Product description
This glass bead is a replica of a bead found during excavations in Novgorod. The original dates back to the Viking Age. The bead is quite large and made of green glass with eye patterns. In the 9th century, Novgorod was a thriving trading center along an important Varangian (the medieval term for Viking) trade route between Scandinavia and Greece. The city was bustling with life as merchants exchanged exotic fabrics, metals, wines, and amber from the Mediterranean for the luxurious ermine, sable, and marten furs for which Novgorod was famous. However, it was a lawless place with frequent conflicts between Novgorod and neighboring communities. To restore order, the Novgorodians invited the powerful Varangian leader Prince Rurik to establish a fair and just government. Rurik accepted and traveled from Scandinavia in 862 to take control of the city. After his death in 879, his kinsman Oleg took power, expanding the realm by conquering territories as far as present-day St. Petersburg and more than 1,000 km south to Kiev, uniting the surrounding Slavic and Finnic tribes into the Kievan Rus state.
These glass beads are handmade using the same technique the Vikings used: melting glass on a metal rod to form beads. They are perfect for reenactment, living history, and Viking archaeology enthusiasts. With these beads, you can create your own Viking necklace. Mix & match them with other beads and pendants from our collection to create a unique piece of jewelry.
Viking necklaces were made from various materials and served not only as decoration but also as a status symbol and spiritual object. They could contain unique elements and were closely linked to magic, rituals, and identity, as seen in stories about the Brísing necklace and saints such as Genevieve and Bathild. Archaeological findings show that necklaces could carry both pagan and Christian symbolism and were often associated with ritual specialists, such as the vǫlur, who may have used them in seiðr magic. Research into necklace assemblages and graves with magical objects suggests that necklaces played an important role in spiritual and ritual practices within Viking culture.
Details:
Materials: glass
Color: green and white-blue
Location: Novgorod
Delivered per piece
Dimensions: approx. 2,4 x 2,4 cm
Hole diameter: approx. 0,2 cm
Based on a historical original
Shipment weight (g): 20 *
This item is produced in limited quantities only. This means that every piece is unique. Sizes & finish may vary lightly from piece to piece.
When packaging this item, we exclusively use 100% recycled plastic and recycled paper/cardboard from FSC certified forests. We reuse a large part of the material directly without the intervention of a recycling process.
Recycle the material by separating your waste:
1. Cardboard: separate or reuse your paper.
2. Plastic cushions, clothing bags and plastic tape: separate or reuse your plastic. If possible, pierce the cushions with a volume reduction needle.
3. Paper packaging for jewelry and small items: these have a plastic inner layer. Remove these, then separate your paper and plastic.
Read here about how we are committed to sustainability.
