Valknut Meaning: What We Know About the Viking-Age Symbol

The Valknut is the modern name for a motif of three interlocking triangles found on objects and picture stones from Viking-Age Scandinavia. The motif is genuinely ancient, and it often appears in settings connected with death, burial or figures read as Odin. Its original name and exact meaning, however, are unknown.

A real Viking-Age motif

The Swedish History Museum catalogues the motif on several objects, including picture stones from Gotland and a silver ring-headed pin whose terminals are decorated with it. Its existence is not in doubt. What we do not know is what people in the Viking Age called it or precisely what it meant to them.

Where it appears

Two Gotland picture stones are especially telling. On the stone from Stånga, a triangular knot appears near a scene with seated figures, a spear and an approaching figure; the museum itself notes that the scene is hard to interpret. On the stone from Lillbjärs, a ship scene and a "welcome" scene appear alongside both a triquetra and a Valknut, and because the stone stood on a burial mound the museum suggests it may have served as a memorial.

Is the name "Valknut" original?

No. No Viking-Age text calls the symbol a Valknut; the name is modern, usually explained as "knot of the slain". That translation shapes how the motif is read today, but it is not evidence of what it was called at the time.

Odin, death and Hrungnir's heart

Because the motif keeps company with spears, ships, burial and figures often identified as Odin, many scholars associate it with Odin and with the dead. That association is well founded but not proven, since identifying figures on picture stones is rarely certain.

Snorri's Prose Edda describes the giant Hrungnir as having a heart of stone with three corners, and later writers have compared that heart with the triple-triangle motif. The comparison is interesting; it is not an identification.

A symbol that needs context today

The Anti-Defamation League notes that some white supremacists have appropriated the Valknot, as it spells the name, while stressing that non-racist pagans also use the symbol and that it should be judged in context. For most wearers, it is a reference to Norse heritage and myth.

Valknut in jewellery

A Valknut motif can reference Viking-Age art, Odin, remembrance or an interest in Norse culture. It is not a rune; for the runes themselves, see our guide to rune meanings, or read about Odin's spear, Gungnir.

You can see the AURYN Valknut charm on its product page.