What are the Germanic symbols and what is their meaning?

Ægishjálm: The "Helm of Awe" According to a Scandinavian belief this symbol could strike fear into the hearts of enemies, it was painted on the forehead between the eyebrows before a battle and everybody who saw it would flee in terror. An alternative version of the belief was that the user should recite "Ægishjalm eg ber milli bruna mjer" ("Ægishjalm I carry between my brows") after which victory was achieved, in that case it would have had a magical meaning. The symbol has been used in Northern Europe for thousands of years and there are different versions of the Ægishjálm; there are very simple versions and very complex ones, it is believed that it also had a higher meaning; each symbol in the sign had a symbolical meaning that represented certain cosmic energies.

Pillars: In Germanic religion pillars often represented the world tree Yggdrasil, they were also raised to honour the gods and a good example of a pillar is the Irminsul ("Enormous Pillar"), which was worshipped by the Saxons who saw it as the center of the universe, pillars were sometimes believed to divide the heavens from the earth and were used for interaction with the gods, many tribes had their own Sul ("Pillar") that was often dedicated to the patron god of that tribe. The pillar was also a fertility symbol and they are even believed to have represented a phallus, in some places in India the people still worship pillars representing a phallus that fertilizes the earth.

Raven: The raven was associated with the god Wodan, who had two ravens named Huginn ("Memory") and Muninn ("Thought"); according to Germanic mythology this two birds flew over the nine worlds every day after which they would land on

Wodan's shoulders to tell him what they had seen, one of Wodan's Old Norse nicknames was Hrafnagud ("Raven's god"). The raven was associated with battle, death, and victory, some Viking leaders carried a raven banner into battle because they believed it would make an army invincible for its enemies.

Eagle: the eagle was the symbol of the Goths, who probably adopted it from the nomads they encountered in Russia and eastern Europe.The eagle has always caught the imagination of humans and has been used by many peoples throughout history, nowadays it is still used by many countries like for instance the United States, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Russia.

Boar: The boar was a fertility symbol that represented abundance and protection, it was linked to a number of gods, especially to Frey and Freya.The boar was also a symbol of strength and it was sometimes worn on helmets, the boar also had a prominent place in the Celtic religion.

Apple: The apple is a very old fertility symbol, it is edible and it falls from a tree to create a new tree. The apple was a holy symbol to both the Germanic and Celtic religions, it was associated with youth and probably also with the Dísir. Apples were placed on altars that were dedicated to fertility gods/goddesses, in Germanic mythology there was also a woman named Idun or Idunna who created apples of youth by dipping them into a magical well after which she gave them to the gods every day to keep them young.

Tree: Big and old trees were considered holy in Germanic religion, especially oak trees were believed to contain magical powers; in Germanic mythology there were nine worlds that were carried by the world-tree Yggdrasil, it was also believed that some trees were inhabited by spirits. The Germans often dedicated trees to certain gods and throughout northern Europe there were trees dedicated to the god Wodan (Odin) or Thunar (Thor/Donar), some of this trees still stand today but most of them have been replanted at least once on the place of the older one since most trees don't reach an age of 1000 years or more.

Hammer: the symbol of the god Thunar/Thor/Donar. It was used to hallow objects and it was placed between the knees of the bride at a wedding, it was a symbol of fertility, destruction, and power. The hammer symbol was associated with Mjöllnir; the hammer of Thunar, who used it to protect the human world (Midgard) against the destructive Frostgiants. It was believed that anyone wearing the hammer was protected by Thunar.

Ship: the ship symbol was already used in rock carvings dating back to 5000BC, the most famous ones can be found on rock drawings in Sweden.The ship symbol was also used in funeral rites because it was believed that either a ship or a wagon would carry the dead towards the afterlife, a similar belief can be found in Greek mythology where the dead were transferred over the river Styx by a ferry. The ship is also a fertility symbol of which most are associated with the Vanir (Wanen) family, especially the god Njord/Nerthus, Tacitus also mentioned that the Suebians worshipped the goddess Isis (who was equalled to Freya) and that her symbol was a light warship.

Walknot: also known as "Valknut", which means "Knot of the Fallen", it was associated with Wodan and it symbolized the binding of the soul, other meanings of it were probably Fate and Action/Recation, a person who carried this symbol had dedicated himself to Wodan and was willing to die at his command, it also gave Wodan the power to influence his live; both in a positive and negative way. Nowadays the Walknot is often used by followers of new-Heathen traditions, though most of this groups are not connected to extremist ideologies.

Triqueta: The Triqueta is connected to the Walknot and it probably represents dynamic energy, it was mainly used by the Anglo-Saxons and the Frisians and it seems to have also been associated with the god Frey.

Horn triskelion: This symbol is related to the Walknot, the Trefot, and the Triqueta. It is probably derived from the Scandinavian legend in which Odin (Wodan) obtained the mead of inspiration from a frost giantess, he slept with her for 3 nights and every night he was allowed to drink one horn of the mead, the 3 horns are named; Wódroerer, Boðin, and Son.

Horse: The white Horse was a symbol that represented Sleipnir; the eight-legged horse of Wodan, it is the best of all horses and it is able to cheat death so that it can be used to travel to the afterlife (Helheim) and back, it was associated with death and rebirth. The horse was also sacred to the god Frey.

Spear: The spear was the most common weapon used by Germanic warriors, it was associated with Wodan who carried a spear named Gungnir and just like the hammer symbol it was worn as a pendant to receive protection from a god, in this case this god was Wodan. At the beginning of a battle a decorated spear dedicated to either Tiwaz or Wodan was thrown over the heads of the enemy to sacrifice the ones that would die to the wargod and to receive the favour of the god it was dedicated to. The spear throwing ritual may have also been used to hallow the battlefield.

Footprint: The footprint is a symbol of the god Njord/Nerthus, it may have been derived from the Scandinavian legend in which the god Thor (Thunar) killed the father of a Frost Giantess named Skadi, as retribution she was allowed to choose one of the gods as her husband, the trick was that the gods were positioned behind a curtain and that she had to pick one by looking at their feet, she chose the most beautiful feet hoping that they belonged to Balder, but the god attached to them turned out to be Njord. The footprint was associated with fertility and the Vanir (Wanen) gods.

Heart: The heart is a fertility symbol dedicated to the god Frey and maybe also to Freya; it symbolizes the private parts of a woman and was probably connected to love and sexuality, it was already used in Cro-Magnon cave paintings that are thousands of years old.

Lime leaf: The leaf of the Lime tree ("Linde" in most other Germanic languages) probably resembled fertility, it also had much similarities with the Heart symbol, probably due to its form. There is also a symbol on the weapon and flag of the Dutch province of Frisia that is called "Plompeblad" (Dutch) or "Meerblad" (Frisian), which has much in common with the Lime leaf symbol and is probably a distortion of it.

Oak leafs: In the Germanic countries oaks leafs have been used througout history, especially in Germany where it became one of the national symbols as can be seen on this German coin of 2 Euro cents. The original meaning of oak leafs is not entirely sure but the oak itself was considered to be a holy tree connected to the gods Wodan and Thunar, wreaths of oakleafs were also used in fertility ceremonies.

Shieldknot: The shieldknot probably symbolized protection or defence, there are many versions of the shieldknot; knotted and intertwined designs often occur in Germanic art and it may represent the believe that everything is this world is intertwined by Wurðís ("fate"), and that every action has a reaction.

Cross of St. Hans: this symbol, which is nowadays known as the st. Hans or st. John cross, was used on Scandinavian rock paintings, in later times it was connected to cabbalistic magic and zodiac signs though it was probably an alternative version of the shieldknot.

Key: the key was the symbol of Frigg, the wife of Wodan/Odin. She was the head of the household and it was a custom to give the keys of the house to the wife. The key also symbolizes access to normally inaccessible terrains, it forces a breakthrough thus it was seen as a way to solve problems.

Cross of St.Andreas: The st.Andreas-cross or st.Andrews-cross is associated with a Christian saint called Andreas, many hospitals still use this symbol and it can often be seen on ambulances. The st.Andreas cross is a Christianized version of a Medieval variation of the Hagalaz rune and just like its Heathen predecessor it is associated with protection, this protection is nowadays believed to be given by st.Andreas though the original protector was Thunar, it's funny to know that many of the patients travelling in ambulances are still receiving protection from our ancient thundergod.

Symbol of the Moongod: this symbol was connected to the Ingwaz rune and was used by some Germanic tribes to represent the Moon god, it is unknown whom of the gods this title refered to though it was probably Frey or Tanfana.

Todesrune: the Todesrune ("Death-rune") represented death and was probably connected to the Tiwaz rune.

Hex sign: the Hex sign, also known as "Six-star" is an alternative version of the Sunwheel, it symbolizes movement and resembles a flower, which may have some link to fertility, it is also a sign to ward off evil powers.

Eye of Fire: not much is known about this symbol, it is of an old origin and propably represented fire, it may have been used to represent the element of fire in runic charms and it could have been associated with Loki. Another theory is that it represented the fiery eye of Hel, the goddess of the Afterlife, with this eye she could see the truth and nothing was hidden from her.

The source for this information is http://www.geocities.com/reginheim/