Vegvisir Runic Compass Fascinating Images and Meaning

In Galdrabok, a 16th century Icelandic spellbook, it is written that carving a runic compass into a person's skin will prevent them from getting lost.

 The practice still exists today, but instead of using an old blade to tattoo, It is done with tattoo machines. Of the many symbols scandinavians that have existed throughout the centuries, vegvisir it is by far the most popular in the field of body art (even Björk has one). In short, there is no better compass that will be with you when cell service disappears and navigation GPS ceases to exist.

The elegant shapes of the Vegvisir tips are similar to the abbreviations we use for primary orientation in English: N, E, S, W, NW, etc. The rune seen in all these tattoos is believed to act as a magic compass.

Galdrabok says: » Whoever carries this sign, no one will ever get lost in storms or bad weather, even when the way is unknown. «. 

Although the emblem's mysterious power serves as a compass, Vegvisir's orientation likely stems from the sun stones, unlike modern instruments that use the earth's magnetic field.

Due to its origin, the runic compass is often called a Viking compass, but this is a mistake. There is no historical evidence to support the appearance of Vegvisir during the was viking (it first appeared after about 400 years), but this symbol is often attributed to the Scandinavian conquerors, connecting it with images of bearded warriors in horned helmets. This is a typical anachronism.

The Vegvisir runic compass belongs to the class of galdrastavs, combined runic and peri-runic images.