Vegvisir Selenite Plate

Vegvisir Selenite Plate - 8cm Wide

The Vegvisir, also known as the runic compass or the Viking compass/Nordic compass made of eight Viking rune staves, is a symbol of protection and guidance believed to be used as a compass by Vikings. The word vegvisir means ‘wayfinder’ and ‘sign post’ in Icelandic language.

Although it is commonly known as the Viking compass and associated by some people with the voyages Vikings made around the World during the Viking Age, there is quite a bit of a debate regarding the origin of the Vegvisir.

There are two sources mentioning the Vegvisir: the Huld Manuscript compiled by Geir Vigfusson in 1880 and The Galdrabok, another manuscript which is essentially a grimoire – ‘a textbook for magic’.

In the Huld Manuscript, the Vegvisir is mentioned as a symbol of guidance and protection merely in a sentence that translates to something along the lines of “the wearer of this symbol will not lose his way during storms and bad weather, even if he does not know of his destination”.