The Donarkeule and the Hercules-Thor Connection

 Many heathens in the English-speaking world and the public at large are unaware of the history of the continental Germanic god, Donar and his mythical associations. They may be vaguely aware of his existence and the equivalency of Thor with Donar but that is usually the extent of their knowledge.

The name, Donar is the Old High German (OHG) for the Germanic thunder deity, also known as Thunar in Old Saxon (OS), Thuner in Old Frisian (OF), Thunor in Old English (OE) and Thor in Old Norse (ON). The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name, from which these names all derive is *Thun(a)raz. Along with the Celtic, Baltic and Slavic god names *Thun(a)raz may be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *Perkwunos, which has the meaning of 'the Striker'/Lord of Oaks'.

The weapon associated with the Germanic thunder god is generally perceived to be the hammer, or to give its personal name in ON, Mjollnir, derived from the Proto-Norse *melluniaR. There are various scholarly theories as to the meaning of this term, but I am not going to examine them in this essay as this would take me 'off the beaten track' of the subject I am discussing, which is the Hercules-Thor connection.

The Hercules' Club amulet began to appear in the archaeological record between the 2nd and 3rd century CE in the Roman Empire. From 2-5cm in length they were initially made from gold but later on from silver, bronze, antler or bone, shaped like a miniature mace or wooden club with small knobs on the surface of the lower part of the pendant. The appearance of the Hercules' Club or to give its German name, Herkuleskeule is contemporary with the migration age which saw large-scale Germanic tribal movements across continental Europe. A gold specimen from the 3rd century CE found in the Nippe district of Koeln bears the inscription, DEO HER [culi], which has the meaning 'to the god Hercules'. This is explicit proof for the association of the club (and its amulet form) with the god Hercules, or to give his original and Greek name, Herakles.

The Herkuleskeule was widely spread throughout the Roman province of Germania Inferior and were  found in late Roman cremations. Once this amulet had become established in the Germanic lands it transitioned into what we now know as the Donarkeule among the pre-Christian Germanic tribes. Donarkeulen have been found in graves from the 5th to the 7th centuries CE, generally made of bone and antler and often placed in the graves of women. 80-90% of the finds come from women's graves. The remainder are found in men's graves and less rarely, those of children (usually girls).

The reasons for the disparity between men's and women's graves may be due to the Germans regarding the amulet as a fertility symbol. The Donarkeule may also have been associated with protection in childbirth and household magic, which are generally preserves of the female in a ritualistic sense. Studies of migration-era cemeteries in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) and Schleswig-Holstein indicate that Donarkeulen are often found alongside bead necklaces, broaches and other female associated wares. In Thueringen (Thuringia) Donarkeulen are almost exclusively found in women's graves and usually as part of necklace assemblages. In the Alemannic and Bavarian regions they are predominately found in female graves and sometimes with bundles of other amulets. In the Frankish areas of the Rhineland female graves dominate the finds but a few are found in male graves, which scholars interpret as inherited or symbolic items.

To summarise the reasons for the gender imbalance:

. Donarkeulen functioning as amulets, charms and household magic, the preserve of women.

. Donarkeulen included as part of necklace assemblages, which were rarely worn by men.

In contrast to the Donarkeule, the Herkuleskeule of the Romans was also a protective amulet and in late Roman finds it appears in the graves of both men and women. It is only with the adoption of this amulet form by the Germans that it became heavily gendered.

The Donarkeule differs from the Herkuleskeule in style and construction; the majority of Herkuleskeulen were made from various metals, usually gold, but also silver and bronze. By contrast, most Donarkeulen were carved from antler and bone, and were of a much rougher and less symmetrical design. Herkuleskeulen had tapered handles and bulbous heads with integrated suspension loops. Donerkeulen tended to have short and stubby proportions and a hole drilled for suspension. They also often have ring and dot symbols, indicating an association with the hailstone symbolism found on Thor's Hammer pendants and certain Thor idols. Herkuleskeulen lack that kind of lightning symbolism. From 3-6cm in length the Donarkeulen are slightly longer in length than the Herkuleskeulen. Donarkeulen could be made more cheaply than Herkuleskeulen due to their carving from natural materials such as antler or bone, while the predominately gold or bronze Herkuleskeulen were the preserve of an elite.

While the two types of amulet have both similarities and differences, they relate to two different deities and cultures, so the question arises, why did the Germans adopt the Herkuleskeule form? The Germanic peoples of the Rhine and Danube lived alongside the Romans and inevitably through the process of cultural exchange adopted and adapted some Roman practices. The Herkuleskeule was already a widespread and powerful symbol in Germania Inferior and so the Germans adopted its shape and transformed it into a symbol of their god, Donar and their own religious Weltanschauung. 

We know from the writings of Tacitus that already in the first century CE, there was an association between the Roman Hercules and the Germanic peoples:

'They say that Hercules, too, once visited them; and when going into battle, they sing of him, first of all heroes.' (Germania 3, translation by Church and Brodribb, 1876)

It is clear from the context that the 'Hercules' referred to in Germania 3 is Hercules, the man, rather than the deified Hercules. Further on in Germania there is the following reference:

'Mercury is the deity whom they chiefly worship, and on certain days they deem it right to sacrifice to him even with human victims. Hercules and Mars they appease with more lawful offerings. Some of the Suevi also sacrifice to Isis.' (Germania 9, Church and Brodribb).

The 'Hercules' referred to in the aforementioned quotation, obvious from the context, is the deified Hercules, the god. In the 'interpretatio Romana', Hercules was often equated with the Germanic thunder god due to their shared focus as being defenders of mankind against forces of chaos. In other contexts, the Germanic thunder god would be equated with the Roman 'Iupiter' (anglicised as 'Jupiter' even though the initial 'I' is silent in Latin). 

In gesta Danorum (History of the Danes) by Saxo Grammaticus, there is a reference to the god Thor wielding not a hammer but a club:

'However, Thor was swinging his club with marvellous might, and shattered all interposing shields, calling as loudly on his foes to attack him as upon his friends to back him up. No kind of armour withstood his onset; no man could receive his stroke and live. Whatsoever his blow fended off  it crushed, neither shield nor helm endured the weight of its dint, no greatness of body or of strength could serve.' (Book III, translation by Elton, 1905)

The above quotation is concerned with a naval battle which took place between Thor and Hother. We are informed that Hother cut short Thor's club. This may be compared to the Icelandic sources which also confirm that Thor's other weapon, the hammer was cut short at the handle but the explanation for this is quite different.

'Thus the victory would have passed to the gods, but that Hother, though his line had already fallen back, darted up, hewed off the club at the haft, and made it useless. And the gods, when they had lost this weapon, fled incontinently.'

Moving outside of the world of Germanic mythology but remaining in the Indo-European tradition, we find other examples of thunder gods wielding a club:

. Indra-a club and a thunderbolt.

. Perun-an axe or a club.

. Taranis-a wheel and sometimes a club.

Another example of a club-wielding deity is The Dagda, the chief god of the Irish Tuatha De Danann, but he is not a thunder deity.

In the past, I have explored in my blogs, the antiquity of the axe in relation to the Germanic and other Indo-European thunder gods, but this is the first time that I have discussed in any detail, the club. It may very well be that just as the antiquity of the thunder axe is greater than the hammer, the club may exceed them both, being probably the most ancient hand weapon known to man. The evidence for my speculation is as follows:

. The isolated textual evidence of Saxo Grammaticus.

. The widespead finds of Donarkeulen in continental Germania.

. Stylistic differences between the Herkuleskeule and the Donarkeule. Did the Germans only just copy the idea from the Romans or was their tradition older, despite the lack of archaeological evidence to support this theory? The lack of earlier Germanic club amulets does not prove that they had no oral traditions linking the club to Donar.

. The evidence form other Indo-European cultures suggests an ancient, shared tradition.

However, there are no find of club amulets from Scandinavia. The hammer as an amulet may have developed from the club. Saxo's myth does draw a connection between the shortened haft of the club with the shortened haft of the hammer although the explanation is completely different. The Icelandic sources indicate that Loki was to blame for the hammer's short haft. It is possible that the club marked a transition to the hammer. The earliest hammer finds from Scandinavia (7th-8th century CE) have short handles and broad, flat heads.

The inceasing popularity of the hammer may be due to the strong tradition of iron-smithing in Scandinavia and deities related to this activity, such as Volundr. The hammer is not merely a weapon but a tool for consecration, used at both weddings and funerals, as well as the hallowing of land and for the ritual protection of the community. The popularity of the hammer increased and spread due to the inroads made by Christianity in the North, making it a symbol in opposition to the Christian cross: one culture's magic against another's! The hammer thus became a more recogniseable religious symbol in comparison to the club. By the beginning of the Viking Age in the 8th century, the hammer became the most recogniseable symbol of pre-Christian Germanic heathenry. By 8th century, it had replaced the symbol of the club. However, this statement should be balanced against the fact that heathenry was already beginning to die out in continental Germania by this time.

There is a misconception that the hammer only arose as a heathen symbol with the spread of Christianity, but this is incorrect. There are hammer finds predating the Viking Age from continental Germania and also from Anglo-Saxon England, dating back to the 6th century. The fact that the earliest hammer find are from territories occupied by the Anglo-Saxons, Old Saxons and Frisians demonstrates that the hammer as a heathen symbol did not originate in Scandinavia. In fact, the hammer as a religious symbol can also be considered a development of the axe, finds of which go back to the Bronze Age and continued in use in Germania up to the time of its replacement by the hammer in the 8th century. Indeed, the axe continued as the thunder weapon of choice in the Baltic and Slavic lands.

It is my intention to discuss the club-axe-hammer development and its probable timeline in a future essay. I also intend to discuss the use of the club in Irish and Welsh mythology and in a wider Indo-European perspective; this essay is merely intended to be a short introduction to a subject which I have reflected on for many years.

 

Examples of Donarkeulen from my personal collection.

The Axe/Hammer as an Iconic Representation of the Thunder God

According to J.T. Sibley in her remarkable book The Divine Thunderbolt. Missile of the Gods (2009), a work which I highly recommend, there is evidence for worship of the Thunder God going back to before 2000 BCE in the Neolithic Denmark where an 'Axe God' in the form of a flint celt mounted on a wooden shaft has been found in Follenslev lake/bog. The shaft of the axe was originally buried in the ground to its horizontal line. She speculates on whether the head above the axe had been carved in such a ways as to resemble a human face. H.R. Ellis Davidson makes a similar observation regarding the Mammen axe in her book Scandinavian Mythology, 1969. 

This artifact is evidence for a very early knowledge of the single-bladed axe being a divine thunderweapon and precedes the Bronze Age rock carvings which depict God-like figures waving single-bladed axes in the air. Miss Sibley posits the theory that the axe was worshiped as a divine representation of the Thunder God and I am inclined to agree with her. Later on in her book she draws our attention to the fact that in the Baltic lands huge iron hammers were used as objects of worship at sacred sites. These iron hammers were erected in a vertical position in either a grove or a temple as a "proxy for the humanoid idol of the god."

The Scythians likewise venerated Ares via a mighty iron sword:

"The impressive personification of the sword matches well with that of the hammer, and to my way of thinking each confirms the other. Both idea and name of two of the greatest gods pass over into the instrument by which they display their might.

"Herodotis 4, 62 informs us, that the Scythians worshipped Ares under the semblance or symbol of an ancient iron sword, which was elevated on an enormous stack of brushwood ['three furlongs in length and breadth, but less in height'] (Asgard and the Gods, Wilhelm Waegner, 1886).

Thunor's Fiery Axe

"Se thunor hit thryscedh mid thaere fyrenan aecxe."(Dialogue of Solomon and Saturn)

Translated from Old English into Modern English the above quotation reads "Thunor threshes with his fiery axe". This passage is referred to in Jacob Grimm`s Teutonic Mythology Volume 1 and Walter Keating Kelly`s Curiosities of Indo-European Tradition and Folklore (a book which I highly recommend). It is a passage that I have quoted before within articles  as it is probably the oldest reference to the Thunder God in Anglo-Saxon literature. Some may argue that this passage simply refers to the Christian god`s use of thunder as a weapon with which to smite the `Devil` and this is a valid point. However thunder is one of the main attributes of the primary deity of the Indo-Europeans such As Zeus, Jupiter, Thor/Thunor/Donar and Indra and other peoples too.

What seals the bargain for me is that Thunor or thunder is referred to as wielding an axe which my readers will be aware is the original  weapon of the Indo-European Thunder God. Stylistically the hammer developed from the axe and it is the axe more than the hammer that was the favourite weapon and tool of our Germanic and Indo-European ancestors. It was both a symbol of the supreme Sky God and of royal authority.


I am reminded of the Bush Barrow stone mace which is regarded as part of the regalia of the King who doubtless governed from Stonehenge as being part of his royal seat. Some have likened it to the Lightning Sceptre of  Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae. However the Bush Barrow mace and phase III of Stonehenge predate Mycenae by at least 500 years. So any connection between them must be from a common Indo-European shared inheritance.

From time to time I still see misinformed people expressing the view that Stonehenge was not built by Indo-Europeans. Now they may be right about Stonehenge Phase I but not Phases II and III, the last phase being the product of the distinctively Indo-European Wessex`Warrior culture. This should cause us to view the megaliths in a new sight.

Three excellent books which discuss the Indo-European aspect of Stonehenge are:

Stonehenge of the Kings. A People Appear, Patrick Crampton, 1967
Stonehenge and the Origins of Western Culture (also known as Stonehenge. The Indo-European Inheritance), Bruce Kraig and Leon Stover, 1979
Stonehenge City. A Reconstruction, Leon Stover, 2003

The first two books are out of print but the second one is still very widely available. 

The hammer as I have said developed from the axe and stylistically it is very similar apart from the Icelandic Foss Wolfs Hammer which is most certainly hammer shaped. Outside of Scandinavia, England and the very northern part of Germany I am not aware of any archaeological discoveries of Thor`s Hammer pendants unless they were left behind by Vikings in other countries. It does not appear to be a symbol which was commonly worn by the Germanic peoples except in the late 8th century CE onwards and probably as a Scandinavian reaction to creeping Christianisation of the North. That of course does not mean that it did not exist in the mythology of the North or that it was not used for cultic practice. Scholars theorise that the idea for wearing hammer amulets was a conscious reaction against the cross wearing Christians. 


However the above argument is of course a simplification. We do know of Thunor`s hammers from Anglo-Saxon Kent in the 6th century CE prior to the emergence of the Vikings into recorded history. One such example is the Gilton hammer which was found with spear pendants, no doubt intended to be amulets signifying Woden`s spear, Gungnir.  A closer examination of the Gilton hammer causes me to question if it is a hammer or a long handled axe.

Whilst Thor`s Hammer amulets are a relatively late development axe amulets are found all over northern Europe, many marked with lightning symbols such as circles or dots in circles, possibly signifying hail stones, an attribute of a good old thunder storm. These axe amulets still persist right into the Viking era and amongst the Slavs, Balts and Celts this was the primary symbol of the Thunder God and continued to be so.

Therefore I find it significant that the anonymous author of the Dialogue of Solomon and Saturn should refer to Thunor as wielding an axe and not a hammer. I believe that this is how our Anglo-Saxon ancestors viewed the thunder weapon of Thunor.

"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." (Kelly)

 As an aside my readers may be aware that baptism, that is sprinkling on the forehead of infants with water was an ancient Germanic pre-Christian custom and like many of our ancient ways it was co-opted into Christian practice.

"As Indra  used to milk the cloud cows and churn the milk lakes and fountains with the 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)

 Clearly Thunor`s axe as a concept continued to linger in Anglo-Saxon and German folklore long after the forced conversion of our ancestors as the above references establish but the axe was also an important cultic object. According to HR Ellis Davidson the famous Mammen Axe from 10th century CE Mammen in Denmark was a ceremonial axe and the top of the axe features a "face with staring eyes and beard".  (Scandinavian Mythology)

Rudolf Simek makes the point in his Dictionary of Northern Mythology (1993, Boydell and Brewer Ltd) that there was a widespread cult of the axe stretching back to the Bronze Age and that miniature axes were in use between the late Iron Age and the Viking Age. He draws parallels between this Germanic axe cult and the Cretan axe cult along with the lightning weapons of Indra, Hercules and Sucellos.