone and pointed at three corners) which is similar but scholars continue to debate whether the two are the same.
Photo by Emma Groeneveld, Creative Commons The runic inscription reads: ‘Rodvisl and Farbjörn and Gunbjörn’ (The Swedish History Museum/Historiska Museet, Stockholm). Top part of a rune stone found at Sanda, Gotland, Sweden, dating to the Viking Age, thought to depict Odin, Thor and Freyr. The name of the symbol is usually translated as “knots of those fallen in battle” signifying warriors gathered by Odin’s Valkyries from the battlefield and brought to Valhalla. Among Odin’s many supernatural attributes is his role as psychopomp, a figure who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. The Valknut (Odin’s Knot) is a symbol of the transition between life and death and, according to Davidson, “is thought to symbolize the power of the god to bind and unbind” ( Gods and Myths, 147). In the final battle of Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and end of the world, Yggdrasil will be destroyed along with everything else but will be reborn afterwards in a new world. The dragon, eagle, and squirrel are all symbols of change as not even Yggdrasil will last forever. The death-dragon Nidhoggr gnaws at the tree’s roots while the eagle of discord nests in its upper branches and a squirrel named Ratatoskr runs up the trunk and back down delivering messages between the two. (From an 1847 Ce edition of the Prose Edda by Oluf Olufsen Bagge) / Oluf Bagge, Wikimedia CommonsĪlthough there remains much debate on the issue, it is generally agreed that Yggdrasil was an ash tree and that its name means “Odin’s Horse” as in the tree to which the highest god’s horse is bound but could also mean “tree of terror” as it is the tree on which Odin hung when he sacrificed himself to himself in his quest for wisdom (Simek, 375). The nine realms of existence – all the seen and unseen worlds – were nestled in its roots including Jotunheim, the giants’ realm, where Mimir’s Well of Wisdom lay.Īn artist’s impression of the Tree of life, Yggdrasil, and the nine levels of the universe in Norse cosmology. Ellis Davidson, Yggdrasil is “one of the most powerful symbols in Norse mythology, said to stand at the centre of the worlds of gods and men” ( Myths and Symbols, 23).
The image of the World Tree appears in the mythology of many ancient cultures as a symbol of connection between all things and the cyclical nature of life: nothing ever finally dies, everything is constantly in a state of unending – and natural – transformation. The Norse religion was non-exclusive and so it is common to find Christian symbols such as the cross paired with a popular pagan symbol such as Thor’s hammer. Jesus Christ was initially considered just another god one could count on for protection and direction in life and remained so until Christianity became the dominant faith and the old beliefs died out. In whatever context they appear, it is clear they were considered important evocations of powerful supernatural elements. These symbols sometimes are found in the form of amulets (such as Thor’s hammer), sometimes in depictions of the afterlife (as with the ship) and often in images concerning the journey of life (the swastika/sun-wheel and ship). Generally, however, ten symbols were the most popular these appear most often in stories, images, and as amulets: There were many powerful symbols from the Norse-Viking period ranging from the wolf (for protection), to the horse (protection in travel), the troll cross (an amulet that protected one from trolls), the image of the Vegvisir (‘way guide’, a late Icelandic symbol which helped one find one’s way) and the Web of Wyrd (web of fate), as well as the runes which were thought to evoke mystical powers. Silver Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer) pendant, 9th-11th century CE, Björkö, Sweden.
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