Does the Vegvisir belong in Norse pagan practices and faith? The simple answer is that you can use it if you would like, but at least research it’s history and what it was used for!
Why is this important? When it comes to totems, sigils, and staves, it’s imperative to have an accurate understanding of what each is and how they work - also the uses and cultures they come from. Be sure you do this before using any magical symbology for your practice due to the nature of how they work. If you use the wrong tools for the job, you're not going to have a good outcome. Most of the time, unbeknownst to the user, it can be severely catastrophic.
Sigils like the Vegvisir are not just cool Nordic religious symbols. They're powerful if used correctly and in the proper context.
This is not a puffing of the chest when I say its not a Norse pagan sigil, but a Christian sorcery symbol that has no historical significance to Viking Age pagan traditions. The Vegvisir comes from a book published in the 1870s, and it comes from Iceland, but that’s the only historic correlation to Nordic culture at all - and that’s where it ends.
I know many people think it’s some ancient “Viking Age" magical sigil, but it’s not. In fact, there are zero historical findings or evidence on any academic level that suggest it’s from 785 ad to 1066 ad.
It was found in a handful of Icelandic grimoires from the late 1600s, and studied in Iceland. The first publication was released to the western world in around 1875.
Using this sigil in your Norse pagan practice is not only, in my opinion, insulting to our gods, but it literally invokes the name of Christ. It has a specific prayer to the Virgin Mary and Christ to invoke their guidance and direction so you will never be lost in your travels.
There are plenty of sigils and totem relics from our culture and faith that are way more powerful and cool than this late 1600s Christian sigil, and they hold actual importance to our tradition and history.
So please, for all the new generations of people coming to this faith, do not just look on Google for cool Norse sigils.
This faith takes lots of studying to understand, and for your safety and wellbeing, it’s never wise to use something from magic you know nothing about.
I hope this article opens your eyes to some hard realities about magical practices and sigils.
These are my thoughts and they come from a place of academic study into the history of the Vegvisir.