Bronze Celtic Knotwork Thor Hammer (Mjöllnir) - Viking Amulet

This is a truly exquisite Mjöllnir which would be appreciated by any Vikings aficionado, or by anybody with Celtic or Scandinavian heritage – a real beauty. It’s BIG (3.5cm x 3.1cm) and heavy.  If you’ve been looking for a superlative Thor’s Hammer pendent in bronze, then this one won’t disappoint.

According to Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his high popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, the Mjölnir amulets were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity.

Knotwork was first used by the Celtic peoples, as evidenced by metalwork from the British isles made between the sixth century BC and AD 100. Unsurprisingly, this pleasing artistic concept spread to neighbouring cultures and became a strong feature of Nordic art. It has been suggested that the Frankish court adopted the style from Scandinavia into France to symbolise their political independence from the Eastern Roman Empire. Whatever the case, the knotwork motif became a common cultural reference throughout much of Europe during the Dark Ages.