Valknut – Norse ~ iron-on patch

Description

Valknut – Norse ~ iron-on patch ~ 6.5 x 7.5 cm

The Valknut (Odin’s Knot) is a symbol of the transition between life and death and, according to Davidson, “is thought to symbolize the power of the god to bind and unbind” (Gods and Myths). Among Odin’s many supernatural attributes is his role as psychopomp, a figure who guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife. The name of the symbol is usually translated as “knots of those fallen in battle” signifying warriors gathered by Odin’s Valkyries from the battlefield and brought to Valhalla. The symbol is often associated with that of Hrungnir’s Heart (the heart of a giant defeated by Thor which was made of stone and pointed at three corners) which is similar but scholars continue to debate whether the two are the same. Davidson notes that “symbols resembling [the Valknut] of Odin are found beside figures of the horse and the wolf on certain cremation urns from early heathen cemeteries in East Anglia” (Gods and Myths, 147). As the horse, the wolf, and death are all associated with Odin, the interpretation of the Valknut as a symbol of protective passage from one realm to the next is probably correct but there is no general scholarly consensus on this.