Viking Odin Amulet Zemlyanoe Ladoga, bronze

Product description

The "Singing Odin" figurine, discovered in 1975 in a hoard of tools and jewelry from the ancient settlement of Zemlyanoe Ladoga, is now housed in the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. This representation of Odin is one of the oldest and most detailed depictions of the Norse god. The figure portrays the one-eyed Odin, adorned with raven heads, with his mouth open as though he is singing.

An interesting feature of this figurine is its angular hollowed-out shaft, leading to the theory that it may have served as a tuning key for a stringed instrument. Odin, the father of the gods and the god of wisdom in Norse mythology, is also known as the patron of songwriters. Similar depictions of Odin, including one with horns, have been found in places like Levide on Gotland and Funen in Denmark.

Our replica of the Odin figurine measures 5 x 3.2 cm, similar to the original, and features a rectangular opening in the shaft measuring 4 mm. It can be worn as an amulet or placed on an altar as a figurine. It can also be used as a tuning key for instruments such as a lyre or harp. The figurine's horns, shaped like ravens, represent Odin as a "weapon dancer," a figure seen in artifacts from the Vendel and Viking Ages. These depictions may be linked to the myth of Odin throwing his spear to start the war between the Vanes and the Ases.

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