Vegvísir and Medieval Icelandic Magic

Anonymous asked:

Hi. I’ve read somewhere that Vegvisir and other Icelandic “magical” staves were made by Christians in the 19th century. Yet they seem to always be associated with the Vikings and the Viking Age. Can you confirm this, or do you have any other information about it? Thanks!

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This is quite complicated a subject, but I am more than happy to provide some insight. Before you asked this question, I was not entirely familiar with the vegvísir, to be honest. That in itself should say something, since out of all my classes and studies it has not once come up unless within the “popular” sphere (I will explain that in a moment). Still, I have done some research and attempted to find reasonable sources (which, I must say, can be hard to find with this subject). Hopefully my answer is helpful, I will provide some direct links to other readings if you wish to discover more.

My answer has become a bit of an “essay”, so I am going to attach a “keep reading” for those who may not wish this to overtake their dashboard. However, I will include a “summarized” version of my answer for those who want to know without reading my explanations:

(From my Conclusion below)

The Vegvísir and other magical staves possibly have an origin in Viking Age magic, but did not likely exist in the form presented in the nineteenth-century manuscripts. Icelanders have always had a passion for their past and even converting to Christianity did not cause their interest to fade. Instead, their interests merged. These symbols are possibly a later, more “advanced” rendition of an old tradition. Though, that is assuming the “line” was never broken. It is equally likely to be a revival of an old tradition, making it “new” in a sense. I would say the confusion with associating these symbols with nineteenth-century Christians and the Viking Age is due to this blur between old tradition and new revival.

It may not be satisfying, but my say is that the Vegvísir and other magical staves have an old, complicated history that we simply lost track of. The Vegvísir and other magical staves that we know today are a product of many years of change. They are part of a “new” Viking-type identity.

Foreword

I want to start by talking about that “popular” sphere I mentioned before for a moment. Unfortunately, history often falls victim to idealization and romanticism. By that, I mean that certain things can get taken out of context or expanded into bigger symbols and I think this is definitely something that has happened with the vegvísir. It is not a bad thing, culturally speaking, but it can be when asking of origins and original meanings. Honestly, I enjoy seeing things being admired in such a way, though I wish more care was taken in the process. It is fine to admire and give things new meaning, but we should all understand where it comes from and not impose or assume anything ourselves. If it is ambiguous, like the vegvísirseems to be, then we should acknowledge it as such.

The vegvísir seems to have become a popular symbol within the Ásatrú movement to revive Norse/Germanic paganism and has taken on popularity within that new context. This is not a bad thing and I do not mean to criticize them doing so, because the symbol ishistorically attested (just not as far back as the Viking Age, from what I gather). Still, Ásatrú is also identifiable with anything “Viking”, since it is a lifestyle that complements the mythology (or so we wish it to). Before I get myself too far off track, my intention is to say that new depth has been added to this symbol for our contemporary audience. This is something that is quite common for historical elements that are “mysterious” and without much existing information.

Linguistic Support

This is not entirely concrete, since modern Icelandic has retained so much of its older counterpart, but it is still interesting to include regardless.

The word for Vegvísir is made up from two words that did exist in Old Norse, allowing for the possibility of its roots stretching back to the point. However, the word itself does not seem to appear in the early language. What does show up, are these words:

I could also understand the need for something to help with guidance for a culture so fascinated with exploration. Still, I cannot ignore the fact that I have yet to come across the word or usage of such a symbol on my readings. If it existed in such a form as it is presented to us now, it would have shown up on something. This leads me to suggest that the Vegvísir is a product of change and time. Taking from old roots, but put together by a new mind.

Historical Memory

It is quite obvious that the Vegvísir and other magical staves have a deep history. Magic and runes appear in countless sagas and are referred to in the sources we have from the Viking Age. However, a great deal of sources we have pertaining to the Viking Age and its culture come from later medieval, and even post-medieval, manuscripts. These sources have traces of material, but it is fruitless and dangerous to tear them apart in search for “facts” regarding the Viking Age. They more accurately represent the time that they were produced; in the case of our given subject we must assume they have not been purely preserved. This is a foundational concept to have when studying material about the Viking Age (such as the sagas of Iceland and even Ireland).

It seems that the “best” source for the Vegvísir is the Huld Manuscript (ÍB 383 4to). It was written in 1860 by Geir Vigfússon, but was likely a copy or based off of early material. That being said, I would doubt that these magical staves were invented during this period. They definitely run deeper, which is why there is hype about it. However, no manuscript dating early that 1600, that I know of, attests them. Still, it was not uncommon for material to be copied. In fact, much of the sagas and material we have only survives in such a way. This is how it appears in that manuscript:

You can see that the symbol exists and runes are even provided on this page as well. Though, this image presents a historical memory. The runes are mixed with latin letters (even roman numerals) and you can also see the later-medieval versions of runes are being used. You can see this on the right side, third line down. The author used a /y/ rune in one of the words. This bit of observation should make someone suspicious about the material being “pure” from the Viking Age, since even the runes themselves are later variations. However, this also implies that it is built upon older material and not invented purely during their age. Instead, it suggests that this symbol is a blending of new and old ideas, a moment of collision.

This is a process that is quite unavoidable. We all tend to take history and use it to shape our lives. When we do this, it also changes to fit our modern worlds. This process is not unique to our age alone, it seems to be a rather human thing to do. Even the author seems to have done this to some extent. Now, I do not necessarily have “evidence” to support me saying that this is historical memory. It is more of my interpretation of the material based on my experience with the sagas. 

Conclusion

The Vegvísir and other magical staves possibly have an origin in Viking Age magic, but did not likely exist in the form presented in the nineteenth-century manuscripts. Icelanders have always had a passion for their past and even converting to Christianity did not cause their interest to fade. Instead, their interests merged. These symbols are possibly a later, more “advanced” rendition of an old tradition. Though, that is assuming the “line” was never broken. It is equally likely to be a revival of an old tradition, making it “new” in a sense. I would say the confusion with associating these symbols with nineteenth-century Christians and the Viking Age is due to this blur between old tradition and new revival.

It may not be satisfying, but my say is that the Vegvísir and other magical staves have an old, complicated history that we simply lost track of. The Vegvísir and other magical staves that we know today are a product of many years of change. They are part of a “new” Viking-type identity.

I hope my answer was helpful. I am no expert on this material specifically, but I believe my insights and interpretations may have been useful still. Thank you very much for asking! It is always my pleasure to answer and discuss with you all. If there is anything else you would like to know or have me clear up, let it be known.

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Sources

1. Geir T. Zoëga, A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2004), 478-479.
2. (Huld Manuscript) ÍB 383 4to – Handrit.is

The author of the following two links seems to be pretty dedicated to this topic. I am not exactly sure of his credentials, but based on his work, he seems to be credible enough to be worth recommending. You can read what he has to say if you’d like:

1. Foster, Justin. “Justin Foster – Academia.edu.” Academia.edu. Accessed May 08, 2016. http://independent.academia.edu/FosterJustin.
2. Foster, Justin. “Icelandic Magical Staves.” Galdrastafir. Accessed May 08, 2016. http://users.on.net/~starbase/galdrastafir/galdrastafir.htm#vegvisir.

Other Interesting Manuscripts:

1. Lbs 4375 8vo – Handrit.is
2. Lbs 143 8vo – Handrit.is
3. AM 434 d 12mo – Handrit.is
4. Lbs 4375 8vo – Handrit.is