Singer Björk has a tattoo on her upper arm of a “Vegvísir.” In her home country of Iceland, it is a magical symbol which is used to help a person navigate through bad weather.

Whether or not one is a Björk fan, one of the first things you notice about her is the unique tattoo on her upper left arm. Called a Vegvisir, it is generally defined as a Runic compass; Sunnyway.com says that it “means ‘direction sign’ or ‘see the way’. This charm helps prevent one from getting lost. ‘ Björk says.

The Vegvisir is a symbol that is supposed to give the person wearing the symbol (or having it tattooed) to have the ability to get through rough weather and survive even if you don’t necessarily know the way. You could call this a symbol of protection.

Vegvisir
The Vegvisir is one of the oldest and most sacred Scandinavian symbols and is native to Iceland. …

It is widely considered fact that the Vikings and Northmen in general, were heavily tattooed. However, historically, there is only one piece of evidence that mentions them actually being covered in ink.

The most common meaning that people do give their Valknut tattoos is the classic one: they are honoring a deceased loved one or friend. This is especially true for people who have lost someone who died in a war since Valknut is largely associated with battles.

The Vegvisir, also known as the runic compass or the Viking compass/Nordic compass made of eight Viking rune staves, is a symbol of protection and guidance believed to be used as a compass by Vikings. In the Galdrabok, it is written that this symbol would help its wearer to not get lost and find their way back.

Its name isn’t mentioned in any period sources; valknut is a modern Norwegian compound word that means “knot of those fallen in battle” and was introduced by Norwegians who lived long after the Viking Age.

The pronunciation of Vegvisir is “Vegg vee seer”. That’s Vegg with a hard “g”, like “egg” not “edge”, then vee like “bee” and finally seer like “beer”.

These staves have become intertwined with Norse mythology today, so the symbols appear in many places. One of the most popular of these staves is Vegvisir, or the Viking Compass.

Norse Symbols From The Viking Era:

• Gungnir, The Magical Spear of Odin.
• Huginn & Muninn, The Twin Ravens of Odin.
• Mjölnir, The Hammer of Thor.
• Svefnthorn.
• The Swastika.
• The Triple Horn of Odin, The Horn Triskelion.
• The Troll Cross.
• Vegvisir.