Vendel bracteate-amulet Seeland, sterling silver

Product description

The original piece of jewelry was found in Seeland (Denmark) and belongs to the treasures of the Danish National Museum. The jewelry is an amulet that was presumably used for religious purposes. Inscription: I am called Harihua, knowing misfortune I bring luck. This silver replica amulet is 2.5 cm and weighs 64 grams. It is made in the Germanic animal style I.

The Viking god Odin and Germanic god Wodan was the god of the aristocracy and warrior class. Odin/Wodan is associated with omniscience, he is the master of Runes and poetry and commands seidr (magic). The god is known as the god of war and death but his deeper meaning lies in safeguarding the cosmic order. According to mythology, Odin/Wodan is the first of kings and master over the Einingjarl, the heroic fallen warriors of Walhalla with whom he rides out to defeat Ragnarok (total chaos). Objects on which Odin/Wodan are depicted can be linked to the aristocracy and warrior class, the Viking Jarls and Karls and magic.

In all Indo-European cultures, horses played an important role. More than 5,000 years ago on the Pontic-Caspian steppe, our ancestors, the Indo-European steppe herders, cultivated the horse. Later this gave rise to their equestrian culture, the horse played an important role as a means of transport, in warfare and as an aid on the land. No wonder that early on the horse was incorporated into the spiritual world of our ancestors. They believed that the sun was pulled across the sky by a horse and therefore associated the animal with fertility, of both people and the land. The horse also stood for kingship and the connection between the ruling aristocracy and the territory over which they ruled.

Runes were letters and each also had its own magical power. Runes gave the wearer strength and protection and were therefore engraved on objects. Runes could also be used for making predictions by volvas