Valknut

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The Stora Hammar stone, where the Valknut occurs in the most central and predominant position, appears alongside images interpreted as Odin with a characteristic spear shunting another figure into a burial mound while a raven is overhead and another man is hanged.
The Stora Hammar stone, where the Valknut occurs in the most central and predominant position, appears alongside images interpreted as Odin with a characteristic spear shunting another figure into a burial mound while a raven is overhead and another man is hanged.
Odin with Sleipnir, Valknuts are drawn beneath the horse (Tängelgarda stone)
Odin with Sleipnir, Valknuts are drawn beneath the horse (Tängelgarda stone)
For other uses, see Valknut (disambiguation).

The Valknut (Old Norse valr, slain warriors + knut, knot) is a symbol consisting of three interlocked triangles. The symbol appears on Scandinavian objects in connection with Odin. The name of the symbol is an unattested modern invention used to describe the image and was not used contemporaneously when the symbols were carved.

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[edit] Archaeological record

The symbol appears in a unicursal form, such as on the 7th century Tängelgarda stone from Gotland, Sweden. The symbols also appears in tricursal "brunnian linked" form, such as on the Lärbro stone, also in Gotland, as well as upon a ring found in the River Nene in England, and on a bedpost found within the Oseberg ship from Slagen, Norway. The only traditionally and historically attested forms found so far have been the Borromean tricursal, and the triquetra unicursal.

[edit] Theories

According to H. R. Ellis Davidson, the valknut:

..is thought to symbolize the power of the god Odin to bind or unbind [a man's mind] ... so that men became helpless in battle, and he could also loosen the tensions of fear and strain by his gifts of battle-madness, intoxication, and inspiration.[1]

Some speculation has been put forward relating the Suebian knot hair style recorded by Tacitus to the valknut.[1]

[edit] Geometry

Geometrically, it is topologically equivalent to the Borromean rings, the trefoil knot, or (in modern use only) a closed 3-link chain, depending on the particular artistic depiction:

The Valknut as Borromean rings
(Knot Atlas L6a4)

The Valknut as trefoil knot or triquetra
(Knot Atlas 3_1)

The Valknut as closed 3-link chain
(Knot Atlas L6n1)

German Football Association

[edit] Modern use

Various groups related to or that place interest in Germanic paganism make use of the Valknut.

[edit] Neopaganism

The Valknut symbol plays a role in modern Germanic neopagan faiths drawn from Germanic paganism, particularly Ásatrú, where numerous explanations and interpretations of the symbol are given.

The symbol is also called [2] [3]:

[edit] Other uses

The Valknut as triskelion
The Valknut as triskelion

The Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer and consumer goods company Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget uses a triquetra Valknut as their logo, which can be commonly seen on many products produced by the company.

It is also used by certain neo-Nazi groups, although this use is controversial [4]. Organizations such as The White Order of Thule [5] [6] have used Valknut variants based on the triskelion.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Davidson, H. R. Ellis. (1946) Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, page 146. Baltimore: Penguin Books ISBN 0-14-020670-1
  • Cromwell, Peter. Letter to the Editor: "Borromean Triangles in Viking Art." 17 Mathematical Intelligencer, pp. 3-4, 1995.[7]

[edit] External links