Helm of Awe
The Helm of Awe or Helm of Terror (Icelandic: Ægishjálmur, Old Norse Œgishjalmr) is an object in Norse mythology relating to the hoard protected by the worm Fáfnir and subsequently the name of a modern Icelandic magical stave.

Medieval attestations of the object
Völsunga saga
A physical object called the "Helm of Terror" is referenced as one item Sigurð takes from Fafnir's hoard after he slays him in Völsunga saga.

Reginsmál
In the prose of Reginsmál, Fáfnir is described as owning the helm and that all living creatures feared it.

Fáfnismál
The object is also discussed in Fáfnismál in the Poetic Edda, here translated as "Fear-helm":

In the next stanzas of the poem, Sigurð refers to the helm again:

The modern stave
The symbol of the same name as the object in the medieval material came from the Huld manuscript written and collected in 1847, and has no previous attestations. The symbol was used as a part of a Christian magic ritual that may have had some movements rooted in Icelandic culture, but was very common ritualistic practice across Christendom.

Link between the item and symbol
While it is debated whether the Helm of Awe may have been an actual helm, in Medieval sources, it never references a symbol such as that recorded in the modern period. The meaning of the word used to define the helm seemed to change as years went on, going from a physical object to a voracious trait of striking fear into one with a glance.

See also
Sigil - a type of magical symbol
Vegvísir - another Icelandic magical stave first recorded in the modern period

References
Bibliography


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