Helm of Awe: Difference between revisions
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Removed reference to the Huld manuscript which does not reference the stave by name nor depict it. Also remove unsubstantiated claim that the stave was used in Christian rituals. I do not speak Icelandic and so am not able to interpret the source given deeply. An Icelandic speaker or another source interpreting this text would be greatly appreciated. |
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[[File:Aegishjalmr.svg|thumb|The modern Icelandic occult symbol that shares the name of the object in Norse mythology]] |
[[File:Aegishjalmr.svg|thumb|The modern Icelandic occult symbol that shares the name of the object in Norse mythology]] |
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The '''Helm of Awe''' or Helm of Terror (Icelandic: ''Ægishjálmur'', Old Norse ''Œgishjalmr'') is an object in [[Norse mythology]] relating to the hoard protected by the [[Germanic dragon|worm]] [[Fáfnir]] and subsequently the name of a modern [[Icelandic magical staves|Icelandic magical stave]]. |
The '''Helm of Awe''' or '''Helm of Terror''' (Icelandic: ''Ægishjálmur'', Old Norse ''Œgishjalmr'') is an object in [[Norse mythology]] relating to the hoard protected by the [[Germanic dragon|worm]] [[Fáfnir]] and subsequently the name of a modern [[Icelandic magical staves|Icelandic magical stave]]. |
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==Medieval attestations of the object== |
==Medieval attestations of the object== |
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===Völsunga saga=== |
===Völsunga saga=== |
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A physical object called the "Helm of Terror" is referenced as one item Sigurð takes from Fafnir's hoard after he slays him in [[Völsunga saga]].<ref>Byock, Jesse. ''The Saga of the Volsungs''. London: Penguin, 1999, pp. 66.</ref> |
A physical object called the "Helm of Terror" is referenced as one item Sigurð takes from Fafnir's hoard after he slays him in [[Völsunga saga]].<ref>Byock, Jesse. ''The Saga of the Volsungs''. London: Penguin, 1999, pp. 66.</ref> |
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===Reginsmál=== |
===Reginsmál=== |
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==Origin of the Stave== |
==Origin of the Stave== |
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The first recorded appearance of the symbol came from the Galdrakver written in 1670 and recovered from the collection of Bishop Hannes Finnsson by Jón Árnason and rebound in 1865 |
The first recorded appearance of the symbol came from the Galdrakver written in 1670 and recovered from the collection of Bishop Hannes Finnsson by Jón Árnason and rebound in 1865.<ref>{{cite web |title=Galdrakver |url=https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-0143/25 |website=handrit.is |access-date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427134228/https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-0143/25#page/10v/mode/2up |archive-date=27 April 2022 |page=26 |language=Icelandic, Latin}}</ref> |
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==Link between the item and symbol== |
==Link between the item and symbol== |
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While it is debated whether the Helm of Awe may have been an actual helm, in Medieval sources, it never references a symbol such as that recorded in the [[modern period]]. The meaning of the word used to define the helm seemed to change as years went on, going from a physical object to a voracious trait of striking fear into one with a glance.{{sfn|Storesund}}{{ |
While it is debated whether the Helm of Awe may have been an actual helm, in Medieval sources, it never references a symbol such as that recorded in the [[modern period]]. The meaning of the word used to define the helm seemed to change as years went on, going from a physical object to a voracious trait of striking fear into one with a glance.{{sfn|Storesund}}{{unreliable source?|date=May 2023}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Bind rune]] |
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* [[Sigil]] - a type of magical symbol |
* [[Sigil]] - a type of magical symbol |
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* [[Vegvísir]] - another Icelandic magical stave first recorded in the modern period |
* [[Vegvísir]] - another Icelandic magical stave first recorded in the modern period |
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* {{cite web|last1=Storesund |first1=Eirik |title=Clubbing Solomon's Seal: The Occult Roots of the Ægishjálmur |url=https://www.brutenorse.com/blog/2018/5/14/the-gishjalmur |website=Brute Norse |access-date=15 December 2022}} |
* {{cite web|last1=Storesund |first1=Eirik |title=Clubbing Solomon's Seal: The Occult Roots of the Ægishjálmur |url=https://www.brutenorse.com/blog/2018/5/14/the-gishjalmur |website=Brute Norse |access-date=15 December 2022}} |
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{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
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[[Category:Magic symbols]] |
[[Category:Magic symbols]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Artifacts in Norse mythology]] |
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[[Category:Völsung cycle]] |
[[Category:Völsung cycle]] |
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{{Norse-myth-stub}} |
{{Norse-myth-stub}} |
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{{Iceland-stub}} |
{{Iceland-stub}} |
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Latest revision as of 19:41, 8 November 2024
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The Helm of Awe or Helm of Terror (Icelandic: Ægishjálmur, Old Norse Œgishjalmr) is an object in Norse mythology relating to the hoard protected by the worm Fáfnir and subsequently the name of a modern Icelandic magical stave.
Medieval attestations of the object
[edit]Völsunga saga
[edit]A physical object called the "Helm of Terror" is referenced as one item Sigurð takes from Fafnir's hoard after he slays him in Völsunga saga.[1]
Reginsmál
[edit]In the prose of Reginsmál, Fáfnir is described as owning the helm and that all living creatures feared it.[2]
Fáfnismál
[edit]The object is also discussed in Fáfnismál in the Poetic Edda, here translated as "Fear-helm":
| Old Norse text[3] | Bellows translation[4] |
|---|---|
|
Fáfnir kvað:
Sigurðr kvað:
|
Fafnir spake:
Sigurth spake:
|
In the next stanzas of the poem, Sigurð refers to the helm again:
| Old Norse text[5] | Bellows translation[6] |
|---|---|
|
|
Origin of the Stave
[edit]The first recorded appearance of the symbol came from the Galdrakver written in 1670 and recovered from the collection of Bishop Hannes Finnsson by Jón Árnason and rebound in 1865.[7]
Link between the item and symbol
[edit]While it is debated whether the Helm of Awe may have been an actual helm, in Medieval sources, it never references a symbol such as that recorded in the modern period. The meaning of the word used to define the helm seemed to change as years went on, going from a physical object to a voracious trait of striking fear into one with a glance.[8][unreliable source?]
See also
[edit]- Bind rune
- Sigil - a type of magical symbol
- Vegvísir - another Icelandic magical stave first recorded in the modern period
References
[edit]- ^ Byock, Jesse. The Saga of the Volsungs. London: Penguin, 1999, pp. 66.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Reginsmol: prose prelude to stanza 15.
- ^ Fáfnismál (ON), Stanza 16 & 17.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Fafnismol: stanzas 16 & 17.
- ^ Fáfnismál (ON), Stanza 19.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Fafnismol: stanzas 19.
- ^ "Galdrakver". handrit.is (in Icelandic and Latin). p. 26. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Storesund.
Bibliography
[edit]Primary
[edit]- Bellows, Henry Adam (2004). The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486437101.
- "Fáfnismál". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
Secondary
[edit]- Storesund, Eirik. "Clubbing Solomon's Seal: The Occult Roots of the Ægishjálmur". Brute Norse. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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