Thor's Hammers

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Completion Rating
This article's completion rating is 2 out of 5. Article structure and content is subject to change as data is still being collected.

A pendant roughly shaped like a hammer. Usually worn with the hammer head suspended downwards.

Depictions of Thor’s hammers can be seen on Viking rune stones. They are usually cast but can be cut from sheet, formed from hammered rod or soldered together from chased sheet-silver. Thor’s hammers can be broken into three categories, plain, punch worked or filigree. (ROESDAHL and WILSON 1992, p.190)

Types of Thor’s hammers

The following style types are those devised by Staecker as listed by Jensen [JENSEN 2010:p.72]. Finds data is based on the database created by Jensen and only includes Thor’s hammers dateable to the Viking Age. For instance they do not contain 7th century Thor’s hammers from England.

Thor’s hammers of Iron

Loose

Staecker Type 1.1 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 800s - 900s.

Archaeology

  • England, 1
  • Denmark, 53
  • Germany, 5
  • Iceland, 1
  • Scania, 3
  • Sweden,65

Discussion

Thor’s hammer rings

Earliest find 750AD. 800s - 1000s with most from the 900s.[JENSEN 2010:p.72]

Archaeology

  • Scotland, 1 find
  • Sweden, 120 finds containing 321 Thor’s hammers
  • Gotland, 1 find

Discussion

  • Birka: 58 Thors hammer rings found. 95% in cremations. Of graves 11 on women, 9 on men. [ARWIDSSON 1984: p.133]


Thor's Hammers of silver

Unfortunately Jensen does not supply any information regarding the number of silver Thor’s hammers that fall into Staecker four sub categories.
Archaeology

  • England, 15
    • Yorkshire, Leconfield. Ornamented with stamped circles (Staecker type 2.1.1) [JENSEN 2010:cat.436]
    • Yorkshire, Wetwang (Staecker type 1.5) [JENSEN 2010:cat.1403]
    • Yorkshire, Harrogate. Plain. Found in 2009. [PAS:cat.SWYOR-489283]
    • Derbyshire, St. Wigstan's. Grave find [JENSEN 2010:cat.427]
    • Lancashire, Cuerdale. (Staecker type 1.5) [JENSEN 2010:cat.425]
    • Leicestershire, Swithland. Stamped ornament of squares (Staecker type 2.1.1) [JENSEN 2010:cat.415] [PAS:cat.LEIC-185125]
    • Lincolnshire, West Lindsey. plain [PAS:cat.DENO-BD00C3]
    • Essex. Crude loop, plane (Staecker type 1.5) [JENSEN 2010:cat.413]
    • Norfolk, South Lopham. Stray find. (Staecker type 2.1.1) [JENSEN 2010:cat.418]
    • Norfolk, Surlinham. Stray find. [MARGESEN 1997: 14] (Staecker type 2.1.1) [JENSEN 2010:cat.419]
    • Norfolk, Great Witchingham. With a gold insert. Stray find. (Staecker type None) [JENSEN 2010:cat.422]
    • Norfolk. With possible gold foil. Stray find. (Staecker type None) [JENSEN 2010:cat.423]
    • Norfolk, Sibton. Stray find. [MARGESEN 1997: 14] (Staecker type 2.1.1) [JENSEN 2010:cat.424]
    • Norfolk, Kings Lynn. Found in 2008? [PAS:cat.NMS-A9E816]
    • London. Engraved X and lines (Staecker type 1.5) [JENSEN 2010:cat.411]

Jensen mentions a couple of other finds, one from Cumbria cat.435 and another from an unknown location. He considers both of these to be modern replicas.
http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/473580

  • Denmark, 25
  • Iceland, 1
  • Norway, 5
  • Sweden, 26


... silver, without ornaments

Staecker Type 1.5 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 800s - 1000s with most coming from the 900s


... silver with stamped ornaments

Staecker Type 2.1.1 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 900s - 1000s.


... silver with vegetable patterns

Staecker Type 2.2 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 900s - 1000s.


... pressed silver foil

Staecker Type 2.3 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 900s and probably the 1000s


Thor's Hammers of Other Materials

... amber

Staecker Type 1.2 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker to the C10th (but most examples cannot be dated)

Archaeology

  • Denmark, 9 finds
  • Scandia, 1 find
  • Sweden, 3 finds
  • Gotland, 2 finds

Discussion

... copper alloy

Staecker Type 1.3 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker 700s - 800s. (He also mentions finds from the 'late Viking Age')

Archaeology

  • England, 4 finds
  • Denmark, 12 finds
  • Sweden, 2 finds
  • Gotland, 1 find

Discussion

... lead

Staecker Type 1.4 [JENSEN 2010:p.72]
Dated by Staecker to no later than the 1000s.

Archaeology

  • England, 2 finds
  • Denmark, 7 finds
  • Gotland, 2 finds

Discussion

... gold

Archaeology

  • Denmark, 1 find

Discussion

Reference

<nocite> ARWIDSSON1984 JENSEN2010 MARGESEN1997 PAS ROESDAHL1992 </nocite> <biblio force=false>#Template:Bib</biblio>