Gold Thor's Hammer Pendant
The pendant is made of gold and decorated with punched star-like indents resembling miniature axe heads. This punched style is characteristic of pendants made in Scandinavia, while pendants made in England tended to be plain. The pendant of cast gold suggests that its owner was high-born or wealthy, although the amulet could have been stolen or a gift. Its association with Thor would have likely made it valuable since, according to Adam of Breman, Thor was the mightiest of the Norse gods and, according to a later argument, Thor was the ancestor of royal dynasties.[2]
It is unlikely that this object was used as anything other than a pendant hung on the end of a necklace. It is possible that the Scandinavian settler who owned it used it for trade, but since the Norse generally traded with silver, this seems improbable. It may have been used as a religious symbol akin to wearing a cross for a Christian, showing devotion to the god Thor by wearing his hammer, or it may have been decorative. Amulets like this one, although generally made of iron or silver, were often found in burial mounds or cremations in Scandinavia as well as to the east of the Baltic sea.[3] The lack of context for this one suggests that it may have been lost.[2]
Whether this pendant was intended for decorative purposes or religious ones, its reference to the Nordic god, Thor, is significant. Its existence challenges the modern perception of the Norse being uncultured barbarians, only interested in killing and plundering without regard for matters of the spirit or of religion. This pendant, being in the image of the god Thor’s Hammer Mjollnir, suggests that the Scandinavians, just like the Christians of England, were devoted to their gods. It seems likely that the owner of this hammer was a member of the cult of Thor.
