The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
Axe
12017-05-10T09:56:24-07:00Aliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10164562A copper-alloy miniature axe head that was likely once attached to a pendant of a necklace or to a small figurine.plain2017-05-10T09:58:50-07:00McIntosh, Frances. Axe. Still Image, February 24, 2011. LVPL-1D6558. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/224904.850-950LVPL-1D6558CC BY53.2646511,-0.5423965Copper AlloyPortable Antiquities SchemeEast Lindsey, EnglandViking Age, circa 850ad-950adAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10
12017-05-24T10:09:20-07:00Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707deaMap ViewAustin Mason2An interactive map of all the objects in the collectiongoogle_maps2017-05-24T11:39:30-07:00Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
1media/a76.jpg2017-05-18T21:35:45-07:00Miniature Axe Head8Object Pageplain2017-09-17T14:08:11-07:00What is most interesting about this axe head is its size.[1] It is only 23mm in length and 25mm in width, weighing about 4.5grams. That is lighter than a quarter,[2] not exactly a weight one would expect for an axe. The minuscule size of the axe head suggests that it may have been an amulet or pendant to be worn on a necklace.
It is made out of a copper alloy, and is undecorated, likely because it is so small that etching anything into it would have been highly difficult. The Portable Antiquities Scheme, cultivated by the British Museum, places the axe’s date range from circa 800ce. to 1100ce., a range which encompasses the entire Viking age.
A warrior could have worn something like this charm in the shape of an axe on his (or her) person, on a necklace, bracelet, or perhaps a belt. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that this axe has a broken attachment loop at its top where a string or small axe handle could have been. It is possible that the weapon pendant was worn to repudiate the Christian faith, which would suggest that the axe was worn during the conversion of Scandinavia in the twelfth century.[3] However, the axe could have simply been decorative or even a nail-cleaner, in which case, its dates remain unclear.
Tiny pendants of tools and weapons much like this axe were worn by continental Germanic peoples as well as Scandinavians prior to the Viking age. According to Audrey Meaney’s book on such amulets, the models used for nail cleaning were often broken from the use. This axe head has no cracks on the “blade” and only exhibits general wear, which might have occurred through exposure to the elements or from oils found on fingers. This suggests that this axe was likely not used to clean nails. Another option is that the axe was used as a symbol of a Nordic god. Amulets with the likeness of Thor’s hammer were fairly popular in Scandinavian graves and likely used as a symbol of devotion to the god. It is possible that this axe head was a part of a similar pendant signifying devotion to a different god. It seems that there is only one god in the Norse pantheon who wields an axe, the god of law Forseti.[4] It is possible that this axe belonged to worshiper of Forseti who wore the axe as a symbol of his (or her) devotion to the god. However, Forseti was a very major god, only mentioned twice in Nordic texts, so this axe being used as a symbol of worshiping him seems improbable. The mostly likely use for this tiny axe head is as a decorative pendant.