A hammer-shaped pendant or Thor's hammer found near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. (c) Lincolnshire County Council
A hammer-shaped pendant or Thor's hammer found near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. (c) Lincolnshire County Council

A hammer-shaped pendant or Thor's hammer found near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. (c) Lincolnshire County Council A hammer-shaped pendant or Thor's hammer found near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. (c) Lincolnshire County Council

Hammer-Shaped Pendant (LCNCC: 2015.15)

A hammer-shaped pendant or Thor's hammer found near Spilsby, Lincolnshire

A gold hammer-shaped pendant with an elongated pentagonal head, popularly called a Thor’s hammer pendant, from Spilsby, Lincolnshire. Hammer-shaped pendants are thought to be amuletic pendants designed to represent Thor’s hammer Mjöllnir. They are common in Scandinavia and in areas of Viking settlement in England. Those found in the Danelaw are generally undecorated or simply decorated, and are thought to have been made in England. The purpose of these pendants has been much speculated about, but nothing definite is known about it. Pendants like this have been found made of lead, copper alloy, silver and gold, showing that many different strata of society could have worn them.

Object Type

Pendant

Date

circa 850 — 950

Ascribed Culture

Original/Reproduction

Original

Material

Collection

Viking Objects

Current Location

The Collection, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Keywords

gold, jewellery, Lincolnshire, pendant, Portable_Antiquities_Scheme, Thor, Thor's_hammer, Viking

Further information

You can see the original at The Collection, Lincoln, Lincolnshire.

This object is related to Spilsby, Lincolnshire.
Find out about Spilsby, Lincolnshire.

Acknowledgements

(c) Lincolnshire County Council, CC BY-SA 4.0

References

Portable Antiquities Scheme

Brooches, Pendants and Pins: Scandinavian Dress Accessories in England.

Related items

Drawing of a Hammer-Shaped Pendant
Spilsby
Reproduction Hammer-shaped Pendant

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