Vegvisir

A vegvísir (Icelandic for "signpost") is an Icelandic magical stave that is said to help the bearer find their way through rough weather. The symbol is attested in the Huld manuscript, which was collected in 1860 in Akureyri, Iceland, by Geir Vigfusson, and there are no earlier records of it.

A page of the manuscript shows an illustration of the vegvísir, names it, and explains in prose that one will never get lost in storms and bad weather when carrying this sign, even if one does not know the way.

It is claimed to also appear in the Galdrabók, a magical grimoire, although Jackson Crawford disputes this, denying its presence. Stephen E. Flowers includes the vegvísir in his translation of the Galdrabók, but later cites it more in Icelandic Magic Symbols and Spell Books by Ólafur Davíðsson than in the Galdrabók. Daniel McCoy also claims it only appears in the Huld manuscript. Tomáš Vlasatý suggests it not only appears in the Huld manuscript but also in two other Icelandic grimoires, Galdrakver, and claims it has Jewish roots.

The vegvísir is often confused with a Viking symbol. However, there is no evidence for this, and the Huld manuscript, in which it is mentioned, was collected eight centuries after the Viking Age had ended.

Etymology
Vegvísir is derived from two Icelandic words: vegur and vísir. Vegur means "way, road, path," and vísir means "guide, leader."

Vegur is derived from the Old Norse vegr, Proto-Germanic wegaz, or Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ-. Vísir is derived from the Old Norse vísa, meaning "to show, point out, indicate," or from the Proto-Germanic wīsōną or wisaz, meaning "to visit."

Vegur ("way") + vísir ("pointer") derives its meaning from the same word as the English "wise." It points someone in the right direction.