When you think of ancient Vikings, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not jewelry, right? The image that comes to most people’s minds is one of barbarians with long spears, swords and heavy shields attacking coastal communities. However, you will be happy to know that the ancient Norse people also made beautiful and intricate jewelry in the form of bracelets, rings, necklaces, etc., from a variety of materials including copper, iron, gold, silver , amber and other materials. plastic. As early as the Viking period, around 800 AD, these decorations were simple, but over time they became more detailed and elaborate.
Silverdale Hoard group photo found. Image by Ian Richardson. ( CC BY-SA 2.0 )
By profession, Vikings were farmers and sometimes they were warriors. Both men and women in the Viking community wore a lot of jewelry and shiny objects to add charm to their seemingly dark world. Note, Norse ornaments had a secondary purpose, they were also used as currency in trade, which is probably why the Vikings preferred to use precious metals to craft their jewelry .
If an ornament is too large for the subject of the trade, the piece will be divided into smaller pieces to suit that particular job. If you think about it, the Vikings used their jewelry just like we use modern-day wallets.
However, not all Viking decorations were metal; The Norse also created beautiful decorations using beads and gems. However, it was rare for Vikings to set stones in their jewelry, even though this art form was practiced before the Viking Age.
Here are some interesting facts about Viking jewelry that will give you a clearer picture of what Norse decorative culture was like.
Necklace/Neck Ring
The Vikings crafted their necklaces from a variety of items including precious metals such as silver and gold, natural fibers, and iron wires of various lengths and sizes. The necklaces often came with pendants made from glass beads, precious stones, resin, amber (from the Baltic Sea) and small metal charms. However, the most common material for pendants is glass, which is mass-produced for this purpose. Pendants on necklaces are often souvenirs, gifts, or Norse religious symbols that have meaning to the wearer.
Archaeological evidence of Vikings wearing collars is more widespread than evidence of collars. Necklaces discovered throughout Europe were made of silver, bronze or gold. Note that most of the discovered necklaces were in hoards and not in grave sites. So there is no conclusive evidence as to which gender wore them.
However, most historians believe that necklaces were worn by both sexes as a way to display wealth and as a form of currency in commercial transactions. They are designed and manufactured in standard weight units for more accurate value assessment. As mentioned above, a piece will be cut from the necklace depending on the quantity needed to conclude a trade transaction.
This Viking neck ring is made from three twisted silver strands and fastened with an unusual conical knob and clasp. It is both jewelry and money for its owner. Large neck rings and smaller hand rings were buried in Viking hoards in Ireland, Scandinavia and England, all of which were important centers of Viking sea trade. This necklace was found buried with a simple bracelet (current location unknown), in Fenit, County Kerry, Ireland in 1880. ( Public Domain )
Pendant/Amulet
When it comes to Viking jewelry, the word pendant represents a wide variety of items; from Mjolnir pendant, Valknut pendant, Yggdrasil pendant, etc. Although the ancient Norse people used a number of distinct pendants, Thor’s hammer seems to have been worn most often of them all. Other examples include miniature weapons such as axes and arrowheads, punched coins, the tree of life, the cross, and the Valknut symbol. However, these amulets were found in very few graves, suggesting that they were not commonly worn.
You may also wonder why a pagan community would wear miniature crosses. Even at the height of the Viking age, Christian missionaries were determined to convert non-believers and thus some Norse people adopted this new religion, forming a hybrid belief system. Note, however, that the cross pendant is the rarest archaeological pendant find, which suggests that only a few Vikings embraced Christianity.
From left to right: Thor’s Hammer from Bredsättra: 4.6 cm gilt silver Mjolnir pendant from Bredsättra parish, Runsten Hundred, Borgholm municipality, Öland, Kalmar county, Sweden (Public Domain). Hammer pendant from Rømersdal, Bornholm ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ). A replica of Thor’s hammer pendant from Skåne (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Seed
Viking bead ornaments are often made of amber or glass and are one of the most popular additions to necklaces. In today’s world, these items are relatively inexpensive and widely used, but archaeological evidence from Viking burial sites shows that these decorations were rare and not worn by many people. Furthermore, even “beaded ornaments” were only one, two or three of them, worn alone or with the addition of a pendant like Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. It is extremely rare to find more than three beads on a necklace, which suggests that they were precious and rare, and perhaps symbolized a person’s wealth and status in society.
Additionally, since archaeological finds typically find only 1 to 3 beads on a necklace, it is likely that the number of beads a person wore did not only indicate wealth and social status. Maybe they represent a certain level of achievement or age. The majority of beads found in archaeological sites are made of glass; Other materials such as jet and amber have also been discovered but are rarer.
