Viking Age Amulets in Scandinavia and Western Europe

Two hundred years of antiquarian and archaeological interest has generated an archive of some 1350 Viking Age amulets. These objects are manufactured from a variety of materials, most often metals, and were often, but not always, worn as pendants. However, all are miniatures, objects shaped like something else tools, weapons, animals, people, or more abstract religious symbols, including hammers and crosses. This study examines the various types, materials and contexts of the amulets. It documents how amulet types have different dates and distributions, suggesting that religious practise changed through time.