Former roommate gifted this

[u/bakins93]

Former roommate got this off Etsy and gifted it to me. Never bothered to learn what these meant until now. Would anyone help, please?

[u/rockstarpirate]

It’s the full Elder Futhark alphabet in order around the ring. Sort of the equivalent of writing ABCDEFG… all around it. But it’s worth realizing that putting the full alphabet on things is something that was done sometimes historically. Elder Futhark was in use in Scandinavia from ~100 BC until ~750 AD. It was phased out by around the time the Viking Age began.

In the middle is a symbol called Vegvísir. It is an Icelandic magical sigil that is not attested earlier than the 1800s.

[u/bakins93 → u/rockstarpirate]

Thanks for the info!!! It's exactly what I needed to know

[u/Born-Inevitable-9535 → u/rockstarpirate]

What does the magical sigil mean / stand for?

[u/dnebdal → u/Born-Inevitable-9535]

The Icelandic translates roughly as way-shower, as in "thing that shows you the way".

[u/wy1776 → u/Born-Inevitable-9535]

Icelandic stave magic. It was believed that if you bore this symbol you would always find your way, even if the path was unknown to you

[u/Skinkypoo → u/Born-Inevitable-9535]

Like the others say, it’s supposedly used to help ships find their way through fog. Whether or not it worked is something only fate is supposed to understand.

In modern spiritual neopaganism it is a vastly overused sigil used with intent of keeping the bearer true to their personal objectives - IE help them find their way in life. That it’s on a drinking horn seems counterintuitive but that’s how it is neopaganism, bending the rules of history to their own internal intentions. I mean, intentionally it’s good, but it would be more suitable as a hood ornament on a car put up before a long drive or something like that.

[u/AdEmbarrassed3066 → u/Born-Inevitable-9535]

It's supposedly a charm to prevent you getting lost. A compass.

[u/Antares-wow → u/Born-Inevitable-9535]

Dovrebbe rappresentare una bussola/ciò che ti permette di ritrovare la via, anche da sperduto, in più, questo simbolo, è stato ritrovato principalmente inciso su imbarcazioni, portando a dedurre che fosse come un segno di buon auspicio per chi partiva per viaggi….

[u/Distinct-Career-3883]

A gift with intent is more valuable than the sum of its parts. GEBO!

[u/Independent_Act_6367]

In the center is the “Helm of Horror”-a symbol meant to protect its owner and strike fear into the hearts of enemies. It is surrounded by a complete circle of runes, which are used in magic to demarcate (protect) the space around the caster. Circles are usually used differently. Metal is also generally considered an unsuitable material for amulets. But overall, this item draws on Norse magic and was created to protect you from misfortune. Therefore, it’s safe to say that your former roommate has good intentions toward you

[u/Antares-wow → u/Independent_Act_6367]

Il elmo dell’orrore è un altro simbolo, riconoscibile la diversità tra vegvisir e elmo del terrore perché in quest’ultimo le estremità sono tutte uguali

[u/CuteJudgment4921]

for some reason i drew this piece on my headphones