The Magic & Meaning of Viking Wedding Rings

Norse Magic & Marriage Traditions: The Role of Viking Wedding Rings

 

Planning a Viking themed wedding ceremony? Include a unique wedding ring exchange as a beautiful and meaningful symbol of your commitment. 

 

Viking wedding rings are more than just pretty to look at – they also hold deep spiritual meaning and mystical power when included as part of the marriage rite. 

 

Take a look below at the meaning and symbolism of these unique rings, and keep the magic alive in your own inspired Viking wedding ceremony! 

 

Related: Online Ordination for Modern Pagans: Why it’s So Important, Especially Now

 

 

Learn the Magic & Meaning of Viking Wedding Rings

 

 

• Did Vikings Wear Wedding Rings?

 

Yes! Vikings wore wedding rings as a symbol of love and partnership in marriage, just like many modern Pagans do. These rings were practical and enduring symbols of the couple’s promises to love and protect each other. When you exchange rings at your own wedding, you’re sharing in a Viking wedding tradition that’s been around for centuries. 

 

 

• What Were Ancient Viking Wedding Rings Like? 

 

Ancient Viking wedding rings were simple metal bands made of silver or bronze – common metals that were easy to shape and solder. Gold wedding bands were not common because gold was rare and expensive. So if you want a traditional Viking style wedding ring, stick with silver or bronze! 

 

These rings were sometimes etched with magical letters, symbols, or images of animals to bring the wearer good luck in marriage. We talk more about these symbols (called runes) below. 

 

Some historians believe that Vikings exchanged bracelets and necklaces instead of rings, which would have been much harder to lose in battle, or exchanged weapons instead of jewelry (like swords or axes).

 

 

• What Do the Symbols on Norse Wedding Rings Mean? 

 

Many traditional Norse wedding rings are engraved with ancient symbols called runes, which hold deep mystical power and meaning. Runes are part of an alphabet used by Vikings to invoke blessings of protection and strength, bind magic spells and rituals (like the marriage rite), send messages, and for divination. Runic wedding rings serve as symbols of love, good luck charms, protection, and guides.

 

Some Norse wedding rings also include the Vegvisir symbol (also called a Viking compass), which is a bind rune made of eight smaller runes placed in a circle. The Vegvisir is said to guide people safely through difficult weather or situations, such as the occasional challenges of marriage.

 

Modern wedding rings might also include inscriptions like 'Til Valhallah,' which parallel the western sentiment of 'til death do we part.'

 

The most popular runes on Viking wedding rings are those symbolizing the themes of love and marriage, such as:  

 

• the Viking rune for marriage and eternal love, which is a bind rune that combines the Gebo and Jera runes, symbolizing spiritual connection, hope, faith, the wheel of time, and abundance
• the Ingwaz rune symbolizing fertility
• and the Wunjo rune symbolizing joy

 

Learn more: Norse Runes for Wedding Altars, Rings, and Invitations - The Full Elder Futhark Alphabet

 

Above: The Norse bind rune for marriage, uniting the symbols for spiritual connection, hope, faith, and abundance

 

 

• What is the Viking Wedding Sword Exchange? (with Rings)

 

The Viking wedding sword exchange symbolizes a couple’s commitment to love and protect each other and is often combined with a wedding ring exchange. The wedding rings were tied to the hilt of the sword and presented to each partner during the ritual.

 

To perform this Viking wedding tradition with rings and a sword:

 

A groom kneels before the bride with his ancestral sword (passed down through the family as an heirloom) to demonstrate his care and protection. The ring is removed from the hilt of the sword and placed on the bride’s finger. The bride or her family might present the groom with a sword also, but not always, as a symbol that she will protect their union and stand beside him through life’s ups and downs. If the bride doesn’t have a sword, she can simply place a ring on the groom’s finger.

 

 

• What About a Viking Wedding Ring Tattoo? 

 

If you’re considering a Viking wedding ring tattoo instead of (or in addition to) a metal wedding band, you might be surprised to know that this might also be rooted in old Norse wedding traditions!

 

While there’s no sure way to know, some historians believe that Norsemen may have been heavily tattooed, inking their skin with mystical symbols for luck, protection, and visual mementos from their travels. 

 

The most popular Viking wedding ring tattoo design is likely the Viking rune for marriage, a bind rune which combines the Gebo and Jera runes. 

 

Illustration of a Norse rune wedding tattoo by Jessica Levey

 

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More Viking Wedding Ideas & Inspiration

 

Viking Weddings: Magic, Swords, Runes, Ritual Sacrifice, and More
 

Vikings Themed Wedding Ceremony Script
 

When Pagans Wed: Modern Paganism & the Wedding Ritual
 

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Ask a Friend to Officiate Your Pagan Wedding Ceremony! 

Good things happen when friends and relatives help out at the wedding ceremony! Having a friend officiate your Pagan wedding or elopement is a great way to ensure the wedding day is as intimate, personal, and authentic as it can be. When a loved one officiates, every moment means more. 

Ask a friend or family member to officiate your wedding with free online ordination through American Marriage Ministries (AMM). 

|* custom-button, "https://theamm.org/ordination-application", "ORDAINED MINISTER ONLINE APPLICATION" *|

Why AMM? American Marriage Ministries is an inclusive nondenominational internet church that ordains and trains ministers to officiate marriage ceremonies. We are a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit church, and help people from all backgrounds and beliefs become ordained ministers for weddings. Our online ordination is free, accessible, and never expires.

 

Officiating weddings is an incredible honor, and a great way to show your love and support for the people getting married. As a wedding officiant, you will help to create memorable ceremonies and memories that last a lifetime.

AMM Ministers can legally officiate weddings in every state* (it's much harder in Virginia, where we're looking into our options). After getting ordained with AMM, you might need to register your ordination with your local county clerk’s office. Click the link above to get started! 

 

 

Become an ordained minister online with American Marriage Ministries and officiate wedding for friends and relatives. (Photo: Angela Pontes Rodriguez / iStock)

 

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