Ægishjálmur (“The Helm of Awe”)

Ægishjálmur (older: Ǿgishjálmr), the famous symbol from Icelandic magical manuscripts, and the original texts of some of its surprising and unique lore.

Logos by Elizabeth Porter (snowbringer at gmail).

[JacksonCrawford]

I recollected after posting this that there’s also a very similar prose-poem spell to the one I read from AM 434 a (“Fjón þvæ ek af mér...”) in the later manuscript printed by Lindqvist as “En isländsk svartkonstbok från 1500-talet.” I also left out this part that it says is to be read after making the Ǿgishjálmr between one’s eyes:

Ølvir, Óðinn, Illi!
Allt þit vilið villi!
Sjálfr Guð með snilli
Sendi okkr ást í milli.

“Ølvir, Odin, Evil!
May what you want, not come true!
May God himself quickly
Send love between us!”

The older manuscript AM 434 a itself was printed by Kålund as “Den islandske lægebog.”

These texts come from various different times, but I have mostly standardized the spelling I use here (as I often do) to be closer to the “classical” Old Norse of the 1200s that is more recognizable to most learners. As mentioned in the video, my pronunciation of many texts ended up being a mix of Old Norse and Modern Icelandic because of the “mixed signals” of the transitional language of these 1500s/1600s texts—which is an extra reminder that these texts were written down further away from when Iceland was pagan than we are right now from when England was Catholic.

[HanFyren]

I'll be honest. If my enemy carved and lead inlay-ed any of these symbols into their forehead, I'd think twice about fighting them.

[SFGJP]

“Hey, ready to make that bet?”

“Yeah, yeah, just give me a church and a week and a half.”

[noahbasara]

“…May not be a perfectly canonical part of the gospels.” Got a laugh out of that. Love the dry quips.

[Tina]

I find it fascinating that this spell-rune was used to help you gain friendship and influence with other people, and to make your enemies fear you & consequently not want to fight you. A conflict-resolution rune, as it were.

[KTo]

Do you think that dice spell will work on my D20s.

[soryulangley]

Amazing lesson about christian/pagan religious syncretism and its influence in medieval grimoires like the "Lemegeton" you cited.
Thank you, Professor.

[runeguidance]

I really liked this. So many of my contemporaries don't understand how much of old Nores spirituality was crossed over into Christian practices even up into the 20th century. We are obsessed with duality & don't realize everything isn't black & white when it comes to Scandinavian religious practices.

[hoonterofhoonters]

Life as a demon must get irritating after a while. You always wait expecting to help with some grand task only for the most mundane of calls. "Another mortal summoned me. This is the tenth diceroll summoning this week." No wonder they don't talk to us anymore.

[lukasmisanthrop]

According to the automatically generated subtitles an 'old nurse specialist' .. Well if that makes you happy

Love your channel (;

[miniespeon]

Notice the wind picked up a lot when he read that second bit, frickin magical

[RedMoonsEcho]

Such a beautiful language I could listen to this my entire life. I wish I knew where to learn it.

[faramund]

Funny how Icelanders never really got rid of the ‘old Gods’ in their spiritual life. And that we kind of get this bastard religion where somehow Odin and Maria are in the same spiritual practice.

[SimmeyG]

This channel is incredible!! Can’t wait to go through all the videos and learn all I can. Amazing insight into things I didn’t think I could find out myself.

[Schralenberger]

I would make an educated guess, that victory "flat rock" is the center table( *where the currently mourned corpse was laid, in 1st Cen. AD Judaic tombs) in the borrowed tomb. As you are probably aware, the current decedent was laid out in honor, in his shroud. Later to be reduced, and have his ossuary interred in the wall niches, with his relatives. But of course he wasn't found there, only his empty shroud. Victory, referring to victory by ascension, as well as victory over death. Victory Flat Rock, here meant as a kenning. Perhaps therefore only used here, and not in other verse, or text

[mikerbach]

Thanks for coming out of the ivory tower Doc! Good information on the internet is hard to find.

[roseannebowes]

I used to dream of and doodle this symbol everywhere as a child. I've only recently been looking into it and I'm loving learning!

[Wraste]

I just found this vid while researching something related and wanted to share: Heilung, in their song "Traust" use the first two lines of AM 434 at 8:09
On of my favorite tracks.
I had no idea it was tied to the Ægishjálmur. Thank you for the education!

[mircodamen]

I saw this video recently and want to thank the author for his contributions to the discussion of these unique, cultural and spiritual texts.
Thanks a lot for making this available on YouTube.
Mirco from Dortmund, Germany

[emilbecker]

goddamn doc you´re really good at selling me trip to the rockies. stunning