For one C of years , a previously unsung farmstead in southerly Iceland has been home to a rare , coin - sized soap-rock amulet consider to have been made in resemblance to Norse god Thor ’s magic hammer .
Along with four other dateless detail , the hammer was find on a Viking - era farmstead in south Iceland ’s Þjórsárdalur vale . According to aFacebook billet , archaeologists with theInstitute of Archaeologyhave named the ancient farmstead Bergsstaðir and believe it go out back to around 900 years . The team was first clue into the find by local resident Bergur Þór Björnsson . He says he resolve to take a hint from his great - grandfather , who found several of the last - known Viking era farm in 1920 , and start poking around the site .
The hammer and other items , which admit a whetstone , an Fe pick , and a buckle , were find in loose dirt . The archaeological team says they also establish rock that appear to have been the foundation for a cabin , as well as ash tree , burned bones , and evidence of former branding iron - working , indicating metal counterfeit was combat-ready in the country . This is of particular interest considering Iceland does not have iron ore deposit .
" There is a lot of this up here on the slope . And it is very probable that there was ironwork to some extent and even structure , ironworks , ” archaeologist Garðar Guðmundsson toldRUV . It ’s possible Vikings and early settlers produce iron from nearby bogs , but researcher need to further study the sphere to determine if that ’s the case .
The hammer is think to have been worn as a protective amulet around the neck . It ’s only the second hammerfoundin Iceland and the first to have been carve from Isidor Feinstein Stone . Thor was one of the most prominent God in Norse mythology and was central across religious religious sect of Teutonic masses before the spread of Christianity , from Norway to the United Kingdom . His foreign mission was to protect people from evilness and he used his hammer Mjöllnir to do so . Evidence of his influence has been found in prehistoric “ thunderstones ” found in other Scandinavian archaeological sites . These were believe to have been deliberately placed in graves as skillful - luck amulet to keep lightning away .
The hammer and other artifacts are in route to Reykjavík for further enquiry .
