Description:

Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 800 to 1100 CE. A heavy solid silver Thor's hammer amulet, also known as Mjolnir. The hammer has repeated impressed motifs of tiny V's that look like a flock of birds; the upper part of the hammer is pierced for suspension. Size: 1.5" L x 1.3" W (3.8 cm x 3.3 cm); 12.9 grams

Small Thor's hammers were worn as religious amulets throughout the Viking era, usually made of silver and usually hung on silver chains. Some even made it to the Christian era - there is a famous example of a Thor's hammer amulet from Fossi, Iceland, that has been turned into a cross. Interestingly, they were also invoked this past summer to describe the power of the surprisingly mighty Icelandic football team at the Euro Cup. The important Viking metalworking shops correspond to their great trading ports and proto-urban centers - Birka, Helgo, Sigtuna, and Lund in Sweden, Ribe, Haithabu (Hedeby), and Fyrkat in Denmark, and Kaupang and Trondheim in Norway. Silver was the principal currency of the Viking world, which stretched from Russia to northern Canada at the height of their influence. In many places, the Vikings kept silver not as coins, but as jewelry, a wearable currency form that was not subject to the authority of a monarch or mint.

Provenance: Ex-M. Jones collection, York, England

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#120410

  • Condition: Tarnish and slight deformation of shape at the edges. Cord used for suspension in photo is not included.

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March 15, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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