Hávamál: The Wisdom of Óðinn is a book meant to be held, turned, and lived with — The cover was designed as a single object experienced in stages.
From the beginning, we approached the cover as a sequence rather than a single surface. The aim was to let the book reveal itself through touch and movement as it is picked up and turned, in the same measured way the text inside unfolds over time.
The interior layout establishes a calm rhythm between image, text, and reflection.
Full-page illustrations set the tone before each stanza, allowing the reader to pause and orient themselves visually before engaging with the words.
This interior pacing informed the cover design, which was intended to function as the first, quiet entry into that same measured reading experience.
Full final cover design – back, spine and front.
The Brief
High Asgardian Elegance
The brief was clear and deliberately restrained.
We wanted a cover that relied on symbolism and craft rather than explanation. There would be no title on the front or back. The visuals had to carry the weight on their own, drawing the reader in without telling them what to expect.
The book itself is designed to slow the reader down, pairing ancient wisdom with modern reflection and careful material choices. The cover needed to act as the physical threshold to that experience. It had to feel calm, confident, and complete.
Early mockups explored a simpler structure with a central bindrune framed by light ornamentation.
While functional, they lacked the sense of presence we were looking for.
We chose to move toward a denser and more imposing design, one that felt self-contained and unapologetically quiet.
The Front Cover
Knowledge Sought
The front cover marks the point of approach.
At its centre stands Yggdrasil, filling most of the surface. The tree serves as both structure and symbol, referencing Óðinn’s sacrifice and his pursuit of wisdom. It acts as the visual axis of the composition.
The ornamentation draws inspiration from Mammen-style aesthetics, developed into a dense but controlled surface. Ornamental bindrunes are woven throughout, created freehand to conform to the available space rather than to spell fixed meanings.
The front cover.
Timelapse of the front cover illustration.
Runic text appears above and below the tree, reading Vizka Oðins in 10th-century Old Norse, rendered in Younger Futhark. The title is present, but it remains part of the image rather than a typographic statement.
This surface is meant to invite attention without explanation. It represents the act of seeking.
The Back Cover
Knowledge Contained
Turning the book shifts the tone inward.
The back cover is organised around a central Óðinn bindrune, which became the conceptual anchor of the cover.
The design draws from Hávamál stanzas 138–139, where Óðinn sacrifices himself to himself on the world tree in order to seize the runes. The bindrune was created to commemorate that act of endurance and transformation, and to hold the cost of wisdom rather than its outcome.
Visually, the bindrune is treated as a gathered form. Its lines converge inward, creating tension and containment. While informed by Óðinn and by Connor’s earlier Hávamál bindrune work, the focus here is visual presence. The bindrune needed to feel earned, dense, and held.
The back cover.
The original Sacrifice of Óðinn bindrune by Connor.
The back cover bindrune was developed from this form
Ravens and wolves frame the composition as supporting forces. Huginn and Muninn stand for thought and memory, while Geri and Freki reflect hunger and drive. Their bold silhouettes ground the surface and establish hierarchy against the finer linework.
Additional ornamental bindrunes fill the remaining space, developed freehand to conform to the surface. Together, these elements create a back cover that feels sealed and deliberate, carrying the weight of what is gained through sacrifice.
The Spine
Knowledge Remembered
The spine acts as the connective surface.
Its knotwork is inspired by archaeological material, developed into an elevated Mammen-style expression. Rather than repeating the tree directly, the spine references it through rhythm and structure.
The spine.
Functionally, it was designed to read clearly on a shelf. Conceptually, it represents continuity. It is the surface that remains visible over time, reminding the reader of the book’s presence even when it is not in hand.
Shared motifs and material language
Across all three surfaces, the same visual principles are at work.
Bindrunes function as an ornamental system rather than literal text. Motifs repeat with variation. Linework and bold forms are balanced to create hierarchy and flow. Subtle horizontal movement allows the design to read as one continuous object when handled.
Nothing was designed in isolation. Each surface informs the others, reinforcing the sense that the cover is a single, unified system.
The cover does not explain what the book contains.
It does not instruct the reader on how to approach it.
Instead, it mirrors the nature of Hávamál itself.
Meaning is present, but it unfolds slowly.
The cover waits.
Illustration: Jonas Lau Markussen
Art Direction: Roca Editorial
Author: Laia San José Beltrán
Publisher: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, S.A.U.
Released: October 2024
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