“Skåne” hammer
Thor Hammers (Mjolnir, Mjölner or Mjølner) are artifacts typically associated with Vikings, especially warriors. They are however a bit more complex.
About a 1000 hammers are known, with only around 100 heavily decorated. They are mostly made of iron or silver. Most pendants are found as loose finds, sometimes found in hoards or sometimes in cremation graves.
Norse mythology was not an organized religion, but more of a collection of animistic beliefs and heroic stories of both men and gods. Thor’s hammer was used to counteract the wear of the Christian cross during the late Viking age (900-1000 AD) and was previously not part of any European attire. Most graves in which hammers have been found are attested to women. Suggesting men might not have worn hammers (as often as women did).
Although the hammer as a lightning bringer might have roots going as far back as the European Iron Age, Mjolnir in itself has no real importance in earlier Germanic mythology.
Historiska Museet Stockholm, Sweden
Museum nr unknown
Believed to be found in Skåne - Sweden
