Icelandic magical staves
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Icelandic magical staves (Icelandic: galdrastafir) are sigils that were credited with supposed magical effect preserved in various Icelandic grimoires, such as the Galdrabók, dating from the 17th century and later.[1][better source needed]
Table of magical staves
[edit]| Icelandic name | Manuscript description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Að unni | “To get a girl”, this magical stave is used by a man in love to gain the affections of the object of his desires.[2] | 
|
| Ægishjálmur | Helm of Awe (or Helm of Terror); to induce fear, protect the warrior, and prevail in battle.[2] | 
|
| Angurgapi | Carved on the ends of barrels to prevent leaking.[citation needed] | 
|
| Brýnslustafir | For use on whetstones.[3] | 
|
| Draumstafir | To dream of unfulfilled desires.[3] | 
|
| Dreprún | To kill an enemy's cattle.[4] | 
|
| Feingur | A fertility symbol.[3] | 
|
| 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).[2] | 
|
| Ginfaxi | 
| |
| Hólastafur | To open hills.[2] | 
|
| Kaupaloki | To prosper in trade and business.[2] | 
|
| Lásabrjótur | To open a lock without a key. | 
|
| Lukkustafir | Whoever carries this symbol with them encounters no evil, neither on the sea nor on the land.[5] | 
|
| Máladeilan | To win in court.[6] | 
|
| Nábrókarstafur | A stave used when making necropants (nábrók), a pair of trousers made from the skin of a dead man that are capable of producing an endless supply of money.[7] | 
|
| Skelkunarstafur | To make your enemies afraid.[8] (A similar looking stave is titled Óttastafur in the Huld Manuscript.) | 
|
| Rosahringur minni | A lesser circle of protection.[2] | 
|
| Smjörhnútur | Butterknot, to find out if butter was made using milk stolen by a Tilberi.[9] | 
|
| Stafur gegn galdri | Staves against witchcraft.[10] | 
|
| Stafur til að vekja upp draug | To raise the dead and drive away evil spirits.[2] | 
|
| Þjófastafur | For use against thieves.[11] | 
|
| Tóustefna | To ward off foxes.[12] | 
|
| Varnarstafur Valdemars | Valdemar's Protection Stave; increases favor and happiness. | 
|
| Vatnahlífir | Protection against drowning. | 
|
| Vegvísir | To guide people through rough weather.[3] | 
|
| Veiðistafur | For luck in fishing. | 
|
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ ""Staves or magical signs" Galdrastafir - Strandagaldur ~ Galdrasýning á Ströndum ~ Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft". galdrasyning.is.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Magical Staves". Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-03. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ a b c d Huld Manuscript ÍB 383 4 in the National Library in Reykjavík
- ^ From a 17th-century grimoire, in the Antikvarisk-Topografiska Arkivet in Stockholm.
- ^ "ÍB 383 4to | Digitized Manuscript Viewer". handrit.is (in Icelandic).
- ^ From a 19th-century manuscript, lbs 4375 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
- ^ "Nábrókarstafur - Strandagaldur ~ Galdrasýning á Ströndum ~ Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft". galdrasyning.is.
- ^ From Skuggi. Ársritið Jólagjöfin 4. Ár. 1940. "GALDRA-SKRÆÐA" by Jochum M. Eggertson
- ^ "Butterknot - Tilberi ~ Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft". galdrasyning.is.
- ^ From a 17th-century manuscript, lbs 143 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
- ^ From a 17th-century medical text, am 434a 12mo, in the Arnemagnean Collection in Reykjavík.
- ^ From a 19th-century manuscript, lbs 4375 8vo, in the National Library in Reykjavík.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Icelandic magical staves at Wikimedia Commons- List of the staves at the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft
- Galdrastafir: Icelandic Magical Staves
