Thor's Hammer Pendant
The Thor that we are all familiar with today does not quite hold truth to the Thor that was familiarized in the Viking-Era. He was in fact son of Oden and temperamental thunder-god; however, his physical image was more or less skewed for modern pop-culture. According to the Swedish Natural and Cultural History Museum Thor was, "the god of farmers and free people. He is temperamental, with red hair and bushy eyebrows" (Pictured Right). He is also well known for having three key pieces of weaponry that aid him in his quest to defend Asgard: Megingjord, the belt of power that doubles his strength; a pair of iron gloves; and Mjolnir, his ever so famous hammer that hits whatever it's aimed at without fail and returns to his hand like a boomerang.
Thor's hammer typically has a grander scheme of uses to viking's and their heirs other than helping Thor guard Asgard. According to historian Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson,
to do with the well-being of the community. It covered
birth, marriage, and death, burial, and cremation ceremonies, weapons and feasting,
traveling, land-taking, and the making of oaths between men.
The famous weapon of Thor was not only the symbol of the destructive
power of the storm, and of fire from heaven, but also a protection against the
forces of evil and violence. Without it Asgard could no longer be guarded against the
giants, and men relied on it also to give security and to support the rule of law.
This summary highlights the uses of the pendant to the viking people and anyone who celebrates viking culture in the modern day.
This artifact that I have chosen to talk about is Thor's Hammer pendant that is kept in the gold room of the Stockholm history museum, Historiska Museet (Pictured Above). This piece of precious viking gold was found in one of the many viking-era hoards that get unearthed in the modern world. Thor's hammer was made into pendants that warriors would wear in order to gain protection and strength from Thor himself. This piece helps illuminate the Middle Ages because it symbolized something that was very important to viking culture. It can also be used to preserve the tradition of oral storytelling if you're wearing it and someone asks you what it is or where it came from. You can proudly tell them the story of Thor, Oden, and Asgard that your ancestors held dear to their hearts.
Sources:
“Gold from Viking Hoards.” Viking Gold, Stockholm , 21 Jan. 2014, http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/vikinggold.html
McCoy, Daniel. “Thor's Hammer.” Norse Mythology for Smart People, 2012, https://norse-mythology.org/symbols/thors-hammer/
“Gold from Viking Hoards.” Viking Gold, Stockholm , 21 Jan. 2014, http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/vikinggold.html
McCoy, Daniel. “Thor's Hammer.” Norse Mythology for Smart People, 2012, https://norse-mythology.org/symbols/thors-hammer/
“Thor – a Temperamental Thunder-God.” The Swedish History Museum, Historika Museet, https://historiska.se/norse-mythology/thor-en/
I found it interesting that Thor had 3 mystical items. I have never heard of that before. I also found it interesting that his enemies would wear a piece of jewelry made from his hammer to protect themselves from him. They must have feared him a great deal.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know that there were 3 items but I think that has to do a lot with popular culture and how interested people would be in a belt and iron gloves you know? For a history and mythology nerd like me I thought it was valid and interesting information but I could see where the majority of movie-goers and aficionados could care less.
DeleteI find it interesting how much modern culture has twisted Thor's image to make it more mainstream when in fact Thor has been around since the Vikings. I have to admit though that I have no idea how the artifact is supposed to been worn, doesn't seem too comfortable.
ReplyDeleteGreat cultural commentary! Your Viking links to your interests came alive. I would like to know the date of this object, if we could find it!
ReplyDeleteThis was so cool to read about. I was unaware that Thor was based off a real person. I thinks it's odd how the real person has bright red hair unlike the one in the movie with the long blonde locks. I also did not know he had to do with farming. This was cool to learn about and nice to see that Thors strength can be credited to the viking era which as we learned in class is full of strong men with ginger hair much like this Thor.
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