Vegvísir

Vegvísir
  • Upper left: The vegvísir according to the Huld manuscript
  • Upper right: The vegvísir in the Huld manuscript (page 60)
  • Lower left: Icelandic singer Björk has the vegvísir tattooed on her arm
  • Lower right: Modern use on a T-shirt

The vegvísir (Icelandic for "wayfinder", lit. 'way shower') is an Icelandic magical stave intended to help the bearer find their way through rough weather. The symbol is attested in the Huld Manuscript (1860),[1] and does not have any earlier attestations.[2][3][4]

Despite its lack of a clear connection to the Viking Age, the symbol is often erroneously called a Viking compass.

Etymology

Vegvísir is a compound word formed from the two Icelandic words: vegur (lit. 'way') and vísir (lit. 'show + -er'). Vegur means 'way, road, path', and vísir is an inflected form of vísa, 'to show, to let know, to guide, point out, indicate'.[5] Its meaning is comparable to English wise, as in, 'it points someone the right way'.[6]

The construction also exists in other Germanic languages: Danish: vejviser,[7] Swedish: vägvisare,[8] German: Wegweiser, variously meaning "signpost, directionary", etc. The word can be traced back to the 15th century (Old Danish: veivisere;[7] Old Swedish: væghvisare) in its literal and figurative sense.[9]

Huld manuscript

The vegvísir first show up in the Huld Manuscript (ÍB 383 4to),[2][3][4] today part of the National Library in Reykjavík. The manuscript is a collection of occult symbols and therof, collected in Iceland by Geir Vigfusson in Akureyri in 1860.[1] A leaf of the manuscript (page 60) provides an image of the symbol, gives its name, and, in prose, declares that "if this sign is carried, one will never lose one's way in storms or bad weather, even when the way is not known".[10][1]

Stephen E. Flowers lists the Vegvisir in his translation of the grimoire Galdrabók,[11] but in a later publication cites it in “Isländische Zauberzeichen und Zauberbücher” by Ólafur Davíðsson rather than the Galdrabók.[a] Tomáš Vlasatý claims that it is not only in the Huld manuscript but also in two other Icelandic grimoires, Galdrakver (designated Lbs 2917 a 4to and Lbs 4627 8vo) and has Christian roots.[12]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Flowers lists the image on page 88 of Icelandic Magic: Practical Secrets of the Northern Grimoires, Inner Traditions, 2016 giving the source, page 125, as “Isländische Zauberzeichen und Zauberbücher.” Zeitschrift des Vereins für Volkskunde 13 (1903): 150–67, 267–79; Tables III–VII. English version: Icelandic Magic Symbols and Spell Books. Translated and annotated by Justin Foster. www.academia.edu (accessed July 17, 2015).

References

  1. ^ a b c "Huld Manuscript in the National Library in Reykjavík". Handrit.is. p. 26. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Vlasatý, Tomáš (5 April 2019). "Origins of the "vegvísir" symbol". Projekt Forlǫg. Retrieved 3 May 2025. The "vegvísir" is depicted on page 60 (27r) of the Huld manuscript (ÍB 383 4to), compiled by Geir Vigfússon in 1860. There are no known earlier attestations of the symbol.
  3. ^ a b Foster, Justin (June 2015). "Huld Manuscript of Galdrastafir Witchcraft Magic Symbols and Runes – English Translation". Academia.edu. Retrieved 3 May 2025. The Vegvísir appears on page 60 of the Huld manuscript, compiled by Geir Vigfússon in 1860. This is the earliest known depiction of the symbol.
  4. ^ a b "Vegvisir Symbol Origin Facts ans Sources". Skjalden.com. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2025. The earliest description and depiction of the Vegvísir symbol is on page 60 in the Huld manuscript from 1860, compiled by Geir Vigfússon. There are no known earlier sources.
  5. ^ "Vegvisir Path Guide Justin Foster 2013 - 2023".
  6. ^ Magnússon, Ásgeir Blöndal (1989). Íslensk orðsifjabók (Icelandic Etymological Dictionary). Orðabók Háskólans.
  7. ^ a b "vejviser". ordnet.dk. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  8. ^ "vägvisare". saob.se. Swedish Academy. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  9. ^ "2:2. Þ(TH)-Ö". Ordbok öfver svenska medeltids-språket – via Project Runeberg.
  10. ^ Flowers (1989:88).
  11. ^ Flowers, Stephen E. (2005). Galdrabók: An Icelandic Book of Magic (Second, Revised ed.). Rûna-Raven Press. p. 64. (originally published in 1989 by Samuel Weiser as Galdrabók: An Icelandic Grimoire.)
  12. ^ Vlasatý, Tomáš (April 5, 2019). "Origins of the "vegvísir" symbol". Project Forlǫg (Reenactment and Science).

Bibliography

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