Asgard Rising!

I find the mythos and culture of the Norse people fascinating.  The Norse is a people that not only endured the raging cold of the northern regions of Europe, but prospered in its adversity.  The Norse people were farmers, herders, traders, adventurers’, sailors, conquerors and warriors. They are a people who spread their culture all over the world in a time when sailing was more than just perilous!   The Norse cultural influences have been found from North America to the farthest reaches of Russia. It is possible that the Norse traders and adventurers had trade routes not only throughout Europe and North America, but also to lands as far away as India where they brought back some of the finest ingots of steel known to man and used them to make some of their most remarkable swords and other weapons!

Their religious beliefs were so ingrained in their daily lives that there was no separation between their spirituality and their reality. They believed that the symbols of their mysticism contained the cosmic force or power of that God or his or her items of power. An example would be the hammer of Thor, known as Mjohlnir was one of the most powerful weapons of the ancient Gods! It was said to be capable of leveling entire mountains, destroying the magical creatures called Frost Giants and even raising the dead.  These symbols of power, knowledge, protection, fear, love and even rebirth were drawn upon their bodies, or worn upon their arms and neck and became unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry.

One of the many important examples of Viking symbolism is the Hammer of Thor,  Mjohlnir. To the Viking it is a symbol of strength, blessing and protection and one of the most enduring and treasured symbols of their culture! To this day this symbol is worn by many as a symbol of strength and power.

Mounted on a leather cord or upon a necklace of polished glass and semi precious stones, these Viking symbols represent the ancient Viking way of life.  Check out our Viking jewelry and the other symbols of this ancient culture on our website. There are so many stories about the Norse gods, who is your favorite Norseman, Norse deity or story?

Stephen