Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Diss., 2002

Zugl.: Wien, Univ., Diss.

This study concerns three necklaces, found in three women’s graves in the Viking age city Birka, placed on the island Björkö in the lake Mälaren. The necklaces are well ornate with pearls of carnelian, rock crystal, glass and amber, as well as silver pendants in the shape of for example animals, chairs and crosses.                                                                                    The aim is to examine what purpose the necklaces and their pendants had in its contemporary time, as well as to examine the purpose and possible religious role of the women who owned the necklaces. In order to examine this the graves with the necklaces will also be compared with so called “völvegraves”, which are graves meant for völvor, vǫlur, women who were fortune-tellers. The graves are compared since a hypothesis have been formed, and through a hypothethico-deduction method I hope to see if the aim of this study can be answered. Delimitations are that not all pendants from the necklaces will be used, only categories that will bring forth an analysis as well a discussion. Only two of three völvegraves will take part in the study, since one of them needs more interpretation and analysis.                The study showed similarities between the graves with the necklaces and the völvegraves, which supports a positive outcome of the method. The major differences between the graves were the objects interpreted as ritual, the staff and the necklaces. However, since a hypothethico-deduction theory can be limited, the discussion also focused on the pendants of the necklaces, and what they can say about function and worth. Since the pendants show a connection to the god Oden, I concluded that the necklaces were used as religious objects, and that the women possibly could have had the role of a gydja, but that they had Oden as their main God. I also concluded that the women were connected to vǫlur through the connection to Oden as well as chair pendants, but that the women with the necklaces probably were not vǫlur.

Zugl.: Zürich, Univ., Diss., 2005/2006

De kvinnliga kultledarna som vi känner som völvan eller valan tolkas traditionellt utifrån de materiella tingen som följt kvinnorna i graven. Ofta är dessa gravar enastående i sin sammansättning där de värdefulla och kännetecknande föremålen signalerar om den upphöjda statusen vilka dessa kvinnor ägt och förvaltat. I sammanhanget lyfts ofta två sådana völvagravar, Osebergsgraven och grav 4 i Fyrkat där de botaniska lämningarna också har förstärkt denna kontext utifrån växternas verkningsgrad som drog med vanebildande och hallucinogena egenskaper.  Med en utgångspunkt i arkeobotaniken och ett tvärvetenskapligt förhållningssätt undersöks hur specifika botaniska spår kan tolkas i flera olika kvinnogravar som anlagts under järnåldern. Ofta finns en etnobiologisk och folkloristisk historia kring växtmaterialet som kan fungera som användbara verktyg för den arkeologiska tolkningen. De botaniska lämningarna är oftast underrepresenterade i det arkeologiska materialet vilket också ofta ger en uteslutande bild av dess närvaro och betydelse. Genom att vända på perspektivet och låta de botaniska lämningarna styra materialsamling, undersökning och analys kan också andra tolkningsvärden, för hur vi definierar völvan, uppnås. / This essay presents alternative ways to interpret how we can connect the völva to archaeological material. This is traditionaly done thrue high status objects and personal belongings. The völva also represents an adecvat knowledge of healing, magic and also the power to anticipate the future which included a props of botanical skills. With that starting point, with the botanical remains as a reference, and what we can se and interpret in the archaeobotanical remains I want to, if possible, extend how we characterize the concept of the völva.

Artefacts known as amulet rings, a kind of Viking age jewellery, have often been encountered during archaeological excavations of Viking Age sites. The rings do not appear to have any practical use, but are rather considered to be of cultural or religious importance. Their exact function is however unclear, as are the details regarding the production and material choices for the rings.This study mainly examines the microstructure of samples from Viking Age amulet rings found in Dalecarlia, Sweden. To be able to conclude how much effort that was put into the rings a comparison with medieval cutting tools was conducted. Thus, the knives were made with more care in order to obtain the material properties required to give the knives the sharpness and hardness they need to function. The analysis shows that the amulet rings were made from heterogeneous low-carbon steel, indicating little or no welding and a poor-quality starting material. Were as the microstructure of the knives had homogeneous microstructures often involving perlite, showing decent carbon content.Thus, it appears that the Viking Age smiths forged the amulet rings without putting too much effort into the process.This study also involved the manufacturing of a new knife from low-carbon steel, this was done to see if it was possible to redeem carbon into the surface while forging. This however, was difficult when not having todays technical equipment at hand, thus the result was insufficient. / Historiska föremål, kallade amulett ringar vilket är ett slags vikingatida smycken, har hittats vid arkeologiska utgrävningar av vikingatida boplatser. Man har inte hittat något praktiskt användningsområde för ringarna, utan de tros vara av kulturell eller religiös betydelse. Deras funktion är dock oklar, likaså detaljerna angående tillverkningen och materialvalet för ringarna.Denna studie undersöker mikrostrukturen av amulett ringar från Dalarna i Sverige. För att kunna dra slutsatser om hur mycket arbete som lades på ringarna genomförs en jämförelse med medeltida eggverktyg. Eftersom eggverktyg gjordes med omsorg för att få rätt materialegenskaper för att vara vassa och hårda kan man jämföra dessa med ringarna. Analyserna visade att amulett ringarna var gjorda av lågkolhaltigt heterogent stål som indikerar enbart lite eller ingen vällning och ett dåligt utgångsmaterial. Tillskillnad från eggverktygen som uppvisade en homogen mikrostruktur som ofta innehöll perlit vilket tyder på relativt hög kolhalt. Följaktligen framstår det som att vikingatida smeder inte la ned särskilt mycket tid i smidesprocessen vid tillverkningen av amulett ringar.Denna studie innefattar också smidet av en ny kniv från ett lågkolhaltigt stål för att se om det är möjligt att lösa in kol i ytan genom smidet. Detta var dock svårt att göra utan dagens tekniska utrustning vilket gjorde att resultatet inte visade någon uppkolning.

In the ancient world, magic and magical practice was in fact hugely common between people and within the society, different types of magical material has been proved to be importent instrument during those mysterious events. But how we see those ancient materials and how we read them is still one of the key questions that we cannot answer with our modern understanding. Yet, it is not totally impossible to try to solve this type of question. This study will be concerned with ancient amulets from the Roman world, and the time period will draw on the imperial period in ancient Rome. The amulet can be categorized into different types, depending on what subject and motives they are focusing on, for example, amulet to protect mothers during the childbirth is one of the common type of protecting amulet for women, because mortality rate for both mother and the child was extremely high during the ancient period; there’s even amulets that protect people from evil spirits, such as the evil eye, which will be explained in one of the chapter. In this case, this study will be focusing on one type named “bullae”, which is speculated to be used only by roman children. It will be interpret with ancient literature and modern researches, so we may be able to investigate a part of how and why ancient people were using magical materials in their common life, also what it could tell us about the society of ancient Rome, and at last, in which ways do we know that this type of thing can be recognize as “amulet” instead of other types of jewellery.