Viking witch symbols are ancient and powerful symbols used by the Vikings and other pagan cultures. These symbols were believed to have magical properties and were often used by witches and sorcerers to harness their supernatural powers. One of the most well-known Viking witch symbols is the Helm of Awe or Aegishjalmur. This symbol, also known as the "helm of terror," was believed to protect the wearer from harm and instill fear in their enemies. It was often worn as an amulet or tattooed on the body to provide spiritual protection. Another important symbol is the Vegvisir, also known as the Viking compass.
Literature’s Most Curious Creations
Louis Renard, an 18th-century book publisher who moonlighted as a British spy, had a somewhat tenuous relationship with the truth.
As writer and rare-book collector Edward Brooke-Hitching notes in The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities From History, Renard “knew even less” about Indonesian wildlife than the average European of his day. Far from letting this obstacle stand in his way, however, the publisher leaned into his imagination, producing a fantastical compendium of fish from the opposite of the globe that featured illustrations of a mermaid, a four-legged “Running Fish” that trotted around like a dog and a host of other impossibly vivid-hued creatures.
An illustration from Louis Renard's fantastical Fishes, Crayfishes, and Crabs (1719) Courtesy of Edward Brooke-Hitching
Renard’s Fishes, Crayfishes, and Crabs (1719) is one of hundreds of unusual titles featured in Brooke-Hitching’s latest book. From books that aren’t actually books—like 20 Slices of American Cheese, a 2018 volume with a name that conveys all one really needs to know—to books made out of flesh and blood to books of spectacular size, The Madman’s Library takes readers on a riveting tour of literary history’s most overlooked corners.
Smithsonian spoke with Brooke-Hitchings to learn more about his ten years of collecting and research that he needed to pull the book together. The author also shared insights on some of his favorite literary curiosities (see below).
You grew up as the son of a rare-book dealer. How did this upbringing influence your career path?
My dad specialized in British travel and exploration—explorers’ journals and such. But really, as a dealer, you get everything coming through your doors. As a kid, initially you’re not very interested in what your parents do. It’s always the strange things about their job that catch your eye, from reading histories of witches to seeing an arrowhead that killed a particularly adventurous explorer—things you don’t need a PhD in the history of the subject to become really intrigued by.
The key was learning that you can find your own way through history. You don’t have to take the established path that probably bored you to death in school. You don’t have to memorize the wives of Henry VIII and so on. You can look for back alleys and things that particularly appeal to you. For me, that term was always “curiosities.”
This skeleton plate from Diderot's Encyclopédie (1751–66) was repurposed as writing paper. Courtesy of Edward Brooke-Hitching
How do you define literary curiosities?
It’s obviously subjective, but the more experienced you are, the more books you see, the more your radar is sensitive to something that pings with its strangeness. Reaching behind me just for the first books that are in my bag, the first one in my hand is something I found on eBay. It’s called A Peace of My Mind: Poetry by Charlie Sheen, and it’s a self-published collection of just a few copies that [the Hollywood actor] Sheen made and then gave to a few of his friends. It’s just bizarre, and there’s some really strange and terrible poetry in it. One is called “Heretic Proof,” and it ends with the lines “Turtle, android, pain. / Endeavor, endless, end. / P.S. Janonis.” No idea what that means, but isn’t that such an obvious curiosity?
What kinds of books are included in The Madman’s Library?
The problem with collecting instincts is that you have to have a theme, and I realized that actually, these books don’t really share very much other than the fact that they are very, very strange. I love literary hoaxes, being able to hold in your hands a physical lie that was designed to deceive its reader. It’s a lie that you can smell and rifle through the pages of. You’re in on the joke with the author; you’re winking back at them. They’re quite a fun thing to collect, and they’re not expensive because they’re not considered to have much academic significance.
A skull inscribed with a prayer, circa 1895 Wellcome Collection
Other chapters of the book just naturally coalesced. There are books that aren’t books, looking back for anything that totally smashed the traditional understanding of what a book is, how do we define a book? We go through pre-codex, [a predecessor of the modern book,] looking at some of the earliest forms of writing, like these magical six-inch clay cones that look like large nails and are inscribed with cuneiform prayers currying favor with the gods. They served a practical purpose: When you were erecting a new building in the region, which is now Iraq, you would hammer thousands of these “magical” cones into the foundations of your building, and the gods would imbue your structure with protection against natural disaster.
Just taking this idea of strange books, it actually leads you around the world into different cultures. You realize everyone has their own form of curiosities, and that as a species, we’ve always been incredibly strange and weird, but also very funny and endlessly imaginative. So that’s what the book is really supposed to do—show and celebrate this depthless capacity of human imagination, show how paper is a kind of psychic capacitor holding all of these personalities that are alive the moment you open them, even though their authors have been dead for maybe a thousand years.
A magic book created by members of the Toba Batak tribe of North Sumatra Rijksmuseum
How did you track down so many titles for your collection?
It’s from talking to a lot of people who love sharing their expertise in the particular things that caught their eyes. So when I had the story of Saddam Hussein’s blood Quran, [a copy of the Islamic holy text purportedly penned using the Iraqi dictator’s blood as ink,] the whole point was to think when you have a strange book like that, what would be on the shelf beside it?
That’s quite a challenge. But I remember talking to a London book dealer at Maggs Brothers, and she said, “Oh, yes, speaking of books written in blood, we have a copy of a journal from a shipwreck from the early 1800s, the wreck of the Blenden Hall.” And it was an extraordinary story, because the captain managed to make it to shore on this island [in the South Atlantic] called Inaccessible Island. He wanted to keep a journal of what had happened. He had a writing desk and sheets of newspaper that had washed up, but he didn’t have any ink. And so the subtitle of this journal is Fate of the Blenden Hall, written in the blood of a penguin.
Then you discover that in the 1970s, there was a Marvel comic book featuring the band Kiss that was written with blood extracted from the band members, and you go off on these zany journeys. It’s from talking to people, going to rare book fairs. It’s a bit like a geode: You crack it open, and suddenly there are all these glittering things inside. It’s a very exciting form of discovery.
One of the most macabre practices featured in The Madman’s Library is anthropodermic bibliopegy, or the art of binding books in human skin. Where did this tradition originate, and what did it signify?
That was something I’d always been interested in but assumed was mostly rumor. It’s something that, to our modern sensibilities, seems unthinkably gruesome. And it also has a terrible association in the 20th century with the Nazis. But the fact is, for centuries, it was an accepted—I don’t know how acceptable, but it was accepted—decorative extra offered by printers and binders.
Sévérin Pineau's De integritatis et corruptionis virginum, printed in Amsterdam in 1663, was bound in human skin. Wellcome Collection
Initially, I give a potted history of it, showing that it’s mainly strange medical cases. The doctor or the surgeon who performs the autopsy keeps a sliver of the skin of the subject to record unusual cases. Then there are criminal accounts, like the famous Massachusetts highwayman James Allen, from the 19th century, whose last wish before his execution was that a copy of his autobiography bound in his own skin should be presented to his one victim who fought back as a token of his admiration.
With criminals, it was about being both a deterrent and a more symbolic punishment, to encase the outlaw with the very symbol of civilization: the book. But in the late-19th century, the practice became more associated with the idea that a human skin binding could encase great writing like the body encases a soul.
One of the most striking stories was that of the French astronomer and writer Camille Flammarion, who was at a party when he complimented a passing young countess on the charm of her skin. It turned out that she was dying of a terminal illness and was a great fan of his. A few weeks later, after her death, there was a knock on his door. It was a Paris surgeon with a bundle under his arm, saying he’d been instructed to flay the “most marvelously attractive young woman,” and here was her skin, which she’d asked to be delivered to Flammarion for him to bind a copy of his latest work.
The Madman's Library: The Greatest Curiosities of Literature
This fascinating and bizarre collection compiles the most unusual, obscure books from the far reaches of the human imagination.
An Occult and Alchemical Library
When acquiring early manuscripts these days libraries mostly get them one at a time. A 15th century medical compendium here, a cache of Mexican inquisition proceedings there. It was with excitement then that my colleagues and I read the catalog for the sale of some of the 12th Duke of Northumberland’s collection this past July. Amongst the treasures was a somewhat unassuming lot consisting of nearly 60 manuscript volumes from a single 18th century collector. These manuscripts had been left to the 2nd Duke of Northumberland by his friend Charles Rainsford (1728-1809).
Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. Photo by Fiona James (CC-BY 2.0). Flickr.
Since 1809 they had sat on the shelves at Alnwick Castle, seeing only sporadic use. Rainsford was not only a British general and sometime governor of Gibraltar but an avid alchemist and occultist, fascinated by everything from the philosopher’s stone to Tarot to Rosicrucianism. The manuscript library he left to the Duke of Northumberland contained works he had collected in Gibraltar and on the continent but also a number copied out in his own hand from texts he had seen or borrowed. As Penn has long been a major collector in the history of science, especially that of chemistry and alchemy, my colleagues and I thought the opportunity to acquire an entire manuscript library was too good to pass up. Thanks to the generous support of the B.H. Breslauer foundation as well as several endowments here at Penn we were able to be the winning bidder when the collection was sold at Sotheby’s.
Many people think of alchemy and occultism as having their heyday in the medieval period but there has been a recent flurry of scholarship on the importance of speculative science and the occult during the 18th-century European enlightenment. Rosicrucians, h ermeticists , and alchemists were part of the social and intellectual circles of most of the great enlightenment scientists – thriving in a world where new knowledge, ideas, and speculation were welcome. Rainsford himself was a friend of the great English naturalist Joseph Banks and while looking at the collection before the sale in London I was pleasantly surprised to have this note fall out of one of Rainsford’s volumes:
Note addressed to Sir Joseph Banks found in UPenn Ms. Codex 1684 (formerly Alwnick Ms. 595).
The Rainsford collection physically arrived here at Penn in the fall and sits together as it did for decades at Alnwick. Indeed, more than any volume in particular the collection probably has its greatest value in its whole as an almost fully intact 18th century manuscript library, representing the accumulated learning of an emblematic gentleman scientist. All of the manuscripts in the collection have been given very brief records in our online catalog and are available to researchers now. In addition, however the next year our fantastic cataloging staff will be working through each volume to provide comprehensive descriptions of their contents [Here’s an example of one already completed].
The Rainsford collection in processing at Penn
The collection represents Rainsford’s wide reading and collecting interests with manuscripts in French, German, Italian, Latin, English with many snippets in Hebrew. A few of my favorites include a fantastic compilation in Rainsford’s hand while governor at Gibraltar on Judicial Astronomy, a copy of Nicolas Flamel’s supposed 1414 final testament, a treatise on summoning demons with black-and-red illustrated pages, and an Italian work on sexual health. At least four of the volumes (and likely more) in his library came from the Jesuit College at Naples whose library was seized as part of the suppression of the Jesuits and sold in part in 1780. These manuscripts go beyond the alchemical and occult and include an unpublished chronicle kept by a Jesuit in Naples between 1668 and 1725.
UPenn Ms. Codex 1673 (formerly Alnwick Ms. 584) UPenn Ms. Codex 1669 (formerly Alnwick ms. 580). Treatise on summoning demons.
As someone interested in the history of the book and reading I’m thrilled that the collection also includes a pre-printed do-it-yourself commonplace book used by Rainsford to record alchemical calculations and notes. In fact a good number of the works in the collection are commonplace or notebooks of one sort or another into which Rainsford copied tidbits from a variety of print and manuscripts sources, many of which are unidentified.
Finally, the one that got away. At the July sale in London we were able to purchase all but one of Rainsford’s manuscripts from Alnwick castle. One gorgeous volume, full of watercolors was lotted separately and sold on its own to an anonymous phone bidder. An open call to the lucky new owner of this manuscript, we’d be happy at Penn to create a digital facsimile of the manuscript at your convenience so that Rainsford’s library here could be ‘virtually’ complete!
NotesFor a recent excellent study of eighteenth-century occultism which cites some of the Rainsford manuscripts (then at Alnwick) see Paul Monod’s Solomon’s Secret Arts: the occult in the Age of Enlightenment (Yale University Press, 2013)
Two earlier inventories of the Rainsford manuscripts from Alnwick exist. One was done as part of the Historical Manuscript Commission’s survey published in 1872. The other was compiled by Adam MacLean in the early 1990s and is available online.
For notes generally on Rainsford’s collection see:
Ron Heisler and Adam Maclean, “General Rainsford. An Alchemical and Rosicrucian Enthusiast.” Hermetic Journal (1990), 129-13
G.P.G. Hills, “The Rainsford Papers in the British Museum.” Ars Quatuor Coronatorum XXVI, 1913.
Beyond the British Library there are also additional Rainsford papers and manuscripts at the Wellcome library in London (MSS 4032-4039).
Materials Relating to Witchcraft and the Occult
This guide is designed as a helpful shortcut to many of the materials relating to witchcraft and the occult in the collections at the RBML. It is not meant to be definitive and may not always reflect the most recent acquisitions by the library.
Background
The RBML has a significant collection of material pertaining to witchcraft, magic, and the occult. Most of the items focus on European and American experiences and range from the medieval period to modern publications. The collection is heavily tilted towards early modern publications given that our main areas of collecting include Early Modern Literature and Culture and the History of Science. In collaboration with the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL), RBML also participates in the purchasing of tarot cards, runes, and other esoteric material.
Subject keywords
-Witchcraft
-Demonology
-Devil
-Magic
Primary sources – manuscripts
Crafte of conjureynge and howe to rule the ffierye spiritts of ye planetts & make the devyle appearre. [Approx. 1590]. Shelfmark Pre-1650 MS 0102. This manuscript contains astrological tables, Rosicrucian charts and diagrams, and text describing and explicating spells.
Disputatio de malis spiritibus eorumque in corpora potestate. 1651. England. Shelfmark Post-1650 MS 0154. This manuscript describes malign spirits.
Newton, Isaac. Translation with emendations of Opus galli anonymi by Sir Isaac Newton. [1690s?]. Shelfmark: Post-1650 MS 0676 facsim. [NB. The original manuscript is currently in conservation until further notice.] Newton’s notes on an alchemical text. A digitized version of the text can be found here.
[Ostrakon magical charm]. Egypt, 500-700CE. Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Shelfmark: Pre-1650 MS 0231. A pottery shard with ink drawing and Coptic text.
Primary sources – print
The Compleat Wizzard: Being a Collection of Authentic and Entertaining Narratives of the Real Existence and Appearance of Ghosts, Demons and Spectres; Together with Several Wonderful Instances of the Effects of Witchcraft. To Which Is Prefixed, an Account of Haunted Houses, and Subjoined a Treatise on the Effects of Magic. London: T. Evans, 1770. Shelfmark X 133 C738. Tract describing a variety of supernatural incidents, with some commentary where applicable on known recipes for aphrodisiacs and elixirs.
Baker, Richard C. The History of the Lancashire Witches: Containing, the Manner of Their Becoming Such; Their Enchantments, Spells, Revels, Merry Pranks, Raising of Storms and Tempests, Riding on Winds, &c. The Entertainment and Frolicks Which Happened Among Them. With the Loves and Humours of Roger and Dorothy. Also, a Treatise of Witches in General. Conducive to Mirth and Recreation. The Like Never before Published. London?: s.n., 1785. Shelfmark 398.5 P818. A history of the Pendle witch trials much after the fact, with quasi-fictional elaborations on events.
Cooper, Thomas. The Mystery of Witch-Craft: Discouering, the Truth, Nature, Occasions, Growth and Power Therof : Together with the Detection and Punishment of the Same : as Also, the Seuerall Stratagems of Sathan, Ensnaring the Poore Soule by This Desperate Practize of Annoying the Bodie, with the Seuerall Vses Thereof to the Church of Christ : Very Necessary for the Redeeming of These Atheisticall and Secure Times. London: Printed by Nicholas Okes, 1617. Shelfmark IUA03315. Religious tract on the evils of witchcraft.
De virtutibus herbarum. Shelfmark: Incunabula 580.2 H4131499. An early herbal describing plants and their uses, drawing on knowledge mundane and folkloric.
Heywood, Thomas et al. The Late Lancashire Vvitches: a Well Received Comedy, Lately Acted at the Globe on the Banke-Side, by the Kings Majesties Actors . London: Printed by Thomas Harper for Benjamin Fisher, and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Talbot, without Aldersgate, 1634. Shelfmark IUA06704. A fictionalized drama of the events leading to the Pendle witch trials, with several invented episodes revolving around shape-shifting and cuckoldry.
Incipit Tractatus de virtutibus herbarum. [4 April 1520]. Shelfmark: IUA00526. Another early herbal.
Institoris, Heinrich, Jakob Sprenger, and Anton Koberger. Malleus maleficaru[m]. Nuremberg: Anthonium Koberger Nure[m]bergen[sis]. civem est impressus et ad hunc fine[m] p[ro]ductus., 1496. Shelfmark Incunabula 133.4 In7m1496. The famous “hammer of the witches” that laid the foundations for the identification and prosecution of witches.
James I, King of England. Daemonologie : in forme of a dialogve : diuided into three books. London: Printed by Arnold Hatfield for Robert VVald-graue, 1603. Shelfmark IUA07170.
Potts, Thomas et al. The Vvonderfull Discouerie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster : Vvith the Arraignement and Triall of Nineteene Notorious Witches, at the Assizes and General Gaole Deliuerie, Holden at the Castle of Lancaster, Vpon Munday, the Seuenteenth of August Last, 1612. Before Sir Iames Altham, and Sir Edward Bromley, Knights; Barons of His Maiesties Court of Exchequer: And Iustices of Assize, Oyer and Terminor, and Generall Gaole Deliuerie in the Circuit of the North Parts. Together with the Arraignement and Triall of Iennet Preston, at the Assizes Holden at the Castle of Yorke, the Seuen and Twentieth Day of Iulie Last Past, with Her Execution for the Murther of Master Lister by Witchcraft. Published and Set Forth by Commandement of His Maiesties Iustices of Assize in the North Parts . London: Printed by W. Stansby for Iohn Barnes, and are to be sold at his shop neare Holborne Conduit, 1613. Shelfmark IUA10083. Potts was the clerk of the court for the trials of the Pendle witches; this narrative reflects on the events leading up to the trials.
Two East Anglian picture books: a facsimile of the Helmingham herbal and bestiary and Bodleian MS. Ashmole 1504. Printed for presentation to the members of the Roxburghe Club. London: 1988. Shelfmark: Q. 091.0942 T93. A useful facsimile of an early herbal.
Secondary sources
Morris, David. Fire burne & cauldron bubble: witchcraft at the dawn of modernity : summer exhibition at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library 30 May-8 August 2014. Shelfmark: IUQ04702. Brochure from the exhibit held at the RBML in 2014.
Schulke, Daniel A., and Graham. King. The Occult Reliquary: Images and Artefacts of the Richel-Eldermans Collection. Richmond Vista, Calif: Three Hands Press, 2010. Shelfmark: IUQ04576. Catalog of the 2,000 materials archived at the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall.
Witchcraft: Catalogue of the Witchcraft Collection in Cornell University Library. Millwood, N.Y: KTO Press, 1977. Shelfmark: Q. 016.1334 C81W. A catalog of the holdings held at Cornell.
Additional recommended reading
Hutton, Ronald. The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017. Landmark accounting on a global scale of attitudes towards witches and witchcraft.
Williams, Liz. Miracles of Our Own Making: A History of Paganism. London: Reaktion Books, 2020. A history of paganism and British Traditional Witchcraft written for a popular audience with a critical analysis of medieval and early modern witchcraft practices and trials.
Another important symbol is the Vegvisir, also known as the Viking compass. This symbol consisted of eight arms radiating outwards from a central point. It was believed to guide the traveler through rough and stormy seas and help them find their way back home.
The Vegvisir was often tattooed on the body or engraved on talismans for protection during journeys. The Web of Wyrd, also known as the Viking matrix, is another popular symbol associated with Norse witchcraft. This symbol is a representation of the interconnectedness of all things in the universe. It was believed to hold the power to shape destiny and control the natural world. The Web of Wyrd was often used by witches to perform divination and spellcasting. The Valknut, also known as the "knot of the slain," is a symbol associated with Odin, the chief Norse god. It consists of three interlocking triangles and represents the afterlife and the power of Odin to choose who lives and dies in battle. The Valknut was often used by witches to show their devotion to Odin and seek his protection and guidance. In addition to these symbols, there are many other Viking witch symbols that were used for various purposes such as healing, fertility, and prosperity. These symbols were an important part of Viking witchcraft and were passed down through generations to preserve their magical properties. Overall, Viking witch symbols are fascinating and intriguing symbols that hold great power and significance in Norse witchcraft. They represent the ancient beliefs and practices of the Vikings and continue to captivate our imaginations today..
Reviews for "The Mythical Creatures Portrayed in Viking Witch Symbols"
1. John - 1 star
I found "Viking witch symbola" to be incredibly disappointing. The storyline was confusing and lacked depth, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and disconnected from the characters. The acting was also subpar, with wooden performances and a lack of emotional authenticity. Furthermore, the special effects were unimpressive and felt cheaply done. Overall, I do not recommend this movie to anyone looking for a captivating and well-executed fantasy film.
2. Rebecca - 2 stars
"Viking witch symbola" failed to live up to my expectations. The plot was convoluted and difficult to follow, with numerous unnecessary subplots that added little to the overall story. The pacing was slow, making the film feel longer than it actually was. Additionally, the dialogue was poorly written, with clunky lines that felt forced and unnatural. While the cinematography was visually appealing, it wasn't enough to salvage the shortcomings of the movie. In the end, I was left feeling unimpressed and underwhelmed by "Viking witch symbola".
3. Michael - 1 star
I was highly disappointed with "Viking witch symbola". The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to care about their fates. The writing was cliche and predictable, with no surprises or originality. The special effects were lackluster and unconvincing, failing to create an immersive and believable fantasy world. Overall, I found "Viking witch symbola" to be a forgettable and uninspired film that I would not recommend to others.