Thor’s Hammer Pendant LEIC-185125

 

This silver amulet dates to the period 850-1100AD. It would have been worn by a devotee of Thor, one of the main Norse gods alongside Odin and Frey. This was found in Thurcaston parish in 1993 by the same person who found our only Viking coin hoard (see blog  Thurcaston coin hoard). At the time it was only the fourth one ever found in England (or at least recorded by archaeologists) and  it did not qualify as ‘Treasure Trove’ as it would have been classed as  a casual loss.  The combination of the implementation of the Treasure Act, the rising popularity of metal detecting and the common use of precious metal in their construction, means have now recorded 14 examples, 10 of which are silver and one rare gold example from East Lincolnshire which has similar decoration to the Thurcaston example.

Such distinct amulets would have been worn as a statement of religious and cultural affiliation and thanks to them being largely made from precious metal, and therefore protected by the Treasure Act, we are seeing an increasing amount of these. We can use them as a layer of evidence for cultural interaction with Scandinavians or to plot suggested areas of Scandinavian settlement.

On that note, it may be significant that the hoard and the hammer were found near Thurcaston. The place name has evolved from Thorketill’s -tun.  A ‘Grimston-hybrid’ place name which uses a Norse personal name (Thorketill) and an old English place name meaning farmstead/village/estate.  It’s one of a group of place names in North Leicestershire which provides a layer of evidence for Scandinavian settlement.

The object was donated by the finder is on display at Charnwood Museum