Amuletsthe gallery← amulets.guru
Norse, Germanic, Baltic & Slavic · c. 500 BCE – 1900 CE

Amber amulets

Meaning

Baltic amber is fossil resin that is warm to the touch, light, fragrant when burned and electric when rubbed. It seemed alive: the Greeks called it elektron and thought it was the hardened tears of the Heliades or the sun's rays.

Intent

It was worn against illness, sore throats and the evil eye, and given to teething babies. Carved into axes, bears, horses and human figures in the Stone Age, it carried protective and hunting magic.

Significance

Amber is one of the oldest traded amulet materials in Europe, and the Amber Road ran from the Baltic to Mycenae, Etruria and Rome. Amber teething necklaces are still sold, though doctors now warn against them for choking risk.

History

Amber amulets date from the Mesolithic (c. 9000 BCE) in Denmark and the Baltic, were traded widely in the Bronze Age and Roman period, and have remained a folk remedy into modern times.

Making yours
Carve and polish raw amber, or copal as a cheaper stand-in. Drill with water to avoid cracking.
Norse, Germanic, Baltic & Slavic: the tradition

In pre-Christian Scandinavia and the Germanic world, protection came from the gods and from signs: Thor's hammer, runes, gold bracteates stamped with Odin. Amber from the Baltic shore had been carved into amulets since the Stone Age. Christianisation from the 9th to 11th centuries produced hybrid objects such as crosses cast in the same moulds as hammers. In the Slavic East, Byzantine Orthodoxy met older fever and serpent beliefs to produce the zmeevik. Scandinavian and Finnish peasant culture kept a strong tradition of protective objects against trolls, the evil eye and illness into the 19th and 20th centuries, documented by folklorists and now in the ethnographic museums of Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki.

See all 51, save the ones that feel rightAsk about having one made
Building Θ. Bronze amulet from Chamber 2Building Θ. Bronze amulet from Chamber 2Skala Oropou · 1996Louvre - amulettes du vizir PaserLouvre - amulettes du vizir PaserEgyptian 19th dynastyHögtider amulet from People's Republic of ChinaHögtider amulet from People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaAni Chokyi hand colored postcard titled "Tibetan Lady"Ani Chokyi hand colored postcard titled "Tibetan Lady"artGintaro galerija-muziejus "Kurenas", Nida, LitvaGintaro galerija-muziejus "Kurenas", Nida, LitvaJewellery, amber beads leather strap, IndiaJewellery, amber beads leather strap, IndiaA "theatre" of medicine and surgery. Watercolour by Johann Heinrich Ramberg, ca. 1800.A "theatre" of medicine and surgery. Watercolour by Johann Heinrich Ramberg, ca. 1800.Ani Chokyi hand colored postcard titled "Tibetan Lady" (cropped)Ani Chokyi hand colored postcard titled "Tibetan Lady" (cropped)artMizgiris Amber MuseumMizgiris Amber Museumembedded with insects; Jewellery, amber gold thread, facetted bead, Indiaembedded with insects; Jewellery, amber gold thread, facetted bead, IndiaA "theatre" of medicine and surgery. Watercolour by Johann Heinrich Ramberg, ca. 1800.A "theatre" of medicine and surgery. Watercolour by Johann Heinrich Ramberg, ca. 1800.Amuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc.Amuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc.Barnstenen amulet korenaren ValkenvburgZH 101064 RMO LeidenBarnstenen amulet korenaren ValkenvburgZH 101064 RMO LeidenHistoriska museet 024Historiska museet 024Miniature axe (6880122617)Miniature axe (6880122617)Młot Thora, GdańskMłot Thora, GdańskAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 09 falliAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 09 falliBjørnefigur (4361570989)Bjørnefigur (4361570989)Bursztynowe amuletyBursztynowe amuletyMuseum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Berlin 059Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Berlin 059Necklaces (49345979108)Necklaces (49345979108)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619879484)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619879484)Torshammare - Historiska museet - DIG 55082Torshammare - Historiska museet - DIG 55082Amuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 03 erote e manoAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 03 erote e manoAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 07 pesce, lepreAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 07 pesce, lepreDO-10734DO-10734Historiska museet 019Historiska museet 019Miniature axe (6880119845)Miniature axe (6880119845)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13620022664)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13620022664)Pendant shaped as a bowler chair (6851383749)Pendant shaped as a bowler chair (6851383749)Ravkæde, a necklace made out of amberRavkæde, a necklace made out of amberTorshammare av bärnstenTorshammare av bärnsten02022 Crafts in Wolin, Amber Thor's hammer02022 Crafts in Wolin, Amber Thor's hammer02023 0907 Pomeranian face cinerary urn with amber beads, solar discs and Baltic amber necklace, Gdańsk02023 0907 Pomeranian face cinerary urn with amber beads, solar discs and Baltic amber necklace, Gdańsk02023 0917 Amber folk handicrafts in Pomerania02023 0917 Amber folk handicrafts in Pomerania02023 Amber bear figurine, around 9600 BC — 4100 BC02023 Amber bear figurine, around 9600 BC — 4100 BC02023 Amber fish-shaped pendant found in Old Town Kamień Pomorski from the early Middle Ages02023 Amber fish-shaped pendant found in Old Town Kamień Pomorski from the early Middle AgesAmber at the Castle in Malbork 020Amber at the Castle in Malbork 020Amber facetted beads; neckalce for teething child.Amber facetted beads; neckalce for teething child.Dutch: Kralensnoer met 89 kralen in glas en een amulet (hanger) in barnsteen label QS:Lnl,"Kralensnoer met 89 kralen in glas en een amulet (hanger) in barnsteen"Dutch: Kralensnoer met 89 kralen in glas en een amulet (hanger) in barnsteen label QS:Lnl,"Kralensnoer met 89 kralen in glas en een amulet (hanger) in barnsteen"Miniature Thor’s hammer (6880531469)Miniature Thor’s hammer (6880531469)Mizgirių Gintaro Muziejus, Neringa, Litva 5Mizgirių Gintaro Muziejus, Neringa, Litva 5Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13618592124)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13618592124)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619959404)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619959404)Amuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 08 cani accucciatiAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 08 cani accucciatiCharm Bracelet Trail - Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham - Chamberlain's Clock Erected - 1903Charm Bracelet Trail - Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham - Chamberlain's Clock Erected - 1903Grüner BernsteinGrüner BernsteinMiniature axe (6880123649)Miniature axe (6880123649)Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Berlin 058Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Berlin 058Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619879434)Object from the exhibition We call them Vikings produced by The Swedish History Museum (13619879434)Amuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 09 ghiandaAmuleti in ambra, I-II secolo dc. 09 ghianda

More from Norse, Germanic, Baltic & Slavic: Thor’s hammers (Mjölnir) · Bracteates · Zmeeviks & lunnitsy · Kaptorgas & capsule amulets · Scandinavian, Finnish & Sámi folk charms · Other & unsorted Norse
Every type in the gallery

Anything in the gallery can be made: any piece, any tradition, in its own material or yours, by hand from the documented original. Numbered. Price on commission, quoted before anything is made. I reply within one business day.