Viking and Medieval Amulets in Scandinavia

Viking and medieval amulets in Scandinavia Fuglesang, Signe Horn Fornvännen 84, 15-27 http://kulturarvsdata.se/raa/fornvannen/html/1989_015 Ingår i: samla.raa.se Viking and medieval amulets in Seandinavia By Signe Horn Fuglesang Fuglesang, S. H, 1989. Viking and medieval amulets in Seandinavia. Fornvännen 84, Stockholm. Identification of Viking period and medieval amulets entails problems of source criticism: the literary sources on medicine, leechcraft etc. are all late and depend on West-European prototypes, and to distinguish between amulets, ornaments and cult objects is difficult. Many types of amulets have been postulated for the Viking period and the Middle Ages, but the theories sometimes seem exagger ated. Signe Horn Fuglesang, Universitetet i Oslo, Inst. for kunsthislork og klassisk arkeobgi, Postboks 1019 Blindem, Oslo 3, Norway. The identification of Viking and medieval ments or cult objects on the other. In the Viking amulets from Seandinavia entails several prob period, miniatures of tools and weapons of sil lems of source criticism. For instance, poten- ver or bronze were frequently worn on a neck tially relevant plant and animal remains in the lace (Fig. 1.) They can easily have been orna archaeological material may have dissolved or ments. The interpretation of them as amulets been overlooked, and consequently what sur rests partly on the simultaneous occurrence of vives may not be representative. All texts on identical models in iron (Arrhenius, 1961) part medicine and leechcraft are late (the earliest is ly on the interpretation of similar, earlier ob from the 13th century) and depend on West- jects from graves in England and on the Conti European prototypes (Sorensen, 1966). They nent (Meaney, 1981). The suggested association may reflect contemporary Scandinavian practi of some of these models with particular pagan ces, but their value for our understanding of gods raises further questions. Apart from earlier customs remains doubtful unless con- Thor's hammer, which seems certain, none of firmed by archaeological finds. In fact, all them is an obvious attribute and their identifi Scandinavian texts concerning amulets are late cation with Odin, Thor and Freyr rests mainly and projecting their information backwards in on inference. Finally, it is noteworthy that none time can easily result in a circular argument. of the Scandinavian Viking amulets depicts For example, attention may be drawn to the animals of the species wich låter sour discrepancy between literature and actual re ces associate with the pagan gods, e.g. Thor's mains in the case of runic inscriptions on goats, Odin's rävens or Freyr's boar. weapons. The Sigrdnfumdl, written in the 13th Minbture objects are normally of metal; most of century, contains a famous passage on how to them are miniatures of tools and weapons incise "runes of victory" on weapons. In actual which have a fairly long European tradition fact only 20 of the 5.000 or so weapons sur (Fig. 1) (Arrhenius, 1961; Näsman, 1972-73; viving from the Viking and Medieval periods Schwarz-Mackensen, 1978; Meaney, 1981; bear runic inscriptions, and none of them has Duczko, 1986). The miniatures of weapons a magical content (Diiwel, 1981, esp. pp. 163- from the dwellings at Eketorp, Öland, probably 167). date from the 6th-7th century and conform to It is also notoriously difficult to draw the line contemporaneous West-European types of mo between amulets on the one hand and orna dels (Näsman, 1972-73). The Viking minia- Fornvännen »4(1»»») 16 S. Horn Fuglesang OoÖ Fig. 1. Pendant miniatures of bronze: horse, sword, spear, chair, from Sweden; provenance unknown. Museum of National Antiquities, Stockholm. (Photo ATA, Stockholm. Drawing from Arrhenius 1961.) — Miniatyrer av bronse: hest, sverd, spyd og stol fra Sverige, ukjent funsted. tures which have been found tn situ in graves (ind. Bornholm). They date from the mid- seem normally to have been suspended from a Viking period (c. 875/900-950/975), and have necklace rather than a chatdaine. This facili- (been connected with the cult of Odin (Arrhe tates their distinction from toilet implements, nius, 1961, esp. p. 157; Drescher and Hauck, but raises the possibility of their being orna 1982, esp. pp. 289, 294 f). ments. For instance, the Viking sieve spoon Pendant capsules of silver occur sporadically in normally lacks a handle, and its position on a mid- and late-Viking contexts (Stenberger, necklace suggests that its function was amuletic 1958, pp. 181-185; Duczko, 1978-79 and or ornamental rather than practical. (Duczko 1985, pp. 61-66). They presumably contained 1985, pp. 47 f; Meaney 1981, p. 152. For a prac fragrant herbs, and one from Birka grave 552 tical function of those on chatdaines see Gräs has a runic inscription indicating that it was lund, 1978-79, esp. p. 299.) Circular shield- used aginst vermin (Duczko, 1985). shaped pendants of bronze or silver are found Votive rings are a group of amulets peculiar to on necklaces from the lOth century. Since they East-Scandinavia, esp. to Uppland, Söderman are not usually associated with other miniature land and Västmanland in Sweden (Fig 2; weapons, they may have been regarded as orna Ström, 1974 and 1984). They are large rings ments although their form and decoration coin- (diameter about 15 cm) made from an iron rod cide strikingly with early Anglo-Saxon exam with twisted locks of different types. When ples (e.g. Arbman, 1940, Pl. 97:1-20; Duczko, found complete, they have suspended ham 1985, p. 50; Meaney, 1981, Fig. V:o). In addi mer-, spatula- and L-shaped miniatures, oc- tion to those from Western Europé, Scandina casionally with additional rings and spirals. vian Viking miniatures include spade-like Ninety-five per cent of the approximately 450 objects, scythes, strike-a-lights and staffs (Arr "Thor's rings" of this type come from the Mä henius, 1961). Their precise symbolic conno- lar region, and most of them date from the 9th tations are unknown, although Odin, Thor and century. They could be worn around the neck, the fertility god Freyr have been mentioned in as shown by some of the inhumation graves this connection (Arrhenius, 1961; Andersen, at Birka, but since the overwhelming majori 1971). Miniature chairs are apparently peculiar ty of such rings come from cremation graves to Seandinavia. So far, 13 examples are known their use in the world of the living remains con- from Sweden (ind. Gotland) and Denmark jectural. The association of such rings with the Fornvännen 84 (!»»») Viking and medieval amulets 17 Fig. 2. Votive ring from Birka, grave 985, Uppland, Sweden. Viking period. Museum of National Anti quities, Stockholm. (Photo ATA, Stockholm.) — Votiv- ring fra Birka, grav 985. Vikingtid. cult of Thor seems reasonable, and their regio nal distribution is striking. But it should not be overlooked that they bear a marked resem- blance to small rings with miniatures of both iron and other metals found in other areas of Seandinavia (e.g. Arrhenius, 1961; Andersen, 1971; Muller-Wille, 1976). Mimature hammers occur in pre-Viking times both in Seandinavia and in England (Fig 3; Schwarz-Mackensen, 1978, p. 85 with refs.; Meaney, 1981, p. 151). But their number in creased markedly in Viking-Age Seandinavia. The material is iron, bronze, occasionally amber, and — from the lOth century onwards — silver. They are predominantly, though not exclusively, found in women's graves, while most of the silver examples come from hoards of the late lOth and the llth century (Stenberger, 1958, esp. pp. 167-171; Ström, 1984, esp. p. 136). The hammer-shaped pendant is normally interpreted as the symbol of the god Thor, an interpretation based on contemporaneous Fig. 3. Pendant hammer of silver from Birka, grave 750. lOth century. Museum of National Antiquities, Stockholm. (Photo ATA, Stockholm.) — Miniatyr- hammer av solv fra Birka, grav 750. 900-tallet. Fornvännen »4 (I»»») 18 S. Horn Fuglesang Fig. 4. Casting mould of soapstone from Trendgår den, Jutland, Denmark. Danish National Museum, Copenhagen. (Photo Danish National Museum, Copenhagen.) — En stopeform av klebersten fra Trendgården, Jylland. iconography and on låter but fairly reliable lite rary evidence. Its amuletic significance is taken to be generally prophylactic. The proliferation of silver hammers in the lOth and llth centuries Fig. 5. Pendant cross of silver from Birka, grave 480. has occasionally been interpreted as a pagan lOth century. Museum of National Antiquities, riposte to the Christian pendant cross with be Stockholm. (Photo ATA, Stockholm.) — Hengekors came current in the same period. The casting av solv fra Birka, grav 480. 900-tallet. mould from Trendgården, Jutland, demonstra- tes that cross and hammer were manufaclured simultaneously (Fig. 4). anity (Gräslund, 1984, pp. 115-118). Normally, Cross pendants have been found in all parts of1 neither hammers nor crosses found in hoards Seandinavia (Fig. 5). Some, particularly bronze are hacked (Stenberger, 1958, pp. 168, 176). crosses, are found in graves, but most of the sur As mentioned, animals associated with speci viving piéces are of silver and have been recove fic gods do not occur among the amulet minia red from hoards (Stenberger, 1958, pp. 171- tures. The bosses on some types of lOth century 181; Muller-Wille, 1976, pp. 37 f; Gräslund, brooches are occasionally shaped like semi- 1984 with refs.). Crosses in graves are at times naturalistic goats which may have had an amu associated with other types of amulet pendants, letic function through the animaFs association in Birka grave 968, for instance, with a minia with Thor (Roesdahl, 1982, p. 162). However, ture chair which is usually interpreted as a sym other animal types used for bosses are without bol of Odin, the figure of a small woman, pos deistic connotations. On the other hand, a sibly a pagan "valkyrie", and a shidd-shaped small bronze frog crouching behind what has pendant (Gräslund, 1984, p.

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