Viking bead necklaces

Bead necklaces have been in use since prehistoric times. Archaeological findings show that people in the Paleolithic al beads were made from shells, bones, and stones. Later, in the bronze Age and Iron Age, glass and metal beads became popular. Bead necklaces were popular throughout Europe.

Necklaces remained an important ornament in the Viking Age, even when they became less popular in other parts of Europe. They were more than just decorative accessories; their materials, shape, and composition can tell much about the wearer and their status.

Viking necklaces were made from various materials, such as glass or gemstones. These beads were not only beautiful but also symbolized wealth. Especially in elite circles, having a special exotic collection of beads was a sign of status. Necklaces could also contain unique elements, such as an unusual amulet or a special arrangement of beads. This gave the wearer a special or spiritual meaning.

Bead necklaces were much more than just a status symbol. Stories about Genevieve, Bathild, and the Brísing necklace attribute a ritual meaning to necklaces that people could enchant in seduction and even convey messages.

Medieval sources show that necklaces sometimes even represented identities. A famous example is the Brísing necklace, which is mentioned in the Old Norse poem Þrymskviða as the property of the goddess Freyja. According to mythology, this necklace made her irresistible. She had received it from four dwarfs in exchange for sex. It was believed that necklaces could possess certain life force or spiritual energy.

A remarkable example that highlights the spiritual role of necklaces and pendants is the archaeological find of a 10th-century casting mold in Trendgården, Denmark. There, a mold was found that could cast both a thor's hammer and a Christian cross. This indicates that the religious significance of necklaces was carried over into the later Christian Viking tradition.

Within Viking culture, necklaces were also closely associated with magical practices. Ritual specialists, such as the völva, wore necklaces as part of their material equipment.

Archaeological finds indicate that some necklaces were found along with items used as magical staffs. In 25 discovered necklace assemblages that can be associated with vǫlur, striking combinations of objects were found, including snake figures and magical staffs. These assemblages suggest that necklaces played a role in the practice of seiðr-magic, a form of spiritual and ritual magic during the Viking Age.

Archaeologist Leszek Gardeła has conducted research on ritual objects from the Viking Age. He found 19 graves with snake figures, 42 with magical staffs, and 63 containing bead necklaces. In 25 of those graves, both necklaces and magical objects were found, suggesting that the völva or other ritual specialists wore necklaces. The necklaces from these graves mostly consisted of beads, sometimes supplemented with pendants. The number of beads varied greatly: some graves contained only one bead, while others had 88.

Sometimes it appears that beads were not always worn as a necklace. In a grave in Fyrkat For example, a collection of beads and pendants was found at the waist of an individual, which may indicate that they were part of a belt or a bag. This makes it difficult to precisely determine how necklaces were worn and what significance they had.

Necklaces provide important insights into the ritual practices of the Viking Age. The Swedish archaeologist Callmer developed a classification system for bead assemblages, which helped in dating certain graves. He identified 32 different bead types, which he was able to categorize into chronological periods.

Through this method, archaeologists can not only determine when a particular necklace was made but also how the role of necklaces in rituals evolved over time. 

The oldest known find of a völva bead assemblage comes from a cremation grave in Fure, Norway. The beads in the grave are not damaged by fire, which indicates that they were carefully preserved and separated from the deceased after cremation. This research helps us understand more about the use of beads in the Viking Age.

The system by Johan Callmer aids in recognizing patterns in beads, but it has limitations with common beads such as bronze, silver, gold, amber, and stone. In the Fure find, there were 56 beads made of these materials, alongside 780 other beads and 194 additional beads. Only 132 beads could not be precisely classified, partly because some had melted due to the heat of the cremation.

It is challenging to identify fixed characteristics for what we might call a 'völva bead assemblage.' Instead, research has focused on how these assemblages fit within broader trends of necklace use in the Viking Age. The study builds on Callmer's work and demonstrates that beads and pendants can tell us much, even if they were not worn as necklaces.

Originally, Callmer dated this assemblage between 790 and 820, but later findings suggest that the beads might have been buried earlier, possibly around 760. This is supported by similar finds in Haukenes and the Baltic region. Moreover, the assemblage contains gold foil seals from the Near East, which only appear in Ribe around 780 but likely circulated earlier among the Baltic elite. Another bead with inscriptions points to eastern connections and may be an Egyptian faience-bead, reinforcing the impression that this assemblage dates from a time of more intensive trade with the East.

The Fure burial from the late 700s shows how trade networks expanded during that time. An Irish cross pendant in the assemblage indicates connections with Ireland. This could be a sign of the early Viking raids, such as the attack on Ireland in 795. However, it is also possible that the pendant was obtained peacefully, for example, as a religious gift. Additionally, magical staffs were found in the grave, suggesting that the woman buried had a ritual role and collected objects with spiritual significance.

The Fure burial is one of the earliest indications of rituals associated with seidr-magic. Other early finds of magical staffs, such as in Hellset, Pukkila-Isokyrö, and Lille Ullevi, confirm that ritual practices already existed at this time.

What is striking about the Fure burial is the combination of a magical staff and a cross-shaped pendant. This may indicate a connection between staff rituals and Christian practices. At the same time, the gold foil seals suggest that the woman was part of a network that connected Nordic and eastern cultures. A similar example is the ritual specialist from Pukkila-Isokyrö, who may have played a role in connecting Scandinavia with traders from the East.

Similar finds in Longva and Hopperstad show that völva had access to luxury goods that came from afar through trade networks. In Longva, a woman was buried with a necklace that remained largely intact after the cremation. This necklace contained 67 beads, nearly half of which originated from the Near East. Additionally, there was an amber pendant in the shape of a female figure, emphasizing her ritual role and her connection with seidr-magic.

In Hopperstad, a woman was buried with a necklace containing both local and Eastern beads. The grave also contained trade items such as an Arab dirham (coin), scales, and glass. This suggests that the woman was likely involved in international trade. Additionally, the grave contained artifacts associated with Insular and Christian traditions, possibly indicating early contact with Christianity. These findings show that early völva figures were not only spiritual leaders but also possibly open to Christianity. The assemblages from Fure, Longva, and Hopperstad suggest that these women played a significant role in spreading religious, magical, and trade practices in the early Viking Age.

There are only a few finds of bead assemblages dating before 900, which corresponds with the period when most Viking graves and burials of seiðr practitioners from this time have been found.

Tenth-century assemblages often contain amulets such as snakes and staffs, and sometimes mountain crystal or carnelian. Older assemblages typically contain wound glass beads, while in the later 900s, segmented beads appear more frequently. Drawn glass beads are rarely found in combination with mountain crystal and carnelian beads, which helps in dating assemblages.

Archaeologist Callmer identified 16 types of necklaces from the tenth century. Most assemblages fall into Bead Period VIII (915-950), with six containing a mix of mountain crystal, carnelian, and wound glass beads. Other necklaces contain only mountain crystal or carnelian beads, without the wound glass beads of the 800s. Later assemblages fall within Bead Period VI (950-960) and Bead Period IX (960-980), with 14 of the 17 assemblages from the 900s, favoring the period 915-950.

Many tenth-century assemblages show a balance between traditional and new styles. A necklace found in Norway between 915 and 950 likely dates before 875, making it unlikely to have been produced before 900. Items from these finds show new styles, such as undecorated rings of blue or colorless glass, opaque rings, and melon-shaped beads of green glass.

The Hoen assemblage combines traditional metalworking with new glass styles. A grave in Germany shows a similar transition between old and new styles, with artifacts dating from Bead Period VIII (915-950). The burial contains an old disc brooch, typical of the early Viking Age, although fashion had since changed.

The Birka group includes various graves, including Bj. 660 and Bj. 844 from Sweden, the Eketorp hoard from southern Sweden, and Grave 4 on Peel in the Irish Sea. The women's necklaces in Birka display different styles, indicating variation in fashion. The woman from Bj. 844 was buried with a necklace of mountain crystal, carnelian, and wound glass beads, typical of the early 900s, but with shifts towards patterns of later years.

The woman from Bj. 660 had a rarer necklace with segmented and wound beads alongside older styles, which were more common in earlier generations. Her necklace also contains new imported preferences, such as large lava beads that reflect chalcedony-like patterns.

The fragmentation of styles in the burials of Bj. 660 and the Peel hoard reflects the changes in Scandinavian fashion and social networks in the tenth century. These shifts indicate the disintegration of the networks that supported these shared styles.