Helm of Awe

The **Helm of Awe** (Old Norse: "Ægishjálmr"; pronouns “EYE-gis-hiowlm-er”) is a magical rune originated from Norse mythology. It is considered a powerful dark rune that should only be utilized by skilled practitioners of Runic Magic.

## Overview

A Helm of Awe is an ancient magic rune originated from Norse mythology and is shrouded in mystery.

Just looking at its form, without any prior knowledge of what that form symbolizes, is enough to inspire awe and fear: eight arms that look like spiked tridents radiate out from a central point, as if defending that central point by going on the offensive against any and all hostile forces that surround it.

Because of it, one might assume such overpowering might was apparently what this magical symbol was intended to produce.

Famed Linguist and runologist, in addition to being a well-known witch in the American moonlit community, Stephen Flowers noted that even though the references to the Helm of Awe in the Poetic Edda describe it as a physical thing, refering to the usage of a rune stone, charged with magical properties, the original meaning of the Old Norse *hjálmr* was “covering.” He goes on to theorize that:

## History

While the Helm of Awe's exact origin is unknown, many had speculated to be a creation of the infamous Jötunn Starkad due to its first recorded usage was attributed to the giant.

In the *Fáfnismál*, the Dragon King Fafnir's havoc-wreaking attribute was said to be the result of a skillfully applied Helm of Awe.

"The Helm of Awe
I wore before the sons of men
In defense of my treasure;
Amongst all, I alone was strong,
I thought to myself,
For I found no power a match for my own."
- Fáfnismál, The Poetic Edda

## Creation

There is a spell called “There is a Simple Helm of Awe Working” in the collection of Icelandic folktales collected by the great Jón Árnason in the nineteenth century. The spell reads:

"Make a helm of awe in lead, press the lead sign between the eyebrows, and speak the formula:
Ægishjálm er ég ber
milli brúna mér!
I bear the helm of awe
between my brows!
Thus a man could meet his enemies and be sure of victory."

However, like most ancient Germanic symbols, the form of its visual representation was far from strictly fixed. For example, the 41st spell in the *Galdrabók*, a seventeenth-century Icelandic grimoire, includes a drawing of the Helm of Awe with only four arms and without the sets of lines that run perpendicular to the arms.

### Runic connections

The Helm of Awe's connections with the runes is particularly apt, because a number of the shapes that comprise the Helm of Awe have the same forms as certain runes. Given the centrality of the runes in Germanic magic as a whole, this correspondence is highly unlikely to have been coincidental.

The “arms” of the Helm appear to be the Algiz runes. The meaning of this rune had much to do with protection and prevailing over one’s enemies, which makes it a fitting choice for inclusion in a symbol like the Helm of Awe.

The “spikes” that run perpendicular to the “arms” could be Isa runes. While the meaning of this rune is more or less unknown due to the confusing and contradictory information supplied by the primary sources, it seems reasonable to speculate that, since “Isa” means “ice,” its inclusion in the Helm of Awe could have imparted to the symbol a sense of concentration and hardening, as well as a connection to the animating spirits of wintry cold and darkness, the fearsome giants. This connection is made more likely by the fact that the dragon Fafnir occupies a role in the tales of the God of Steel Sigurd analogous to that occupied by the giants in the tales of the gods.

Such connections are necessarily speculations, especially since the markings that may or may not be Isa runes are, graphically speaking, nothing more than straight lines, which makes them that much harder to positively identify. Nevertheless, the tenacity of the connections here is quite striking.

### Helms of Terror

The **Helms of Terror** are magical artifacts created to hold the Helm of Awe within it.

Despite the name, most Helms of Terror often come in the form of jewellery or boxes, a possible reference toward the infamous Pandora's Box.

## Trivia

* The Helm of Awe is considered to be a part of the "27 Most Common Icelandic Magic Stave".
	+ Despite the name, it is considered to be a forbidden rune, with any found usage will automatically land the user in jail for approximately 10 - 13 months.