The manuscript consists of 27 paper lists contains 30 magical symbols in total. The first and most important one of them – the Huld manuscript (signature ÍB 383 4to ) – was composed by Geir Vigfússon (1813-1880) in Akureyri in 1860. The symbol that we call “vegvísir” can be found in three Icelandic grimoires from the 19th century. Such an interpretation can only be found in popular literature though, and in romantic fiction created in the past 30 years. Among this inconsistent group of people, it is often accepted for “vegvísir” to be “a Germanic and Viking ancient magical rune symbol, which function was that of a compass and was supposed to protect the Viking warriors during seafaring, providing guidance and protection from Gods”. Reenactors tend to use it as shield decoration or costume embroidery. We cannot omit its use in clothing industry, also often seen as a jewellery or tattoo. Nowadays, “vegvísir” is famous among neo-pagans, musicians, reenactors and especially fans of TV series and other mass-production revolving around the Viking Age. Source: Foster 2013 – 2015 © Anne Mathiasz. In the following article, we will take a look at various nowadays interpretations of the symbol, as well as its true origin.ĭevelopment of depictions of the “vegvísir” from 19th century till today. In this case, the situation is much simpler in comparison to other symbols. After publishing the very successful article regarding origins of the “kolovrat” symbol, I was requested to write a similar article about a symbol, which came to be known as “vegvísir” (literally “The pointer of the way”, “Wayfinder”) among those interested in Norse mythology.
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