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Crucifix Pendant (NLM-AD60CD)
The settlement of Scandinavians in the Danelaw inevitably led in the end to their conversion to Christianity, though how this process happened and how long it took varied in different parts of the country and is still not fully understood. Finds from Scandinavian-settled areas, like this crucifix with a clear image of Christ on the cross, may well be evidence for this process.
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Viking Objects
Probable Thor’s Hammer Pendant (NLM-1A6811)
These may have been worn to show devotion to the god Thor, or to secure the god’s protection, although there is little evidence to support this interpretation. Pendants like this have been found made of lead, copper alloy, silver and gold, as well as other materials, showing that many different strata of society could have worn them. For more information on Scandinavian jewellery in England check out our blog: Brooches, Pendants and Pins: Scandinavian Dress Accessories in England.
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Viking Names
Crosby
Crosby, in the Manley Wapentake of Lincolnshire, is a difficult name. The earliest spelling of the name in the Domesday Book suggests that the name comes from the Old Norse male personal name Kroppr and the Old Norse element bý ‘a farmstead, a village’. However, it is believed that this spelling is an error as it is not supported by later forms which indicate rather a place-name meaning ‘the farmstead, village marked by crosses’, from krossa, the genitive plural of Old Norse kross ‘cross’, with Old Norse bý.
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Viking Objects
Reproduction Crucifix Pendant
Crucifixes like this one would have been worn to display one’s faith and may have been a way for newly converted Scandinavians to be more accepted in society. By the late tenth to early eleventh centuries, assimilation would have seen many Scandinavians, both elites and common people, converted to Christianity and adopting Anglo-Saxon ways.
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Viking Names
Kirkby Green
Kirkby Green, in the Langoe Wapentake of Lincolnshire, comes from the Old Norse appellative compound kirkju-by ‘a village with a church’. The affix Green come from Old English grene ‘grassy spot, a village green’