Germanic Bracteates

The bracteate was a flat, single-sided, round pendant worn during the Migration Period, between the 5th and 9th century AD, in Northern Europe. It often had a 'beaded edge' and a loop, allowing it to be worn as a amulet around the neck. The name comes from the Latin word bractea, gold leaf.

Already in the Greek antiquity, there was a tradition of wearing coin pendants or amulets for protection. From this, bracteates were later developed. Therefore, Greek and Roman coin pendants can also be considered early bracteates. 

In the late Roman period, the empire paid the Germanic tribes to prevent them from attacking the legions and citizens across the border. The gold from these peace payments was often used for the production of bracteates. It was very common to melt money into jewelry and vice versa, this practice is also seen, for example, in hack silver.

The craftsman first created the design in relief, for example on bronze or wood. He then placed a piece of gold over it and pressed the design into the metal.

Most bracteates were worn in Scandinavia, but there are also finds from Northwest Germany and Anglo-Saxon England. From the 6th century, the guldgubbe was also made in Scandinavia, a rectangular pendant that required less gold.

In the 19th century, the Danish numismatist Christian Jürgensen Thomsen and the Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius classified the bracteates into different types.

It is likely that the earliest bracteates attempted to imitate Roman and Byzantine coins. These depict Germanic rulers with characteristically braided hair. They often wear an imperial cloak, brooch or diadem, or raise their hand, as Roman emperors were also depicted on coins. These are A-bracteates, of which approximately 92 are known. Additionally, there are M-bracteates (approximately 17 examples): two-sided imitations of Roman imperial medallions and thus technically not bracteates, as they are two-sided.

About 91 examples of B-bracteates are known. They depict one to three human figures, often surrounded by animals. The bracteates with three figures (gods) are sometimes interpreted as the death of Baldr, surrounded by Odin and Loki, but there is no specific evidence for this - it is also possible that the design is a combination of Roman motifs of Mars Ultor and Victoria (victory) crowning the emperor. On some B-bracteates, an animal bites a human hand, which could be Fenrir biting off the hand of Týr, but this is also uncertain.

The C-bracteates (approximately 426 examples) depict the head of a man above a quadruped animal (a horse or an ox). He is often accompanied by a bird. This is interpreted by some scholars as the god Wodan , the Germanic predecessor of Odin, on his horse Sleipnir. These interpretations make bracteates an important source for iconographic research into Germanic mythology and religion.

The D-bracteates (approximately 359 specimens) depict a stylized animal, whose body entwines like a ribbon. Human-like figures and details also appear. The F-bracteates (approximately 17 specimens) are a subgroup of this type, the animals are mythological and imaginary.

The E-bracteates (approximately 280 specimens) were made in Gotland, Sweden, during the Vendel Period (540-790 AD). They are somewhat later than the other types and show a triskele, swastika, or ribbon figure under a circular element. These were often not made of gold, but of silver, bronze, or copper, whether gilded or not.

There are a total of 133 bracteates with an inscription in Elder Futhark runes. These inscriptions constitute more than a third of the entire corpus of Elder Futhark texts.