Why Did Vikings Wear Jewellery?

Unearthed hoards of brooches, glass beads, rings and armlets tell us about the creative and spiritual lives of the people known as the Vikings. While Vikings were famed adventurers, they also prized jewellery which offered both status and symbolism, strengthening relationships and paying their way on their travels.

If, like us, you’re a lover of Viking culture and want to know the meaning behind their adornments, read on to learn six reasons why Vikings wore jewellery.

1. Functionality

Whether making expeditions to faraway lands, building ships or surviving the harsh Scandinavian winters, Vikings needed much of their jewellery to be functional.

Brooches, for example, needed to secure clothing such as cloaks. Viking women’s dresses would be held up by straps, secured with a shell-shaped brooch on either side.

Not just for garments, jewellery could function as protection too. The 10th-century Arab diplomat Ahmed Ibn Fadlan wrote about Viking women travelling in Russia wearing green glass beads and a metal case or concave brooch at their chest, concealing a knife.

2. Appearance

While Vikings are often depicted as rugged warriors, like us, they valued appearance. When imagining the Viking Age, you also need to consider how this was a world without elastic.

That’s why, for example, beard and hair rings weren’t just decorative. They could also be used to bind plaited hair into place.

Viking jewellery could be colourful too, with women hanging strings of beads made of silver, amber, small bones or glass between the brooches on their dresses. Similarly to today, jewellery could be a way to enhance an outfit or convey personal taste or identity.

If you’re a lover of Viking culture, take a look at our range of Nordic necklaces and beard rings suitable for everyday wear and when you’re out pillaging.

Beard and hair rings were an important part of grooming for Vikings, keeping plaited hair from unfurling.

3. Status

Whether you were a lord or a warrior, a farmer or a trader in the Viking Age, jewellery would have been a way to show your status to others. For example, ordinary Vikings would have worn jewellery made from cheaper materials such as bronze, wood, glass or small animal bones.

If you were a wealthy Viking, you would have favoured jewellery in gold and later silver, melted down from Arabic coins or ‘dirhams’ raided from the Near and Far East. Not only signalling status, jewellery played a part as visible and portable wealth.

Jewellery could be a symbol of wealth for Vikings, with the wealthy wearing gold and silver. Bronze, glass, wood and bone were more affordable materials. Thor’s Hammer was one of the more common pendant designs.

4. Currency

In the Viking Age, your jewellery could also be used as currency, giving you security that you could pay your way wherever you went - when you weren’t out raiding, of course!

It was common for Vikings to wear neckbands or armlets with a design allowing for the wearer to break off sections to exchange for goods and services. Archaeologists have found marked fragments of jewellery now known as ‘hack silver’ or ‘hack gold’.

5. Relationships

Similar to how we exchange rings and family jewellery today, Viking jewellery could be a way to symbolise love and loyalty in relationships.

For example, armlets were often exchanged between Viking people. A boy might receive an armlet from his relatives on his coming of age, or a wealthy lord could reward a warrior with one in recognition of his loyalty and allegiance.

Similarly, in place of rings, it was common for a husband to give an armlet to his wife as a symbol of his love and loyalty to her.

In Viking times, it wasn’t uncommon for jewellery to be buried in the ground, making up hoards that archaeologists have later uncovered. This practice might have taken place as a way to seal an oath, or to symbolise a claim to, and therefore a relationship with, the land.

6. Spirituality

Lastly, Viking jewellery would have spiritual connotations. Even the geometric patterns and spirals common in Viking design were symbols and reminders of the winding journey of life.

Pendants could be worn as a way to invoke protection and blessings from the gods of Norse mythology. These came in many forms, but one of the most common designs was Thor’s hammer, or ‘Mjölnir’, which was thought to offer protection to the wearer.

The Tree of Life, or ‘Yggdrasil’, was another common Viking pendant. By wearing this, the wearer would be reminded of the interconnectedness of things. This design also tells us something of the reverence for the natural world that was at the heart of Viking culture.

Yggdrasil, or the Tree of Life, is a motif found in Viking jewellery, a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living things.

How Do We Know Why Jewellery Was Important to Vikings?

Archaeologists have found jewellery across England, Ireland, Russia, Iceland and parts of Europe where the Vikings travelled.

We know that jewellery mattered to these people, as many physical pieces have been found in graves, where the deceased was buried alongside their prized belongings. The Dig, for example, is a film telling the story of the 1939 excavation of a Viking longboat at Sutton Hoo.

Historic manuscripts go further in telling us about the significance of jewellery to Viking people. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Danish King Guthrum gives an armlet to King Arthur as a symbol of his promise. We also have accounts from other cultures, such as those of Ibn Fadlan, describing first-hand encounters with Viking people.

Understanding the Meaning Behind Viking Jewellery

As we’ve uncovered together, there are many reasons why Vikings wore jewellery - from symbols of belonging to spiritual, and sometimes even practical, protection. Often made with rudimentary tools, a massive amount of craftsmanship and artistry went into these pieces.

Lastly, remember that the word ‘Viking’ describes less a people, but more a way of life.

If you’re a modern Viking wanting to follow the ways of old, look no further than Odin’s Cave. Our family-run business specialises in Viking and pagan jewellery to honour ancient traditions, mythology and design.

Discover our Viking jewellery, from necklaces and bracelets to rings and beard accessories.