---
title: The Knot of the Dead
author: Berig
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15209/the-knot-of-the-dead/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# The Knot of the Dead

_Authored by Berig_

## Image File

[![The Knot of the Dead](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15209.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/15209.png)

## Image Caption

A section of the Stora Hammars I stone in Gotland representing a so-called *valknut* (the three triangles), alongside a figure with a spear, which might be interpreted as [Odin](https://www.worldhistory.org/odin/), accompanied by what looks like a raven and a hanging man near a [burial](https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/) mound.

The term *valknut* is a modern one, built up to mean the knot of the slain, the dead men on the battlefield. The places where this symbol appears do seem to be set in a context related to [death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/), yet its significance is uncertain. The name of the object in the [Viking Age](https://www.worldhistory.org/collection/29/the-viking-age/) is unknown. It might be what Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson describes as the heart of Hrungnir in *Skáldskaparmál* (The Language of Poetry) in his [Edda](https://www.worldhistory.org/Edda/) from the 1200s: Hrungnir had a famous heart made of hard stone, with three corners, that later becomes a design by the name of Hrungnir's heart.

We find the symbol not only on the Stora Hammars and Tängelgårda rune stones from Gotland but also on other objects such as a ring (Nene River Ring) or a bedpost from the Oseberg ship. We can only speculate that it was linked somehow to Odin's spiritual and magical abilities, his links to the afterlife, or his ability to bind, both to inflict fear and to induce a state of frenzy. They might have been a broader category in the [Viking](https://www.worldhistory.org/Vikings/)/Germanic world, sets of three objects like this we also find on the Snoldelev runestone from the 9th century in Denmark, a regular memorial stone with an inscription in the younger [futhark](https://www.worldhistory.org/runes/) [alphabet](https://www.worldhistory.org/alphabet/). Again, we can speculate around the three horns as potentially magically charged, or simply an attractive design. There is no way to tell for sure.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Berig. (2022, February 09). The Knot of the Dead. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15209/the-knot-of-the-dead/>
### Chicago
Berig. "The Knot of the Dead." *World History Encyclopedia*, February 09, 2022. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15209/the-knot-of-the-dead/>.
### MLA
Berig. "The Knot of the Dead." *World History Encyclopedia*, 09 Feb 2022, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15209/the-knot-of-the-dead/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sacrificial_scene_on_Hammars_(II).png) by [**Berig**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sacrificial_scene_on_Hammars_(II).png). Submitted by [Irina-Maria Manea](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/irinamaria.manea/ "User Page: Irina-Maria Manea"), published on 09 February 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.