Study › Runes & Norse › The Valknut
The valknut is a knot of three interlocking triangles, one of the few Norse symbols truly from the Viking Age. It appears on picture stones beside Odin, and it is read as his mark on the fallen.
What is the valknut?
The Valknut — a knot of three interlocking triangles — is one of the few Norse symbols with genuine Viking Age pedigree. It is carved on the Gotland picture stones of the 8th and 9th centuries and on objects laid with the dead, again and again in the company of Odin, his ravens and his horse. Its name is modern (Norwegian valknute, 'knot of the slain'), but the sign itself is old.
What the valknut means
Because it keeps such company, it is read as Odin's mark upon the fallen — the god who chooses the slain for Valhalla and who holds the power to bind a warrior's courage or loose it. The three linked triangles suggest the knotting together of fate, and their nine points echo the nine worlds held in Yggdrasil. What it meant to the carvers is nowhere written down; the meaning we give it is drawn from the places it appears.
It belongs to Odin, who chooses the slain for Valhalla.
Questions
What does valknut mean?
"Knot of the slain". The name is modern, but the sign is old.
Is the valknut a Viking symbol?
Yes. It is carved on Gotland picture stones of the 8th and 9th centuries.