Today I just wanted to show you some of my new viking age glass beads that I bought this summer, and tell you a little about viking age beads!
There is plenty of finds from the viking age of glass beads of various colours and types. The most common way of wearing them seems to have been on a string between the tortoise brooches on a woman’s outfit, but the have also been found in necklaces, in small metal circles and loose in grave (also in men’s graves but I have no notion as to how many).
The world of viking era glass beads is big and interesting, but I am not an expert in any way. There are those who are though, and there is research going on about the subject. Glass beads were both imported by the hundreds and made in viking workshops, with different styles and quality from different geographical areas and time periods. This makes it possible to trace them back to their original area, and tell an estimated time they were created.
You can also find lots of free information on Historiska Museets database (The Swedish historical museum) and here is a search ready-made for you on viking age glass beads, with pictures on the finds; http://mis.historiska.se/mis/sok/resultat_foremal.asp
I like glass beads because they are one of few materials that withstand the turning of time and looks something like what they used to be, even after 1000 years in the earth. They are of course also pretty, and the handcrafting behind each bead are often outstanding.
I have tried to make some glass beads myself with the same technique used during the viking age, but with modern tools (such as gas, safety glasses and an oven for slower cooling) and find it difficult but very interesting. This summer I also, kind of accidentally, bought some beads from other makers, and now I have put everything together in new strings and necklaces for my outfit. These are not identical with specific finds, but more inspired by several different finds and graves. I will probably not keep everything, but they are so lovely I just had to experiment with them.
All the beads you’ll see in this post is handmade, by me and others. The blue-themed set will be used for festive occations I think, along with my new blue apron dress.
And for fun, this is one of the earliest strings of beads I made for my viking outfit. The photo is crap, half of the beads are modern, I used a thread that broke and didn’t know much about historical beads at all. Everything from this picture is sold or given away by now, but the brooches I still have and use since they are based on a find from the area of Sweden were I live.
09/10/2018 at 11:49
I am very certain that I have quite recently seen or heard something about how often beads have been found in graves of men, women, and children. However, now I can’t recall if it was a paper I read or a talk at the archaeology conference I was at this summer, but it discussed something about how often there were single beads in a grave and trying to draw some conclusions about why.
30/10/2022 at 04:00
Your beads are beautiful! I wonder if beads in graves ware a payment for the-powers-that-be the way coins on eyes were said to pay the ferryman. I don’t guess that you could bribe your loved one’s way into Valhalla but maybe into the lands kept by Freya?
30/10/2022 at 15:33
I have not seen anything suggesting that, but rather beads were worn as adornments in real life. Glass beads are common in graves alongside metal as the people were buried in garments with their belongings, and these materials keep well in the ground =)