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
Silver Mjolnir Pendant
12017-05-17T19:35:13-07:00Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252f164562A silver pendant in the shape of Thor's hammer, Mjolnirplain2017-05-17T19:37:38-07:00Hildebrand, Gabriel. Objects 106,659th SHM 9822: 810. Still image, November 8, 2011. 106659. Historiska Museet. http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/fid.asp?fid=106659&g=1.800-1100106659CC BY55.9345562,12.3940976SilverHistoriska MuseetSkåne, SwedenvikingatidCaitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252f
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12017-05-21T21:38:07-07:00Silver Mjolnir Pendant5object pageplain2017-09-17T13:40:30-07:00Through the prevalence of small amulets like this, we can see the importance of the gods, especially Thor, in the daily lives of the norse people, as well as the conflict between the old religion, and the entrance of Christianity. This amulet in the shape of a hammer, is 51 mm in length, and crafted from silver. The fact that the hammer is crafted from silver hints that it was made in the late tenth to eleventh century, as before then these pendants were usually made with iron.[1] It was found in Skåne, a southern county of Sweden. It is finely decorated with swirl patterns, and what appears to be the head of either a dragon or a bird.
The hammer shape represents mjolnir, or Thor’s hammer. Thor was the most popular god of the norse people, and was believed to control thunder, wind, rain, sun, and crops, therefore playing a central role in Scandinavian life.[2] He also defended Asgard, home of the gods, from the giants of Jötunheim, leading him to also be seen as a god of law and order and a protector from chaos.[3] The latter role lead to him frequently being invoked to consecrate or protect runes. One example of this can be found on the Sønder Kirkeby runestone, in which the words “Sassur placed this stone in memory of Ásgautr, his brother, but he died in Gotland. May Thor hallow the runes” are inscribed.[4]
With Thor being so important in the daily lives of the norse, it is no surprise that amulets in the shape of Thor’s hammer were often found in graves, or placed over cremated remains.[5] The amulets were also popular to wear, perhaps as a show of faith, or as a sign of protection. Some theories say that when Christian missionaries started coming to Scandinavia some norse people wore the hammer as an act of defiance, in stark contrast to the crosses Christians often wore around their own necks.[6] Some people potentially even wore both types of amulets, and the popularity of both cross and hammer pendants can be seen in that many blacksmiths had the tools to produce both types of pendant.[7]
The prevalence of these amulets, which can be found in varying degrees of quality and richness, shows how prevalent religion was in the daily lives of the norse people. They relied on gods such as Thor to bring them good harvests, and protect law and order, much the same as other people did with their own gods.