Brief explanation
The name "Valknut" is a relatively new Norwegian word meaning "knot of the slain", or "knot of the slain warriors". It is a figure consisting of three intertwined triangles. It is an old symbol from Norse mythology that can mean many things.
The Viking symbol it represents, on the other hand, dates back to ancient times and refers to pagan worship of the dead.
Historians can find the Viking triangle most often engraved on rune stones or tombstones alongside Odin or sacred Viking animals.
They represent respectively heaven, earth and hell linked to receive fallen Viking warriors. The Valknut is therefore the symbol of the Viking warrior.
As for the origin of the Valknut, most believe that it was linked to Odin, a powerful and highly revered god in Norse mythology. Odin is said to be a powerful magician who is generally associated with wisdom, war, poetry, shamanism, magic and the dead.
In archaeology, we find this symbol on stones or other memorial stones from the Viking Age on the Swedish island of Gotland, as well as on funerary objects found in Norway in the burial mound of Oseberg where a Viking longship was discovered.
The name Valknut was introduced by the Norwegians long after the Viking era.
Valknut only appears in connection with the cult of the dead, such as in ashlars and the burial of ships.
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