Viking glass beads, Gotland, 5 pieces

Product description

These glass beads are replicas of small yellow glass beads discovered during excavations in Hellvi on Gotland, Sweden. The bead was found alongside other glass and carnelian (stone) beads. The original dates back to the Viking Age. During the Viking era, Gotland was a highly important trade centre owing to its strategic location in the Baltic Sea. It remains one of the richest archaeological sites in the world. These glass beads are handmade employing the same technique the Vikings used: melting glass onto a metal rod to form beads. They are particularly well-suited to reenactment, living history, and Viking archaeology enthusiasts. With these beads, your own Viking necklace can be created. Mix & match them with other beads and pendants from our collection to craft a distinctive piece of jewellery.

Viking necklaces were crafted from various materials and served not only as decoration but also as a status symbol and spiritual object. They could contain unique elements and were closely connected to magic, rituals, and identity, as seen in stories about the Brísing necklace and saints such as Genevieve and Bathild. Archaeological finds show that necklaces could carry both pagan and Christian symbolism and were often associated with ritual specialists, such as the v?lur, who may have utilised them in seiðr magic. Research on necklace assemblages and graves with magical items suggests that necklaces played an important role in spiritual and ritual practices within Viking culture.