Viking Whetstone

In Viking times small whetstones were often worn as pendants. These are reproductions of whetstone pendants found in a Viking Age ship wreck at Kalåstad, Norway. Similar pendants have been found in York, Birka, and Gotland. They are cut from Jasper, the cutting action somewhere between hard black Arkensas and translucent Arkansas stones. That means they are very fine, and suitable for final edge and polish rather than removing nicks from a damaged blade. They vary in color and size, but are mostly muted reds and greens, and about 3" tall, 11/16" wide, and 1/4" thick. Some of them are quite striking, but I expect the best sharpening would be achieved with the plainer ones. If you let me know your preference I'll try to oblige. Each comes with a string and descriptive packaging. Imported from Sweden, the price is $12

Viking Whetstones with Silver Mountings

Here are more decorative whetstone pendants with silver mountings. The stones tend to be a bit larger, and are chosen for striking appearance. Most of them have good surfaces for sharpening as well. Both mountings are patterned after pendants found at Birka, although the original pendants were not associated with whetstones.
Viking Whetstone with Silver Arrowhead mounting; $59.

#5603; Here's one for the berserkers out there. It's about 1 1/2" high, and 1 1/4" wide.
The price in silver is $35, and in bronze it is $15.

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Fenris Bound This is an image found wherever the Norse traveled, from Dublin to Kiev. It is still in widespread use today as protection charm for travelers. It is painted on the ends of Gipsy and Tinker wagons, and has appeared on traveling boxes since the Viking Age. The image is of Fenris bound, seemingly by his own tongue. The pose is typical, with the head twisted backward so he is looking over his shoulder, and the tongue entangling the feet.

#5108; This medallion is the result of a chance encounter with an Irish hitchhiker. He was wearing a medallion that was obviously ancient, and of interesting design. He said it had been in his family for at least 200 years, and had been passed down from eldest son to eldest son. Since he was traveling to America, his father gave him the medallion for protection on the journey. Although it was well worn, this is what that medallion might have looked like when it was new. (1.2" dia.)

The price is $35 in silver, and $15 in bronze.

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Fenris Bound #5107; The same image is available in a solid medalion without the cut outs. The price is $35 in silver, and $15 in bronze.

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Irminsul #5142; The Irminsul is the World Tree of the Germanic peoples, especially the Anglo-Saxons. The tree, or pillar of Irmin, points steadfastly toward the North Star shown above. It's about an inch and a half high, without the suspension loop.
The price in silver is $35,
in bronze $15.

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Kroner Dragon #5120; The design is taken from a Norse coin depicting a Viking ship prow. The shape is typical of "hack silver", coins or other objects that were cut up to make change. Transactions were conducted by weight, and pieces were often cut to make an exact amount.(1.58" wide)
The price is $30 in silver, and $15 in bronze.

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Bronze Bear Claws Many cultures wore bear claws. The Vikings wore them as a sign of strength in battle. Other cultures wore them as a sign of skill in hunting. These are exceptionally nice castings, about 1 3/8" tall.
In bronze, $16.

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Silver Bear Claws Many cultures wore bear claws. The Vikings wore them as a sign of strength in battle. Other cultures wore them as a sign of skill in hunting. These are exceptionally nice castings, about 1 3/4" tall. The loop is large enough for either a chain or leather thong.
In silver, $60.

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Glory Twigs #5132; The Glory Twigs pendant is an open casting that represents a bind rune containing the entire Futhark. It's a bit over an inch and a half tall.
The price in silver is $15, and in bronze $10

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Round Ouroboros #5134; The Midgard Serpent depicted biting his own tail, about one inch wide.
The price in silver is $20 (Out of Stock), in bronze it is $10.

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Infinity Ouroboros #5135; The Midgard Serpent twisted into an infinity symbol. It's about 5/8" wide and 2" high with the suspension loop.
The price in silver is $30, in bronze it is $15.

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Viking Dragon #5133; A Viking Dragon done in the round with nice detail and good weight. It's about 3/4" wide, and 2 1/2" high with the suspension loop.
The price is $35 in silver, in bronze it is $15.

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Axe Knot Dragon #5136; A knotwork dragon twisted into the shape of an axe, again done in the round with nice datail. It's about 1 3/8" wide, and 2" high.
The price in silver is $40, and in bronze it is $20.

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Hammer and Anvil #2026; The symbolism of the Hammer and Anvil is widespread. Here's a small Hammer and Anvil pendant done in the full round. It's about 1" tall including the suspension loop, and about 7/8" long. Done in silver, the price is $25, bronze is $12.

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Lur Horns Lur horns are huge bronze horns used for signaling down the fjord or from ship to ship. They sound a little like Alpine horns. The low pitch travels great distances. The Danish National Museum has the sound of these horns piped into one of the Viking exhibits. The sound is deep and eerie. It's guaranteed to send shivers up your spine! You really wouldn't want to live in a lonely Irish coastal village, and hear that sound from the sea on a foggy morning! Here's one that was found in peat bog in Denmark, and is currently in the Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen. These are also cast in Danish Fine silver in Denmark. The single horns are out of stock. The small double horns are $8.50 (about .6" tall) and the large double horns are out of stock as well.

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Again, don't forget to check out the most important Norse Pendant, the Thor's Hammer, which has its own page.

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Ordering

Shipping and handling is $6 per order (not per item) anywhere in the US. Standard shipping is by Priority Mail, so please give me your mailing address, not your UPS address. The $6 doesn't actually cover the cost in most cases, but it's easy to calculate, and is my way of saying "thank you". Shipping is available for most other parts of the world, but usually costs more. Email for a quote. Note; shipping to Canada can be very slow.

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Everything on the page should be on hand and ready to ship. However some items may be short supply, so if you are ordering by mail, you might want to e-mail first so that I can hold your item (ragnar@ragweedforge.com).