Alemannic decorative disc with snake motif, silvered bronze

Product description

This pendant is modeled after an early medieval Alemannic decorative disc with a snake representation in swastika shape. Decorative discs with a snake motif were a popular piece of jewelry among the Alemanni between 500 and 700 and formed a permanent part of women's costume in the Merovingian period.

The disc has a contrasting center piece material. The snake had been playing since the bronze Age an important role in Germanic mythology and visual arts, with a strong link to fertility rites surrounding the return of life in spring and its death in winter. The snake may also have had a special place in the death cult, as can be seen with the Germanic serpent Nidhöggr on the world tree and the globe-spanning Midgard serpent.

An attractive pendant for those who want to portray early medieval Germanic culture, to wear on a cord or chain of your choice.