Thor was also a god of the weather, and through that association he was a god of seafaring. When worn as an amulet, representations of Mjölnir might have been thought as a form of spiritual defense: "It's protecting you, in a very positive way," she said. "It seems to have been used to hallow things, to make them sacred."
"It has both a destructive power and a sacred power," she said. The divine hammer represented by the amulet is the war hammer Mjölnir, which according to legend was crafted by dwarves for the gods of Valhalla in a competition to create the most wondrous treasure, Larrington said.Īlthough the other treasures included a ship that could fold up and be placed in a pocket, and the gold-bristled, glow-in-the-dark boar called Gullinbursti that could be ridden into battle, Mjölnir was judged the most marvelous and was given to Thor for his wars against the giants, she said. Related: 1,200-year-old pagan temple to Thor and Odin unearthed in Norway Preliminary dating of the latest finds at Ysby suggests they are from the Viking Age, which traditionally starts in 793 - the date of the first Viking raid in England, on a monastery on the holy island of Lindisfarne on the coast of Northumberland - and ends with the Battle of Stamford Bridge in September 1066, where an English army led by King Harold Godwinson defeated an invading Norwegian army near York. "One theory is that these large, ornamented Thor's hammers were a clear marker for those who still worshiped the gods when Christianity began to take root in Scandinavia," he said. Such amulets might have been worn during the religious transition of the region at the end of the Viking Age as a symbol of adhering to the old Norse gods, rather than to the "new" religion of Christianity. "The find probably dates to the 900s or 1000s - that is, the late Viking Age - and appears to be made of lead," Wranning wrote in a translated blog post (opens in new tab). It's cast in metal and has intricate embossed designs on its upper face and it may have been gilded (decorated with gold) or silvered, but the archaeologists won't be sure until it's been properly cleaned and preserved, he said.Ī hole the shaft - the bottom of the "handle" of the hammer - indicates the amulet was hung on a ring or thong and suggests it was worn around the neck, but it might have formed some other type of jewelry, he added. Similar Thor's hammer amulets have been found previously in Scandinavia, but this is the first uncovered in Halland, said Wranning, who led the dig. Deadpool, worthy of Mjolnir After another plot against Thor is thwarted, Loki creates an Asgardian hammer just for Deadpool. (Image credit: Copyright Kulturmiljö Halland, Stiftelsen Hallands länsmuseer) Viking Age Lay the shank on the smoker bone side down and smoke it at 180-F for about 4 hours. Rub the beef shank with cooking oil, then sprinkle on salt and pepper. Preheat your smoker to 180-F as per the manufacturer’s directions. It is thought to be made of lead and is dated to around the 10th or 11th centuries A.D. Start this early in the morning if you want to eat it for dinner. The Thor's Hammer amulet was found in the southwestern Swedish town of Ysby this summer.
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