Explain the Valknut Warriors Knot, Nordic God Odin Knot of the Fallen

[ShivaFan]

Please explain the Valknut Warriors Knot, Nordic God Odin Knot of the Fallen. Visually, it’s composed of three interlocking triangles. I came upon this, while searching for rings on eBay based on my ring size. So I was scrolling through the rings (I like rings, especially gold ones but was just looking for another “bump around” ring), and I came upon a ring with this symbol and described as Valknut the Warriors Knot, of the God Oden “of the Fallen”.

So I was immediately taken with the ring which I probably may purchase, because I recognized this symbol. From when I was in my teens. My Father was stationed for a time in Bad Weisen in the State of Brandenburg at the time of WW2, into the year after the war ended, so he acquired a number of very interesting things from that area. This included, in the original binder, a complete set of “cigarette cards” that were of the collection German air force, army, navy under the National Socialists. And – there was this coin he had, which had this symbol on it, it always struck me as being a coin of some political party or sect, except this coin with this symbol on it had a spear that ran through this symbol pointed upward. I recall on the reverse side of the coin, which was some form of cheap metal perhaps a mix of nickel and some other metal but not silver, were some men in some sort of military like uniform in a march or parade with one holding a flag but the flag was something like an eagle on it. I recall a date stamp on it, I could be wrong but I think it said 1929.

Curious, before I buy the ring, I might adopt it for one of my token symbols but curious about more info.

 

[Riverwolf]

Well, if you're worried about it being associated with Nazis, I don't think that would be a problem. I see Heathens sporting the Valknut all the time.

This place has some information: http://symboldictionary.net/?p=741

 

[ShivaFan]

This was the EXACT symbol as in your interesting web link, the one shown first, the same as the coin with this symbol but having an upward pointed spear running tbruugh it, and the same as on this ring which I am now going to buy.

Thanks for sharing this link. This symbol seems obviously very powerful, I am thinking it will give me good luck power. Any more insight is welcomed.

 

[Nietzsche]

Please explain the Valknut Warriors Knot, Nordic God Odin Knot of the Fallen. Visually, it’s composed of three interlocking triangles. I came upon this, while searching for rings on eBay based on my ring size. So I was scrolling through the rings (I like rings, especially gold ones but was just looking for another “bump around” ring), and I came upon a ring with this symbol and described as Valknut the Warriors Knot, of the God Oden “of the Fallen”.

The Valknut is three interlocking triangles, consisting of nine sides & nine points. Its association with Odin comes from it being found nigh exclusively in burial sites of warriors, or in depictions of war. Unlike the Greeks, Celts and the other offshoots of the Indo-European "mother religion" where the Highest God/King of the Gods is a God of Wind & Storm, Odin is the God of Wisdom, War, Poetry, and Death. Most of his names revolve around that status(God of the Dead) such as;

Valfodr(Father of the Slain)
Valdr Galga(Ruler of the Gallows)
Valtyr(Slain-God)
Draugadróttinn(Lord of the Undead)
Hangagud, Hangatyr(God of the Hanged)
Hangadróttinn(Lord of the Hanged)
Hrafnagud(Raven-God, Ravens being associated with death)

So I was immediately taken with the ring which I probably may purchase, because I recognized this symbol. From when I was in my teens. My Father was stationed for a time in Bad Weisen in the State of Brandenburg at the time of WW2, into the year after the war ended, so he acquired a number of very interesting things from that area. This included, in the original binder, a complete set of “cigarette cards” that were of the collection German air force, army, navy under the National Socialists. And – there was this coin he had, which had this symbol on it, it always struck me as being a coin of some political party or sect, except this coin with this symbol on it had a spear that ran through this symbol pointed upward. I recall on the reverse side of the coin, which was some form of cheap metal perhaps a mix of nickel and some other metal but not silver, were some men in some sort of military like uniform in a march or parade with one holding a flag but the flag was something like an eagle on it. I recall a date stamp on it, I could be wrong but I think it said 1929.

Curious, before I buy the ring, I might adopt it for one of my token symbols but curious about more info.

Like many other aspects of the Northern Traditions, the Nazis soiled it with their use of it in much the same way they bastardized the Runes.

 

[Aupmanyav]

There is something more that I would like to share with you, ShivaFan, and these are two references from Tilak's 'Arcftic Home in Vedas' about Odin's death:

"It is also stated, on the authority of Anton, Krichenbauer, that in the Iliad and Odyssey two kinds of days are continually referred to one of a year’s duration, especially when describing the life and exploits of the Gods, and the other twenty-four hours. The night of the Gods has its parallel also in the Norse mythology, which mentions “the Twilight of the Gods,” denoting by that phrase the time when the reign of Odin and the Æsir, or Gods, would come to an end, not forever, but to be again revived; for we are told that “from the dead sun springs a daughter more beautiful than her sire, and mankind starts afresh from the life-raiser and his bride-life.”
See Cox’s Mythology of the Aryan Nations, p. 41, quoting Brown’s Religion and Mythology of the Aryans of the North of Europe, Arts, 15-1."

"Thus Prof. Max Müller thinks that the name of the deity was originally Tṛita (तृत) and not Trita (त्रित - third) and he derives the former from root trî (तृ) to cross. Tṛita (तृत), which by-the-by, is not a regular grammatical form though found in the Âtharva Veda VI, 113, I and 3, would thus mean “the sun crossing the ocean,” being in this respect comparable to 'tarani' which means “the sun” in the later Sanskrit literature. In short, according to Prof. Max Müller, Tṛita (तृत) means the “set sun”; and the story of Trita (तृत) is, therefore, only a different version of the daily (Aup. adds: or yearly) struggle between light and darkness. But Prof. Max Müller’s theory requires us to assume that this misconception or the corruption of Tṛita (तृत) into Trita (त्रित) took place before the Aryan separation, inasmuch as in Old Irish we have the word 'triath' which means the sea, and which is phonetically equivalent to Greek 'triton', Sanskrit 'trita' and Zend 'thrita'. Prof. Max Müller himself admits the validity of this objection, and points out that the Old Norse 'Thridi', a name of Odin, as the mate of Har and Jasnhar, can be accounted for only on the supposition that Tṛita (तृत) was changed by a misapprehension into trita (त्रित) long before the Aryan separation. This shows to what straits scholars are reduced in explaining certain myths in the absence of the true key to their meaning."

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

It is definitely a powerful symbol. I do think it's important to note that it is, in a certain sense, a symbol of death (specifically death in battle). The spear on the coin would represent Odin's weapon of choice. He speared himself and hung from the World Tree for nine days and nights to gain wisdom. He also throws his spear into battle to choose the winners from the losers and the living from the dead. Many Heathens today display the valknut, especially devotees of Odin. One can argue it is the symbol of Odin in the same manner that the mjolnir is the symbol of Thor.

 

[Aupmanyav]

From the same book, I pick just one instance out of many: ".. if we suppose these legends to refer to the nine months of sunshine at the end of which the setting sun-god is
refreshed or invigorated for his struggle with the demons of darkness by the acts of or services of the Nine-going sacrificers or the Maid of Nine Forms. In the Norse literature we are told that Thor, the son of Earth, slays the World-dragon, walks nine paces and dies of the venom of the Serpent.”

 

[Nietzsche]

There is something more that I would like to share with you, ShivaFan and these are two references from Tilak's 'Arcftic Home in Vedas' about Odin's death:

"It is also stated, on the authority of Anton, Krichenbauer, that in the Iliad and Odyssey two kinds of days are continually referred to one of a year’s duration, especially when describing the life and exploits of the Gods, and the other twenty-four hours. The night of the Gods has its parallel also in the Norse mythology, which mentions “the Twilight of the Gods,” denoting by that phrase the time when the reign of Odin and the Æsir, or Gods, would come to an end, not forever, but to be again revived; for we are told that “from the dead sun springs a daughter more beautiful than her sire, and mankind starts afresh from the life-raiser and his bride-life.”
See Cox’s Mythology of the Aryan Nations, p. 41, quoting Brown’s Religion and Mythology of the Aryans of the North of Europe, Arts, 15-1."

Ehhhh, the notion that the new universe after Ragnarok would be an objective improvement or even some manner of utopia, doesn't have a lot of evidence, and it would run counter to the theme of fate being inescapable. For instance;

Odin cannot resurrect his son Baldr, Loki cannot resist his nature, Odin cannot prevail against Fenrir, Tyr cannot save his arm, Surtr cannot be stopped, Odin can never raise enough Einherjar to turn the tide of the Final Battle, Thor cannot slay Jörmungandr while it was still young, Freyr will always be lacking his sword and die at Surtr's hands.

Of course, it's not just that. The other half is resisting though you know you will fail. Trying to change the course despite knowing you can't. Thus the world after Ragnarok will be no better, or worse, than the one that came before it. It's a cycle, never-ending. The destruction is necessary, after all. The old growths cluttering Yggdrasil must be scorched off, but the tree itself will survive and host new growths.

From the same book, I pick just one instance out of many: ".. if we suppose these legends to refer to the nine months of sunshine at the end of which the setting sun-god is
refreshed or invigorated for his struggle with the demons of darkness by the acts of or services of the Nine-going sacrificers or the Maid of Nine Forms. In the Norse literature we are told that Thor, the son of Earth, slays the World-dragon, walks nine paces and dies of the venom of the Serpent.”

I do not think that would work given Scandinavia's latitude, but I may be wrong.

 

[Aupmanyav]

".. and mankind starts afresh from the life-raiser and his bride-life."

Ehhhh, the notion that the new universe after Ragnarok would be an objective improvement or even some manner of utopia, doesn't have a lot of evidence, and it would run counter to the theme of fate being inescapable.

They did not talk about any improvement. They just said ".. mankind starts afresh ..", another yuga.
How could Odin do any of these things? This would have upset the cycle of nature. Indra too, had to destroy the hundred forts and fight Vritra every year.

I do not think that would work given Scandinavia's latitude, but I may be wrong.

Add one month of dawn and one month of dusk to seven months of continuous sunshine to get max. 100 days of Arctic night. That is why Vritra's hundred forts and Indra being called 'Shatakritu' (doer of hundred things), as also priests completing their sacrificial cycle in nine or ten-months (Navagwhas and Dashagwahas).

सप्तभिः पुत्रैरदितिरुप प्रैत पूर्व्यं युगम् l प्रजायै मर्त्यवे त्वत् पुनर्मार्ताण्डमाभरत् ll
Saptabhiḥ putrairaditirupa praita pūrvyaṃ yugam l prajāyai martyave tvat punarmārtāṇḍamābharat ll
So with her seven sons Aditi went forth to meet the earlier age; she brought Martanda thitherward to spring to life and die again.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10072.htm
(Aditi, the mother of Gods had seven suns (Adityas) as her sons and the eighth, Martanda (Mrita + Anda = Dead Egg), was still-born or was undeveloped)

Quite clearly mentioned in RigVeda. Not necessarily Scandinavia, it could have been Western/Eastern Siberia. That is closer to Andronovo region.