Thor's Hammer Amulets
Thor's Hammer Amulets were worn in the Viking era as religious amulets honoring
Thor, the old Norse god of thunder. Amulets are common in the archaeological
record of 10th century A.D., (but some have been found dating back to 6 A.D.).
Thor's hammers were believed to have religious meaning since they have been found in graves and on fallen warriors at ancient battlefields. Some written histories from the viking age speak of people making the "sign of the hammer" over their food to bless it, so it follows that people of the viking age would wear amulets in the shape of the hammer to appeal for Thor's protection.
Thor's hammers have been found primarily in Denmark, south-eastern Sweden
and southern Norway, but have ranged to Iceland, the British Isles and Germany.
Several examples are in museums throughout Scandinavia.
As Christianity spread through Scandinavia, the Amulets were still worn, but often
were melded with the Christian cross. Some sites had Thor's hammers and
Christian crosses side by side. Many wonder, did scandinavians continue to
wear the Thor's hammer after the spread of Christianity as heathen defiance
of the Christian cross or because christian missionaries used the hammer in
their attempts to slowly convert heathen vikings to Christianity?
Today, Thor's hammers are worn mainly for cultural reasons, and can be
easily found at some jewelry stores and metalworker's sites.
