There is a general mistaken belief amongst heathens and academics that the widespread wearing of Thor's Hammer amulets began in Scandinavia as a consequence of the aggressive spread of Christianity through northern Europe. I have commented before on earlier blogs that just because this practise became more common in a certain time (Viking Age) and in a certain place (Scandinavia) it is not an explanation for its origins.
One blogger called Sven writing in an interesting article Early Thor's Hammer Pendants Outside Scandinavia draws our attention to the existence of hammer amulets outside of Scandinavia and before the Viking Age such as Kneitlingen and Warendorf in 8th century Germany. The most interesting example that he gives is the hammer found in Ditmarschen on the North Sea coast and dated to between the 8th and 9th centuries. It bears a striking resemblance to the Thor's Hammer from Laby in Uppsala in Sweden. This for me is the classic Thor's Hammer design for it shows a clear metamorphosis from the axe which preceded it. I have discussed before on early blogs how Thunor's Hammer originally took the form of an axe before it developed into its hammer shape. Furthermore the original thunder weapon was constructed not of iron but of stone.
"se thunor hit thryscedh mid thaere fyrenan aecxe." (Dialogue of Solomon and Saturn)
The above quoted Old English sentence may be translated as 'Thunor threshes with his fiery axe'. The Anglo-Saxon and thus Old Saxon interpretation of the Norse Thor is of greater antiquity and the same must be said for His thunder weapon which has its origins in the Neolithic Age and representations of the Indo-European thunder axe symbol may be found even today on Stonehenge. It should be noted that phases 2 and 3 of Stonehenge are the product of Indo-European civilisation. I am thus of the opinion that the Ditmarschen/Laby Thor's Hammer is of greater stylistic antiquity than most of the others. Generally speaking the more simplistic the design of the hammer the greater is its antiquity.
There are references to Thunor's axe in our folklore:
"It is well known in England, and also in Germany, that no witch can step over a besom laid along the threshold of the house door on the inside. She will kick it or push it aside before she can enter your house, and by this token you may know her for what she is. An axe (Thor's weapon) and a broom are laid crosswise on the innerside of the threshold over which the nurse has to step when she goes out with an infant to have it christened. This is done that the babe may be safe from all the devices of the powers of evil." (Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folklore, Walter Keating Kelly, 1863)
"As Indra used to milk the cloud cows and churn the milk lakes and fountains with a thunderbolt , so did Thor. The German god's fiery weapon was often represented as an axe, and hence it is a customary thing with witches to draw milk from the handle of an axe stuck in a doorpost." (Kelly)
In Scandinavian Mythology (1969) H.R. Ellis Davidson states that "Thor's symbol in the Viking age was both an axe and a hammer." In Dictionary of Northern Mythology (1984) Rudolf Simek points out that the "Germanic axe cult" was of great antiquity and that the weapons of Indra, Hercules and the Gaulish Sucellos "all suggest an Indo-Germanic origin of the various forms of the axe." Indeed the axe remained the weapon of choice for Thunor's Slavic and Baltic equivalents.
Sven refers to the hammers found in the graves of two Anglo-Saxon women buried in Gilton in Kent during the 6th century. He does cast some doubt on whether they can be regarded as Thor's Hammers-or more correctly Thunor's Hammers, saying that their design may originate from amongst the Christian Merovingians. However I cannot agree with this suggestion. It is abundantly clear that the hammers do in fact represent long handled Thunor's Hammers. Many hammers found in Scandinavia do incorporate a long handled design. Furthermore if one examines these hammers carefully one will observe that they contain ring and dot designs which is quite common with Thor's Hammers and may symbolise hailstones. Along with hammer amulets spear amulets were excavated also, a clear indication that these amulets have their origins in pre-Christian Germanic religion.
It should come as no surprise that the Frisians also wore hammer amulets. Sven refers in his blog article to one found in Nebel on a North Frisian island, Amrum. It is a long handled iron hammer, excavated from a woman's grave. There is a dearth of information on archaeological finds of hammers and I had to really did just to find the blog post by Sven.
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