12/7/2023 0 Comments Asatru valknut tattooInstead of three interlocking horns, it was three strategically arranged 7’s. However, today, people avoid this beautiful tattoo because far-right extremist groups frequently use it to identify themselves as white supremacists. The number three has always been an important number in Norse beliefs, and the Triskelion isn’t the only symbol that showcases a triple representation. ![]() They also represent the power of three and the beauty of symmetry. Triskelions are the marks of storytellers, poets, musicians, historians, and skalds. Specifically, it represents the horns of Óðrœrir, Boðn, and Són. The Norse version is straighter and represents three interlocking drinking (mead) horns. There are numerous variations of it some feature straight lines, while others incorporate curves. The Norse Triskelion (also called the Celtic Triskele) is a simple figure comprising three interlocking horns. Many scholars argue that the best way to counter far-right misuse is to drown it out with positive and accurate representations of Norse myth - the position I took in my recent retelling.īut in the wake of the mass shooting in Norway in 2011 by Anders Breivik, who named his guns after weapons of the Norse gods, as well as the 2019 Christchurch mass shooter Brenton Tarrant, with his allusions to Valhalla, and of this latest poster-boy of far-right insurrection, we have to think very hard about whether this is the right approach to counter a truly global extremist movement.What is a triskelion? See below 1. Why wasn't the US Capitol prepared for an insurrection?īut if certain symbols are hard for the general public to spot, they are certainly dog whistles to members of an increasingly global white supremacist movement who know exactly what they mean.Sky recently cancelled a reality TV show after viewers complained one contestant was covered in tattoos - including on his face - that could be seen as having far-right connotations. These "coded" symbols, and others newly borrowed from Norse myth, are even harder to spot and condemn. One of these is the Othala runic letter - its name means "inherited land", and so it frequently appears in the emblems of white nationalist groups from Ukraine to the US. He is displaying these tattoos to full effect, and wants them to be seen.įar-right adherents also favour other characters from the Germanic runic writing system which communicate similar messages. ![]() Borrowed symbolsĪngeli claims that he wears his bizarre costume to draw attention to himself - but there's surely another reason for the bare chest and precariously low-slung pants. Whatever its original meaning, it has been used in more recent times by various neo-pagan groups - and increasingly by some white supremacists as a coded message of their belief in violent struggle. Snorri Sturluson, a medieval Icelandic collector of myths, tells us in his "Language of Poetry" that a famous giant called Hrungnir had a stone heart "pointed with three corners", and so the valknut is sometimes also called "Hrungnir's Heart". As Odin is closely connected with the gathering of fallen warriors to Valhalla, the valknut may be a symbol of death in battle. The symbol's original meaning is unclear, but it appears in close proximity to the father of the gods, Odin, on the stones. It depicts a valknut - an image that appears on two Viking-Age stones from Sweden carved with scenes from Norse mythology, including the Stora Hammars I stone on the island of Gotland. Unlike Thor's hammer, it was only rarely depicted by the Vikings, and representations such as the one below are modern interpretations.Ībove these tattoos with a central place in Norse mythology is one that is more contentious. Yggdrasill is the giant ash tree that supports the Norse cosmos, its branches reaching into sky realms inaccessible to humans, and its roots to the subterranean realm of the dead. ![]() Mjölnir is one symbol we can be pretty sure was used by the original adherents of the Norse belief system, perhaps to summon the protection of the god Thor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |