The famous vegvisir, nicknamed the compass of life by neo-paganism. According to him, this symbol helps us stay on the path of life and achieve personal fulfillment, and not deviate, however from a materialistic and modern point of view.
If you thought this symbol was Viking, I’m sorry to tell you that’s not the case.
Végvisir etymologically means, veg-visir-path mark. This symbol belongs to Icelandic magic and appears for the first time in the Huld manuscript in the 17th century, forming part of the galdrabook. It is a mixture of Norse runes and Solomonic magic, resembling the latter more than the former. In that book this symbol is accompanied by a phrase, without which it has no power and its purpose would be to help sailors not get lost in the storm.
We must understand that although the Nordics were expert navigators, their tools were limited, and the problem came on stormy nights since by not seeing the stars they could easily deviate from their course.
The ancients used amulets for everything, you can find amulets so that the bread does not rot, so that the cow does not get sick or so that your daughter marries the hunk of your choice.
There are many people today who are getting a vegvisir tattoo… If you are one of these people or were thinking about doing it, don’t get frustrated if you thought it had another meaning. In the end it is still a sigil, and sigils are intended by oneself so it is you who must give them their meaning. The magician who created the vegvisir created it for that purpose, but it doesn’t have to be yours, in fact you can modify its lines to your liking. Without going any further we can see in the following image how it changes slightly from one book to another.
In my opinion the végvisir as it is, would be a protective amulet, especially for long trips. Its function would be to connect with our divine part and help us choose the correct paths to keep us safe or show us the right path at a crossroads when Google Maps has lost its coverage or sends us against a wall. A végvisir in synergy with one’s own intuition may be better than a compass in these times.
I hope you liked the post and found it as revealing as I did when I discovered these facts. Don’t hesitate to ask me or comment whatever you want! A huge hug and thanks for reading me!
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