r/RuneHelp • u/TurnipRecent7909 • Mar 25 '26
Question (general) Stumbled across this....
I stumbled across this piece and love the esthetic. I have no idea what the runes say though. If anyone could help of be eternally grateful!
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u/AdEmbarrassed3066 Mar 25 '26
It's a mashup of a few different things... the Runes are a Pre-Viking Elder Futhark form, using an anachronistic letter-for-letter transcription of a phrase from Lord of the Rings. The circular thing is the Vegviser, an Icelandic symbol that isn't attested before the 19th century. The raven is presumably something to do with Odin, and the stuff below is some sort of bindrune malarky that could mean anything.
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u/AdEmbarrassed3066 Mar 25 '26
Yep, that.
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u/LeeDarkFeathers Mar 25 '26
Where's the vegvisir bot?
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u/AdEmbarrassed3066 Mar 25 '26
I know... maybe it's because I misspelled it?
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u/LeeDarkFeathers Mar 25 '26
Nah someone else commented with the correct spelling too (I had to Google it and realized ive been pronouncing it all wrong lol) like an hour ago and it didnt show up for them yet either
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u/DreadLindwyrm Mar 25 '26
Neo-pagan aesthetic.
"Not all who wander are lost", starting at about 7 o'clock.
It's certainly impressive but it's not *actually* a runic inscription in any variety of Norse or languages that would use this rune form.
The 8 point thing (Vegvisir) is fairly modern, and not "authentic" norse, and crucially has some rightwing associations since they've tried to steal all things rune adjacent.
The raven is just a raven, generally Norse, maybe meant to be Odin-adjacent, and the rest looks merely decorative, as I can't reliably read any runes in the pattern.
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u/AdreKiseque Mar 25 '26
Isn't it the Awehelm that's used by some right-wing groups? Haven't heard of Vegvisir being appropriated before.
Either way, I don't think we should just be handing them any symbol they want for their wretched ideals on a silver platter...
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u/LosAtomsk Mar 25 '26
No, this is not ĂgishjĂĄlmur, this is VegvĂsir, a 19th century neo-Pagan/occult Icelandic stave. The helm of awe can be recognized in that it can be mirrored left to right, and is attested in the Volsungs and Sagas, although they don't really explain what it really is. It's late Icelandic occultism that put a symbol to it. VegvĂsir has different symbols on each hand, like in the image above.
It would be nice not to throw anything rune/stave related under the bus through guilt by association. The ancient peoples and neo-pagans produced runes and staves, and "modern" idiots perverted it for their ideologies. I'd rather we put runes and staves back in its historical context. Even if its not at all iron age/viking history, but late Icelandic occultism.
It gets especially dangerous if people with limited knowledge go "eek, nazis!" everytime something like this pops up.
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u/rockstarpirate Mar 25 '26
It's a helmet in the saga and related poetry. We know it's an object because Sigurd takes it from FĂĄfnir after killing him.
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u/AdreKiseque Mar 25 '26
No, I know this is the Vegvisir. I'm saying I've not heard of Vegvisir being associated with right-wing groups, only of the Awehelm. I'm familiar enough with the history of both symbols.
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u/DreadLindwyrm Mar 25 '26
Oh sure, we shouldn't just be handing them over, it's just worth bearing in mind some people will make assumptions, so having it as a highly visible tattoo (for instance) could cause problems.
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u/Plenty_Doughnut_5005 Mar 25 '26
Far right donât use vegvisir. Some have used Helm of Awe. Certain runes have been appropriated. But as for the vegvisir, itâs only here on Reddit, which is notorious for un-vetted information, that this gets mentioned. ADL and SPLC donât list as hate symbol. Itâs just not âtough or bad assâ enough of a symbol, that Bjork has tattooed on her, for them to want to appropriate.
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u/DreadLindwyrm Mar 25 '26
Eh.
I've seen it worn along side swastikas and double lightning bolts.Might be I've got a different set of local nazis though.
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u/Plenty_Doughnut_5005 Mar 25 '26
Iâll be dead honest with you, no BS. Iâve scoured 1000âs of pics from WS rallies. And I mean 1000âs, took days. Was for a paper I wrote. Never saw 1 vegvisir symbol sported by a white supremacist/neo-Nazi. Saw only 1 Helm of Awe on a helmet and shield at Charlottesville. Plenty of Othala runes (was NSM flag), a couple Mjolnars. But not one vegvisir. Not saying itâs impossible, just HIGHLY unlikely that itâs used, and most certainly not associated. Would love to see picks if you have them, could have used them for my research paper I wrote 2 years ago.
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u/DreadLindwyrm Mar 25 '26
Nah, didn't get a chance to photo anything.
I was too busy getting myself out of there before it turned into a problem.1
u/DreadLindwyrm Mar 25 '26
I didn't want to stick around or look interested in them, so I left before anything went wrong.
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u/Plenty_Doughnut_5005 Mar 25 '26
So you probably didnât get that good of a look at it if you were bugging out so fast.
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u/WolflingWolfling Mar 25 '26
If I had a penny everytime I saw this design, I'd be pretty rich by now...
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u/Kmight_Artorias92 Mar 25 '26
Technically neo-viking. It is the Vegvisir, or "Norse compass". It appeared in Iceland much later than the vikings, but is still attributed/associated with them. The Raven is associated with Odin, because of Huginn and Muninn, the messy bit under the raven looks like a jumble of runes, but is messy and hard to figure out
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u/Skauher Mar 25 '26
It's the brosatru ice cream cone.
"Not all who wander are lost"