Icelandic magical staves

Icelandic magical staves (sigils) are symbols called Galdrastafur in Icelandic, and are credited with magical effect preserved in various grimoires dating from the 17th century and later.[1] According to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, the effects credited to most of the staves were very relevant to the average Icelanders of the time, who were mostly subsistence farmers and had to deal with harsh climatic conditions.[1]

Table of magical staves

Icelandic name Manuscript description Image
Að unni So a girl loves a man.[2]
Ægishjálmur Helm of awe (or helm of terror); to induce fear and to protect against abuse of power.
Angurgapi Carved on the ends of barrels to prevent leaking. (This needs fixing. No ref found about preventing leaks. Refs found: Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri P451 to kill enemy livestock; Galdraskraedur Skuggi stave #135 a powerful stave; simpler versions found in two other manuscripts but undescribed. Angr = Grief, Gapa = to gape, Gapi = reckless man.)
Brýnslustafir For use on whetstones.
Draumstafir To dream of unfulfilled desires.
Dreprún To kill an enemy's cattle.[3]
Feingur A fertility rune.
Gapaldur Two staves, kept in the shoes, gapaldur under the heel of the right foot and ginfaxi under the toes of the left foot, to magically ensure victory in bouts of Icelandic wrestling (glíma).
Ginfaxi
Hólastafur To open hills.
Kaupaloki To prosper in trade and business.
Lásabrjótur To open a lock without a key.
Lukkustafir Whoever carries this symbol with him encounters no evil, neither on the sea nor on the land.[4]
Máladeilan To win in court.[5]
Nábrókarstafur A stave used when making necropants (nábrók), a pair of pants made from the skin of a dead man that are capable of producing an endless supply of money.[6]
Skelkunarstafur To make your enemies afraid.[7]
[A similar looking stave is titled Óttastafur in the Huld Manuscript]
Rosahringur minni A lesser circle of protection.
Smjörhnútur Butterknot, to ensure butter was procured through non-magical means.
Stafur gegn galdri Staves against witchcraft.[8]
Stafur til að vekja upp draug To invoke ghosts and evil spirits.
Þjófastafur For use against thieves.[9]
Tóustefna To ward off foxes.[10]
Varnarstafur Valdemars Valdemar's Protection Stave; increases favor and happiness. (Needs fixing: description is for popularity and luck. And the picture is UPSIDE-DOWN!)
Vatnahlífir Protection against drowning.
Vegvísir To guide people through rough weather.[11]
Veiðistafur For luck in fishing.

Font

Following a visit to the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft in the summer of 2006, Apostolos Syropoulos designed a font containing several of the magical staves.[12] This font is now included in the repositories of Fedora.[13]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Icelandic magical staves.

References

  1. 1 2 "Staves or magical signs"
  2. ↑ Lbs 4375 8vo, Iceland, 1900-1949 in the National Library in Reykjavík
  3. ↑ From a 17th-century grimoire, in the Antikvarisk-Topografiska Arkivet in Stockholm.
  4. ↑ Huld Manuscript ÍB 383 4] in the National Library in Reykjavík
  5. ↑ From a 19th-century manuscript, lbs 4375 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
  6. ↑ http://www.galdrasyning.is/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=60
  7. ↑ From Skuggi. Ársritið Jólagjöfin 4. Ár. 1940. "GALDRA-SKRÆÐA" by Jochum M. Eggertson
  8. ↑ From a 17th-century manuscript, lbs 143 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
  9. ↑ From a 17th-century medical text, am 434a 12mo, in the Arnemagnean Collection in Reykjavík.
  10. ↑ From a 19th-century manuscript, lbs 4375 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
  11. ↑ Huld Manuscript ÍB 383 4 in the National Library in Reykjavík
  12. ↑ "Magical fonts for the museum"
  13. ↑ "RPM resource icelandic-fonts". rpmfind.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
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