Njord Symbol

While having a look at search terms readers were using to find my blog, I happened upon one that was looking for a symbol of Njord. I hadn’t written anything about my tutelary god for a while now, and I saw this as an excellent opportunity to change that – my thanks to the person who searched for this term, whoever that person was :-) There are two symbols out of history that would be appropriate for Njord. One of these is the footprint (based on the story of Skadi choosing Njord as husband by his feet, in Skáldskaparmal), and the other is the ship (as one of Njord’s chief areas of influence is sailing and commerce). Viktor Rydberg offers another symbol, the axe, based on his having Njord breaking down the gates of Asgard with an axe during the Æsir-Vanir war (which I discuss in my post, Njord’s Honor). My personal symbol for Njord can now be seen in my banner graphic, it’s a combination of a bearded axe, with the prow of a longboat coming out of the poll end of the axe (with the axe handle also serving as a boat’s mast).