Mjölnir
Viking Age
Thor's hammer: strength and protection
Viking Symbols and Their Meanings
The Vikings carved, wore and painted symbols on everything from silver pendants to rune stones. Some of the best-known "Viking symbols" today, like the Vegvísir and the Helm of Awe, actually come from Icelandic magic books written centuries later. Here is every major Norse symbol, what it means, and where it really comes from, so you can choose one that means something to you.
Written by Sonya · Halden, Norway
Viking Age = found on objects or carvings from c. 793–1066 · Norse myth = from the Eddas, written down in the 13th century · Later Icelandic = from Icelandic manuscripts of the 17th–19th centuries · Modern = a recent design.
Valknut
Viking Age
Three knotted triangles, linked to Odin and the fallen
Huginn & Muninn
Viking Age
Odin's ravens: thought and memory
ᛖ Ehwaz, the horse rune
Sleipnir
Viking Age
Odin's eight-legged horse
Jörmungandr
Viking Age
The world serpent: cycles and endurance
Fenrir
Viking Age
The bound wolf: strength and defiance
Triple Horn of Odin
Viking Age
Three interlocked drinking horns, often linked to Odin and the mead of poetry
Runes
Viking Age
The runic alphabet: names, words and single-rune meanings
Bind runes
Viking Age
Several runes joined into one personal sign
Yggdrasil
Norse myth
The world tree that links the nine worlds
Gungnir
Norse myth
Odin's spear, which never misses
Vegvísir
Later Icelandic
A wayfinding stave: never lose your way
Helm of Awe
Later Icelandic
Protection and fearlessness
Web of Wyrd
Modern
Fate woven by the Norns
Which symbol for what
| Purpose | Symbols | Rune |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Mjölnir, Helm of Awe | Algiz |
| Guidance and finding your way | Vegvísir | Raidho |
| Wisdom | Huginn & Muninn, Gungnir | Ansuz |
| Strength and courage | Mjölnir, Fenrir | Uruz |
| Family, roots and heritage | Yggdrasil | Othala |
| Honouring someone who has died | Valknut | — |
| Fate and how everything connects | Yggdrasil, Web of Wyrd, Jörmungandr | Perthro |
| Something personal | A bind rune of your initials, or your name in runes | — |
Which symbols did the Vikings actually use?
Mjölnir is the clearest case: hundreds of small hammer pendants have been found across Scandinavia, many from the 10th century. The Valknut appears on picture stones from Gotland and on a bedpost from the Oseberg ship burial, though we don't know what the Vikings called it. Ravens, wolves, serpents and Odin's eight-legged horse all appear in Viking Age carvings, and the Vikings wrote with runes every day. Yggdrasil and Gungnir come from Norse myth, written down in Iceland in the 13th century. No certain Viking Age picture of either survives, so every design you see is a modern interpretation. The Vegvísir and the Helm of Awe are genuine Icelandic magical staves, but they come from manuscripts of the 17th to 19th centuries; the Vegvísir is first recorded in 1860. The Web of Wyrd is a modern design inspired by the Norns, the weavers of fate. None of this makes the later symbols less meaningful. It just means you know what you're wearing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous Viking symbol?
Mjölnir, Thor's hammer. It is also the one the Vikings most clearly wore themselves, as small pendants.
What Viking symbol means protection?
Mjölnir and the Helm of Awe are the best-known protection symbols. Among the runes, Algiz is the rune of protection.
Is the Vegvísir a Viking symbol?
Not from the Viking Age. It is an Icelandic magical stave first recorded in a manuscript from 1860. It is a genuine piece of Icelandic tradition, just a much later one.
What is the difference between runes and Norse symbols?
Runes are an alphabet: each one is a letter with a traditional name and meaning. Symbols such as Mjölnir or the Valknut are images, not letters.
Is the Valknut a hate symbol?
Not in itself. It is a genuine Viking Age motif, but some extremist groups have misused it, so it appears in hate-symbol databases alongside its ordinary meaning. It is worth knowing that context before you wear it.
Which Norse symbol means family?
Yggdrasil, the world tree, is often chosen for family and roots, and the rune Othala stands for heritage and home.
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