Lady Victoria Eclectic Pagan's blog: "The Norse Realm"

Hugin and Munin (Thought and Memory) Hugin and Munin (Norse, thought and memory) are the twin ravens of Norse mythology. They are the servants of the Norse All-Father, Odin. According to legend, they are sent out each morning and report back to Odin each evening on the reports of the happenings of the world. The examples above are adapted from a Viking picture stone from Gotland, Sweden, called the "Larbro" stone, which depicts scenes of the Norse Gods and the afterlife. Gungnir (Gar, Spear of Odin, Sword of Odin) The Norse Runeletter Gar, which symbolizes the legendary weapon of Odin, Gungnir. Gungnir was a Dwarven magical weapon given to Odin by Loki, which never misses its mark, and always returns to Odin's hand. Spirit Ship (Ship of the Slain) The spirit ship is a common theme of Norse pictographs carved in stone, some dating to the fifth millennium BCE. The spirit's ship is most commonly found on funerary monuments, where it represents the journey to the afterlife. The symbol has obvious connections to the Viking practice of sending the deceased into the afterlife aboard a burning ship. Interestingly, the form of the boat in the ancient carvings is identical to the Viking longship. Similar carvings have been found in Canada, dating as far back as 800 BCE. Sleipnir Sleipnir is the legendary eight-legged horse belonging to Odin, the Father-God of the Norse pantheon. Sleipnir carries Odin between the world of the Gods and the world of matter. The eight legs symbolize the directions of the compass, and Sleipnir's ability to travel through land and air. According to legend, Sleipnir is the offspring of the God Loki and the horse of the Giants, Svaldifari. Irminsul The Irminsul is a common symbol of the Asatru faith. The Irminsul was a solar-phallic pillar used in religious worship practices by early Anglo-Saxons, and destroyed by Charlemagne in 772 AD It's exact meaning is unknown, although it may be connected with the Anglo-saxon deity Irmin, who is possibly related to the Norse God Tyr (a theory supported by the shape of the runeletter tyr). The Irminsul was likely related to the World Tree Yggdrasil, a symbol of the axis mundi (world axis), a symbol of man and the cosmos. Modern Irminsuls usually consist of an upright pole or cross, representing the union of earth with the heavens, and are often surmounted or hung with a solar wheel or sun cross. Jumis The symbol of Jumis (pr. Yoo-mis), the Baltic Pagan God who personified the harvest. The symbol of Jumis is two stylized, crossed corn stalks, a glyph which may be related to the Sanskrit word for 'twin.' The two tied stalks are reminiscent of offerings left after the gathering in of the grain; they represent the two faces of the God, who is also related to the Roman Janus. The symbol is one of prosperity and good fortune, and is often found on clothing and decorative painting. Nidstang (Nithing Pole) Nidstang means, literally, "curse pole." The nidstang (sometimes called a "Nithing Pole," or "niding pole") is an ancient Scandinavian custom of formal cursing or hexing someone. A wooden pole or stake was inscribed with the intended consequence and erected with a ceremony. A horse's head or carcass was placed atop the pole in the facing in the direction one wished to send the curse. Today, the nidstang is more likely to be virtual- an internet curse accompanied by a virtual horse's head (I'm sure the horses are relieved). Yggdrasil (Norse Tree of Life) A stylized image of Yggdrasil, the Norse World Ash, the giant mythological Tree that holds together the Nine Worlds or realms of existence. This image appears on the famous Överhogdal Tapestry, which dates to the year 1066 and depicts the events of Ragnarok, the apocalyptic tale of Pre-Christian Norse legend. It encompasses the Nine Worlds, and is guarded by the serpent Jormungandr. Yggdrasil is one of many variations of the Cosmic Axis or Universal World Tree known to all human cultures. Yggdrasil is home to many creatures, most notably the serpent or Dragon Nidhogg, lurks in the base, The Rooster Gullinkambi (golden comb), who lives at the tree's peak, and the squirrel, Ratatosk, who carries messages between them. These animals can be viewed as metaphors for the human body. According to Norse legend, Yggdrasil is where the god Odin hung upside-down for nine nights in order to obtain the Rune Alphabet. Beneath the roots of the World Ash lies the spring, Mimir, to which Odin sacrificed an eye to gain wisdom. Einherjar (Heroic Dead) In Norse Pagan (Asatru) mythology, the Einherjar are the "heroic dead" culled by the Valkyries from the battle field, and divided amongst Odin and Freyja. These warrior spirits live with the Aesir in Valhallah, where they practice for the final battle of Ragnarok, where they will fight alongside Odin and the Aesir. The Einherjar were often depicted in Norse funerary artifacts as armed helpers of the god Odin, and are holdovers from Neolithic times. Lady of the Beasts (Ormgudinna, Mistress of animals) The Mistress of animals, as she is sometimes referred to, is a fourth century stone carving of an unknown Norse Goddess. She usually appears with serpents in each hand, possibly linking her to the ancient Babylonian Goddess Ishtar, or to the Cretan Bee Goddess. She is probably a creator goddess, as she is shown in a birthing position. The triskele above her head most likely symbolizes the Goddess as creatrix. It is made up of the three animals emblematic of the Celtic domains of existence: the boar, representing the earth; the snake, an emblem of water; the bird, representing the sky. Ausekla Zvaigzne (Star of Auseklis, Morning Star) Aueskla means "star" in Lithuanian, and the Ausekla Zvaigzne ("star cross"), or Star of Auseklis, is the emblem of the Baltic Goddess Auseklis. The symbol is one of many ancient cosmological and magical symbols used in Eastern European folk art, and represents the goddess as the personification of the planet Venus. Tryzub (Ukrainian Trident) The Tryzub (pronounced "treh-zoob") is the ubiquitous symbol of Ukraine. The ancient symbol is believed to have originated as a tribal symbol; today it is emblazoned on the country's flag, on postage, money, business logos, even Easter eggs! The highly stylized version seen almost everywhere in Ukraine originated as the family crest of Volodymyr, a tenth century Ukrainian Prince. Today, the tryzub is worn as a symbol of national pride, as a symbol of the Christian trinity, or as a synthesis of the divine elements of fire and water in the manifest world. Web of Wyrd (Skuld's net) A modern representation of the Web of Wyrd, the matrix of fate (wyrd) as woven by the Nornir, the fates of Norse legend. The emblem, nine staves arranged in an angular grid, contains all of the shapes of the runes and therefore all of the past, present, and future possibilities they represent. The web serves as a reminder that the actions of the past affect the present and that present actions affect the future; all timelines are inextricably interconnected- in a sense, it is a representation of the tree of life.