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.
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.[1]
In the prose of Reginsmál, Fáfnir is described as owning the helm and that all living creatures feared it.[2]
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 first recorded appearance of the symbol came from the Galdrakver written in 1670 and recovered from the collection of Bishop Hannes Finnsson by Jón Árnason and rebound in 1865.[7]
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.[8][unreliable source?]