Rings in early Germanic cultures facts for kids
Rings were super important in early Germanic cultures, which included groups like the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons. You can find rings in old burial sites and stories from these times. They were used for many things, like showing off wealth or making serious promises. People even used them as a kind of money! Rings were also connected to their gods and important traditions. Kings would often give rings to their loyal followers to keep them happy and strong. Even after people started becoming Christian, rings still played a big role in gifts and promises.
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Rings Found by Archaeologists
Archaeologists have found many different kinds of rings from the Early Medieval Period (around 500-1000 AD). These include arm rings, finger rings, and neck rings. They've been discovered in hidden collections called "hoards" all over Northern Europe. Places like Gotland (Sweden) and Lancashire (England) have yielded amazing finds. The style of these rings changed over time and in different places. For example, new styles appeared when different cultures mixed, like when Vikings settled in Ireland.
Rings also appear in old artworks. You can see them on carved stones, especially those that tell the story of the hero Sigurð. They are also on small metal pendants called bracteates from the migration era.
In England, special finger rings with runes (an old alphabet) have been found. These date from the 700s to the 1000s AD. Some of the writings on them can be read and often show who owned the ring. Others seem to be magic words. Finger rings might not have been very common for men or women in England around 400-600 AD. But they became much more popular by the 900s-1000s, especially among women. These rings were usually made of silver or gold, but some were bronze or lead. They sometimes had spaces for gems or colored glass. Many rings also had Christian messages carved on them.
What Rings Were Used For
Rings as Wealth and Money
How Rings Were Used in Trade
Imagine wearing your money! In some cultures, people wore their wealth. For example, a writer named Ibn Fadlan described women among the Rus' people (early Vikings in Eastern Europe) wearing many silver or gold neck rings. Each ring was said to be worth a lot of money. While the exact value might have been exaggerated, it shows rings were seen as portable wealth.
At the same time, in Scandinavia and places influenced by Vikings, people used arm and neck rings as a form of money called hacksilver. They would cut these rings into smaller pieces to pay for things. Many of these rings have small nicks, which people think were made to check if the metal was pure. The weight of whole rings often matched standard trading units. This suggests they were indeed used as a kind of wearable currency. In Sweden, weights have been found that match both Scandinavian and Islamic money systems. This shows that different trading systems were connected.
Giving Rings as Gifts
Giving rings was a very important job for kings in Anglo-Saxon societies. It was a way for them to show their power and generosity. An old poem called Maxims II describes this:
|
Cyning sceal on healle |
The king must wait in the hall, |
| —Old English text | —Modern English Translation |
The famous epic poem Beowulf also shows how important ring-giving was. It helped build strong bonds between a lord and his warriors. A king was even called a "ring-giver." Warriors, called Thanes, received treasures like rings. By accepting these gifts, they promised to be loyal to their lord. The true value was not just the ring itself, but the strong relationship it created.
King Hrōðgār in Beowulf was a good king who shared rings during feasts. But another king, Heremod, was seen as bad because he didn't give rings to his followers. He was considered greedy and was eventually removed from power.
Even after Anglo-Saxons became Christian, rings remained important royal objects. In the 900s AD, the Anglo-Saxon chronicle called an English king a "generous ring-giver." This same description was even used for Jesus in an old German poem called Heliand.
Rings for Swearing Oaths
Rings were not just for gifts; people also swore important promises, called oaths, on them. In the old Norse poem Hávamál, the god Odin talks about breaking a "ring-oath." This meant he could no longer be trusted.
The Anglo-Saxon chronicle tells us that in 876 AD, the Danes swore a peace oath to King Alfred on a "holy ring." Old Norse stories called Sagas, like Eyrbyggja saga, describe rings kept on the altars of heathen temples. People would swear oaths on these rings. During special ceremonies called blóts, the ring might even be sprinkled with blood from a sacrificed animal. These temple rings varied in size, from small ones to very large ones weighing over a pound!
In another old poem, Atlakviða, a character named Atli swears an oath on a ring dedicated to the god Ullr. In the Landnámabók, people swore oaths on a ring while calling on the gods Freyr, Njörðr, and an "almighty Ás" (god). The text describes how a ring, weighing at least two ounces, should be kept in every main temple. A leader, called a goði, would wear this ring on his arm during important meetings. Before anyone could settle a legal matter, they had to swear an oath on the ring, calling on the gods to help them speak the truth.
Sacred rings were also important in other Germanic cultures, like the Goths. The ring of Pietroassa has an old inscription that means "inheritance of the Goths. I am holy." A bishop in the 300s AD even complained that Gothic priests wore arm rings, which he didn't like.
After people became Christian, the practice of swearing on rings continued. In the medieval period, rings were sometimes hung on church doors. The Forsa ring in Sweden, for example, was at a church next to an old meeting place called a thing. In other parts of Europe, people swore oaths on church rings from the 800s to the 1300s AD.
Rings in Myths and Legends
In old myths, rings often have special powers and are made by skilled dwarfs. For example, the goddess Freyja has a beautiful neck-ring called Brisingamen.
Another famous ring is Draupnir. The story says it was made by the dwarfs Brokkr and Sindri. Every eight nights, eight new rings of the same weight would drip from Draupnir. This is why Draupnir is often used as a poetic word for "gold" in old Norse poems. Draupnir usually belongs to Odin, the chief god. In one story, Odin places Draupnir on his son Baldr's funeral pyre. Another old text also mentions a ring owned by Baldr that brought wealth, which might be a similar story.
Draupnir is thought to be the mythical version of the temple rings used in real life. It appears on old Norwegian bracteates (small metal pendants) from the 400s-600s AD. It might have been a symbol of Odin's power and helped show that kings had a sacred right to rule. Even though we don't always know the exact meaning of these images, the common appearance of rings with gods on these old objects shows how important rings were to the Germanic peoples.
Another ring with great wealth, but also a terrible curse, is Andvaranaut. This ring once belonged to a dwarf named Andvari. The trickster god Loki forced Andvari to give it up. Because of Loki's greed, Andvari put a curse on the ring: it would bring death to anyone who owned it. Throughout the Völsunga saga, this curse comes true. Many characters who own the ring end up dying, including the dragon Fáfnir and the hero Sigurð.
See also
- List of named weapons, armour and treasures in Germanic heroic legend
- Magic ring
