New Discovery Shows Viking Religion of Thor and Odin Even Older Than Thought

News Wire
Mar 8, 2023

Christian Wienberg, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) -- In Denmark, scholars have found proof in a gold medal that the Viking religion of Odin and Thor is at least 150 years older than previously estimated.

The bracteate, a thin gold disc worn as jewelry, dates to around the year 400 and is inscribed with runes referring to a local ruler as “a man of Odin.” That makes it the first ever mention of Norse mythology, the National Museum of Denmark said in a statement on Wednesday.

Before the discovery, the earliest reference to Odin was found on a German suit buckle from the late 500s, the museum said. The bracteate was discovered in one of Denmark’s largest archaeological gold finds in 2020-21, but the rune script hadn’t been translated until now.

“The runic inscription was the most difficult I have ever had to interpret in all my years as a runologist at the National Museum of Denmark,” Senior Researcher Lisbeth Imer said in the statement. “It may help us understand other prehistoric runic inscriptions, which we haven’t yet been able to read,” she said.

In Viking mythology, Odin is the supreme god, reigning over Valhalla — the hall of the slain — while Thor was believed to create thunder by riding his chariot over clouds, swinging a giant hammer.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/new-discovery-shows-viking-religion-of-thor-and-odin-even-older-than-thought-1.1892571