Viking patches

Learn more about viking badges and insignias

Norse or Viking patches?

We’re true fans of ancient norse culture and their symbols. That’s why we offer a wide catalog of viking patches, most of them depicting norse mythological symbols which were used by people living in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.

Sometimes there’s a confusion between the terms Viking and Norse, and in fact, both terms are often used interchangeably. We could understand our patches to be norse patches as well.

The difference between Norse and Viking lies basically in the occupation of the person. While Norse is a generic term referring to the people living in Scandinavia no matter their work or occupation (merchants, farmers, etc), Viking is more related to Norse people who were warriors and used to travel in longships to distant lands to trade but also raid, conquer, expand, and sometimes settle. Vikings also became famous for being expert sailors and fierce warriors.

Viking patches and Mythology.

Norsemen were pagans (aka heathens) who believed in many gods and also in destiny. They used a number of mythological symbols which they thought would help them overcome their problems.

There were Norse symbols for many aspects in life: strength, protection, war, love, death, etc. Wearing a specific symbol was understood as a way to be successful on that matter or get over a specific problem.

For example, the viking compass patch depicts a symbol calles “Vegvisir”. “Vegvisir” means “wayfinder” and “sign post” in icelandic language, and was used as a symbol of protection and guidance for viking sailors to not lose their way during storms and bad weather.

Another popular norse symbol is the Aegishjalmur (aka Aegishjalmr), used to protect warriors and intimidate enemies. The word consists of 2 root words, “Aegis” and “hjalmr”, respectively meaning “shield” and “helm”. This symbol is also known as the “Helm of Awe”, and it’s said to be painted or tattooed on the forehead or front of the helmet for protection and victory.

Norse raven patches are also well-known items. Ravens were iconic and magical creatures in the viking culture, representing a wise, all-knowing messenger and a bird of prophecy and protection. Huginn and Munnin were the most known mythological ravens and were believed to be the eyes and ears of the god Odin.

Viking runic alphabets.

Runes are other popular elements often seen in norse symbols. The vikings did not write on paper but carved runes on stone, wood or iron instead. Vikings used a runic alphabet called “Younger Futhark” comprising 16 characters (runes). Younger Futhark originated from the “Elder Futhark” which included 24 runes and was used by germanic peoples before the Viking Age.

At Tactical Freaky we’re able to make Norse rune patches depicting any text of your choice in Younger or Elder Futhark. Don’t hesitate to request a special design including runes. However please note that as we don’t have enough expertise in norse/icelandic words, we need that you tell us which runes your patch should read. We can’t give advice of how a word or sentence should be properly translated into icelandic language.

Largest catalog of laser-cut viking VELCRO patches highly customizable.

We strive to offer the best viking and norse patches using laser cutting technology. Laser-cut patches provide a number of benefits compared to other types of patches:

• extreme durability and strength (built to last),
• higher detailed images thanks to the accuracy of laser cutting,
• and the ability to feature special light effects which are hardly available with other kind of patches: IR (Infrared Reflective), GITD (Glow in the Dark), or simply reflective (of visible light).

All our viking insignias and badges are VELCRO backed for a quick and easy removal. They feature a plethora of customization options, so you can easily match your viking VELCRO patch with your gear:

• 800+ combinations of Backgrounds (colors and camouflages) and Vinyls (for texts and images),
• sizes from 1×1 inches to 4×10,
• and possibility to make them in odd shapes (shields, skulls, triangles, rhombus, etc).

No other Viking patch maker out there is offering so many options to customize your item as Tactical Freaky.

Our catalog includes many viking morale patches using symbols related to protection, strength or war, among others. In addition to mythological symbols (Vegvisir, Aegishjalmur, Valknut, etc), other frequent elements depicted on viking tactical patches are ravens and runes.

Custom viking patches.

Finally, please don’t forget to check out our custom patches should you need a special design including viking or norse elements. We’ve been shipping hundreds of custom items around the globe since 2017!