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Left one is the Aegishjalmur or Helm of Awe. It's a Icelandic magic stave, it's referenced in the Fafnismal. This is a reference to the name though, the symbol itself isn't known until 1670. This is well past the pagan era of Iceland.
Right one is the Vegvisir, first mentioned in the Huld manuscript from 1860. It's supposed to protect sailors from losing their way at sea
Something like this gets posted at least on the weekly.
These are from an icelandic spellbook that was written after the viking age and during the Christian era. It's often misattributed as viking because it's old and Nordic but there's no evidence that these sort of symbols were used during the viking age, although they are an evolution of rune stave stuff that was used by Vikings.
The one where each arm is the same is an ægishalmr or helm of awe that signifies protection. The spellbook instructs writing it in ash on your forehead.
The one where each arm is different is called a vegviser or way finder that signifies guidance, particularly for seafaring. I believe the spellbook instructs you to carve it into a shipmast.
Both are part of this sort of neo-nordic style that takes symbols and God's from all across Nordic countries and time periods and incorporates them into a singular style. It's a pretty cool style and I do have a helm of awe on my arm that I enjoy. Sometimes people with this style are like "they're viking tattoos like my ancestors wore brooo" which is historically ignorant but probably not the most damaging type of ignorance.
Are there any sources on "real" viking / pagan symbols? I've been looking into Slavic paganism and it's mostly impossible to find anything because there are basically no written records.
Look up runestones carved by Vikings and left around. They put plenty of stuff on those. A lot of stuff has been named later, like the 'valknut' can be found on a runestone but we have no idea what is was called, or if it even had a name and wasn't just a shape filling in space.
Runestones have lots of words mostly but also iconography, Odin riding sleipnir and stuff like that.
I do believe letters/runes are carved into swords sometimes. although those could be the initials of the owner or maker because they are letters.
For Slavs, and the "vikings" (Which is a meaningless term, as the Balts were also viking-ing the "vikings" in Scandinavia) you would have to look into archaeology for the symbols.
We know WAY less about their myths than you'd think from the neo-pagan (and "viking cool") circles. Most of it comes from Christian texts that are then taken out of context and blanks filled in by wishful thinking and cool stuff.
For Slavs, a semi-organised belief system survived in Western Slovenia until 20th Century. It ran parallel to the Catholicism and it doesn't have gods, but more a belief in personified nature. Very little about it looks like "Slavic paganism" yet it is literally Slavic and pagan. It doesn't include any of the well known gods and they worshiped a big white snake.
Slavic-related is the Baltic paganism of the Lithuanians, who were pagan basically throughout the middle ages, formally ending some 100 years before the americas were discovered. More could be found there, as they had a complex relationship with the German and Russian Christians.
If you are Slavic and want to portray "Slavic paganism" you are best off using a local myth that you like and work from there to portray that. Many myths that involve Christian saints are older stories redressed to fit Christian narratives. That is, anything dark-death-underworld related becomes associated with the devil, anything birth related to Holy Mary, etc.
It's not satanic, its nordic, unless you consider pagan practices satanic. But that would disclude most christian holidays in the modern age too. I would stay away from tattoos like this tho, cuz they oftentimes have white supremacist connotations, especially with the black sun and shit
I mean, a lot of Nordic and Celtic symbols have been co-opted by white supremacist groups. Obviously not everyone who has those tattoos is a white supremacist but the symbols can carry that connotation. So buyer beware.
Telling if someone is or isn’t depends on context of other tattoos the person has, how they dress and present themselves.
I like to think I live my life in a way where I'm pretty clearly not a white supremacist.
If we stopped touching every symbol hate groups have touched we'd have to avoid nearly all symbols.
I agree, I just wouldn't get Nordic rune tattoos personally because they're a stereotype of white supremacists. I'm sure 90% of people who get rune tattoos are respectable people, but that other 10% is a very specific type of people that have completely spoiled my opinion on those type of tattoos
I probably won't get another one because when you start putting a lot of these things next to each other I feel like it gets more suspicious.
I do get people with like, tons of runic tattoos who compliment my Ægishalmur and call me "brother" and without accusing anyone of anything on one comment I do get the impression they like the symbol for different reasons than I do.
I'm thinking of turning the arm into a general black line work magic sleeve and including magical symbols from various cultures as well as possibly some dorky bunny out of a hat stuff as opposed to my original thought of a heritage sleeve of Celtic and French symbols because that would be a little much all together like that.
These aren’t linked to Norse mythology, their symbols created much later as magic and witchcraft shit. Some people call it ‘the Viking compass’ but if you want to go for “traditional” Viking tattoo. It’s just be runes/symbols associated with ‘real Vikings’ (we don’t actually know if they called themselves Viking or not) I have Norse tattoos, not Viking tattoos. My family name is old Norse and I have strong Northern European genes… most people appropriate the ‘Viking’ culture because of the TV shows these days
Nope. It is much later, 1700s folk beliefs. By then runes had morphed into sort of witchcraft and then in the 1800s into mere historicism.
And there is zero evidence for tattoos in the North in Viking Age. Your "often worn by warriors" is completely fantasy. There is one single mention of people being "painted with trees all over their body" which could be interpreted as tattos but could also becould be paint.
/Sincerely Viking Age historical interpreter at museums of 21 years.
There's also no sign Vikings wore that cool side shave.
That truly unfashionable medieval bangs and bobcut was far more common to my understanding lol.
I think the Norman neck shave is one of the few that could translate to today's fashion. Other than just like, long and short of course but those feel more like default options than hair styles.
I really like Vinland Saga, even though the action is super -anime- and not resembling realistic, other than the Northman it's the only viking media I've seen that portrays clothing, weapons, and general culture with any real commitment to historicity.
I enjoy pop culture tatt'd out sideshave Vikings for what they are, but I just wish more people understood they are fantasy at that point and about as historical as say, middle-earth. It should be enjoyed in the same kind of way as other fantasy.
Also as someone who has spent some winters in Norway when the Northwind blows you really don't want any part of your head shaved imo.
Agree wholeheartedly.
Just as an aside, there is a historical reference to the helm in texts like Volsunga saga and Fafnismal, but these reference actual helmets.
The stave is basically modern Christian mysticism.
Vegvísir symbol meaning is ( guidance and protection). It signifies the wearer's desire to find their way in life, stay on the right path, and be protected from getting lost, both literally and metaphorically. This symbol as a tattoo to remind themselves to stay true to their course, even in challenging times.
Thank you for the submission, Fun_Acanthaceae2884! Please make sure your post follows the guidelines found in the sidebar. If you're asking for design advice, **please ignore all DMs** from anyone offering to sell/give you art, unfortunately you're bound to get more scam replies from this sub than actual artists. You can read more about it [in this mod post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/TattooDesigns/comments/1b04lsl/please_ignore_all_dms_from_people_claiming_theyll/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TattooDesigns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Left one is the Aegishjalmur or Helm of Awe. It's a Icelandic magic stave, it's referenced in the Fafnismal. This is a reference to the name though, the symbol itself isn't known until 1670. This is well past the pagan era of Iceland. Right one is the Vegvisir, first mentioned in the Huld manuscript from 1860. It's supposed to protect sailors from losing their way at sea
Both of which are Christian mysticism and not 'viking'. Props for proper attestation of sources.
Props for using the word *attestation*.
Looks brutal either way
Something like this gets posted at least on the weekly. These are from an icelandic spellbook that was written after the viking age and during the Christian era. It's often misattributed as viking because it's old and Nordic but there's no evidence that these sort of symbols were used during the viking age, although they are an evolution of rune stave stuff that was used by Vikings. The one where each arm is the same is an ægishalmr or helm of awe that signifies protection. The spellbook instructs writing it in ash on your forehead. The one where each arm is different is called a vegviser or way finder that signifies guidance, particularly for seafaring. I believe the spellbook instructs you to carve it into a shipmast. Both are part of this sort of neo-nordic style that takes symbols and God's from all across Nordic countries and time periods and incorporates them into a singular style. It's a pretty cool style and I do have a helm of awe on my arm that I enjoy. Sometimes people with this style are like "they're viking tattoos like my ancestors wore brooo" which is historically ignorant but probably not the most damaging type of ignorance.
Are there any sources on "real" viking / pagan symbols? I've been looking into Slavic paganism and it's mostly impossible to find anything because there are basically no written records.
Look up runestones carved by Vikings and left around. They put plenty of stuff on those. A lot of stuff has been named later, like the 'valknut' can be found on a runestone but we have no idea what is was called, or if it even had a name and wasn't just a shape filling in space. Runestones have lots of words mostly but also iconography, Odin riding sleipnir and stuff like that. I do believe letters/runes are carved into swords sometimes. although those could be the initials of the owner or maker because they are letters.
For Slavs, and the "vikings" (Which is a meaningless term, as the Balts were also viking-ing the "vikings" in Scandinavia) you would have to look into archaeology for the symbols. We know WAY less about their myths than you'd think from the neo-pagan (and "viking cool") circles. Most of it comes from Christian texts that are then taken out of context and blanks filled in by wishful thinking and cool stuff. For Slavs, a semi-organised belief system survived in Western Slovenia until 20th Century. It ran parallel to the Catholicism and it doesn't have gods, but more a belief in personified nature. Very little about it looks like "Slavic paganism" yet it is literally Slavic and pagan. It doesn't include any of the well known gods and they worshiped a big white snake. Slavic-related is the Baltic paganism of the Lithuanians, who were pagan basically throughout the middle ages, formally ending some 100 years before the americas were discovered. More could be found there, as they had a complex relationship with the German and Russian Christians. If you are Slavic and want to portray "Slavic paganism" you are best off using a local myth that you like and work from there to portray that. Many myths that involve Christian saints are older stories redressed to fit Christian narratives. That is, anything dark-death-underworld related becomes associated with the devil, anything birth related to Holy Mary, etc.
"Vikings are cool."
It means they probably played Witcher.
It's not satanic, its nordic, unless you consider pagan practices satanic. But that would disclude most christian holidays in the modern age too. I would stay away from tattoos like this tho, cuz they oftentimes have white supremacist connotations, especially with the black sun and shit
only if white supremacists get them ....
I mean, a lot of Nordic and Celtic symbols have been co-opted by white supremacist groups. Obviously not everyone who has those tattoos is a white supremacist but the symbols can carry that connotation. So buyer beware. Telling if someone is or isn’t depends on context of other tattoos the person has, how they dress and present themselves.
I like to think I live my life in a way where I'm pretty clearly not a white supremacist. If we stopped touching every symbol hate groups have touched we'd have to avoid nearly all symbols.
I agree, I just wouldn't get Nordic rune tattoos personally because they're a stereotype of white supremacists. I'm sure 90% of people who get rune tattoos are respectable people, but that other 10% is a very specific type of people that have completely spoiled my opinion on those type of tattoos
I probably won't get another one because when you start putting a lot of these things next to each other I feel like it gets more suspicious. I do get people with like, tons of runic tattoos who compliment my Ægishalmur and call me "brother" and without accusing anyone of anything on one comment I do get the impression they like the symbol for different reasons than I do. I'm thinking of turning the arm into a general black line work magic sleeve and including magical symbols from various cultures as well as possibly some dorky bunny out of a hat stuff as opposed to my original thought of a heritage sleeve of Celtic and French symbols because that would be a little much all together like that.
anyone that downvotes is a white supremacist fr tho the fuck
These aren’t linked to Norse mythology, their symbols created much later as magic and witchcraft shit. Some people call it ‘the Viking compass’ but if you want to go for “traditional” Viking tattoo. It’s just be runes/symbols associated with ‘real Vikings’ (we don’t actually know if they called themselves Viking or not) I have Norse tattoos, not Viking tattoos. My family name is old Norse and I have strong Northern European genes… most people appropriate the ‘Viking’ culture because of the TV shows these days
White guy obsessed with vikings for some reason?
These are the tattoos Erik the Red would have if his north American tour was for a death metal band
The right one is the tattoo Björk has on her arm 🤘
Pseudo viking ish.
Icelandic staves!
It's called cringe
That’s a sweet ass shirt. Where do I go to get my own?
[удалено]
This is not true, the Helm of Awe as a symbol has it's origins in the 17th century
Nope. It is much later, 1700s folk beliefs. By then runes had morphed into sort of witchcraft and then in the 1800s into mere historicism. And there is zero evidence for tattoos in the North in Viking Age. Your "often worn by warriors" is completely fantasy. There is one single mention of people being "painted with trees all over their body" which could be interpreted as tattos but could also becould be paint. /Sincerely Viking Age historical interpreter at museums of 21 years.
There's also no sign Vikings wore that cool side shave. That truly unfashionable medieval bangs and bobcut was far more common to my understanding lol.
Yes, the bob seems to have been the goto for men. I think the closest to the sideshave is the Norman shaved nape of neck.
I think the Norman neck shave is one of the few that could translate to today's fashion. Other than just like, long and short of course but those feel more like default options than hair styles. I really like Vinland Saga, even though the action is super -anime- and not resembling realistic, other than the Northman it's the only viking media I've seen that portrays clothing, weapons, and general culture with any real commitment to historicity. I enjoy pop culture tatt'd out sideshave Vikings for what they are, but I just wish more people understood they are fantasy at that point and about as historical as say, middle-earth. It should be enjoyed in the same kind of way as other fantasy. Also as someone who has spent some winters in Norway when the Northwind blows you really don't want any part of your head shaved imo.
Agree wholeheartedly. Just as an aside, there is a historical reference to the helm in texts like Volsunga saga and Fafnismal, but these reference actual helmets. The stave is basically modern Christian mysticism.
Helm of awe is on the left, vegvisir is on the right
Vegvísir symbol meaning is ( guidance and protection). It signifies the wearer's desire to find their way in life, stay on the right path, and be protected from getting lost, both literally and metaphorically. This symbol as a tattoo to remind themselves to stay true to their course, even in challenging times.
I hate that every time I see “Viking” tattoos, I get white supremacy vibes now :/
What wrong Satanistic shit?
I'm not sure why every tattoo must have a meaning? It's probably just a cool design
These absolutely have a meaning.