Helm of Awe
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The Helm of Awe or Helm of Terror (Icelandic: Ægishjálmur, Old Norse Œgishjalmr) is an object in Norse mythology relating to the hoard protected by the worm Fáfnir and subsequently the name of a modern Icelandic magical stave.
Medieval attestations of the object[edit]
Völsunga saga[edit]
A physical object called the "Helm of Terror" is referenced as one item Sigurð takes from Fafnir's hoard after he slays him in Völsunga saga.[1]
Reginsmál[edit]
In the prose of Reginsmál, Fáfnir is described as owning the helm and that all living creatures feared it.[2]
Fáfnismál[edit]
The object is also discussed in Fáfnismál in the Poetic Edda, here translated as "Fear-helm":
| Old Norse text[3] | Bellows translation[4] |
|---|---|
| Fáfnir kvað:
Sigurðr kvað:
| Fafnir spake:
Sigurth spake:
|
In the next stanzas of the poem, Sigurð refers to the helm again:
| Old Norse text[5] | Bellows translation[6] |
|---|---|
|
|
Origin of the Stave[edit]
The first recorded appearance of the symbol came from the Galdrakver written in 1670 and recovered from the collection of Bishop Hannes Finnsson by Jón Árnason and rebound in 1865.[7]
Link between the item and symbol[edit]
While it is debated whether the Helm of Awe may have been an actual helm, in Medieval sources, it never references a symbol such as that recorded in the modern period. The meaning of the word used to define the helm seemed to change as years went on, going from a physical object to a voracious trait of striking fear into one with a glance.[8][unreliable source?]
See also[edit]
- Sigil - a type of magical symbol
- Vegvísir - another Icelandic magical stave first recorded in the modern period
References[edit]
- ^ Byock, Jesse. The Saga of the Volsungs. London: Penguin, 1999, pp. 66.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Reginsmol: prose prelude to stanza 15.
- ^ Fáfnismál (ON), Stanza 16 & 17.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Fafnismol: stanzas 16 & 17.
- ^ Fáfnismál (ON), Stanza 19.
- ^ Bellows 2004, Fafnismol: stanzas 19.
- ^ "Galdrakver". handrit.is (in Icelandic and Latin). p. 26. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Storesund.
Bibliography[edit]
Primary[edit]
- Bellows, Henry Adam (2004). The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486437101.
- "Fáfnismál". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
Secondary[edit]
- Storesund, Eirik. "Clubbing Solomon's Seal: The Occult Roots of the Ægishjálmur". Brute Norse. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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