Pendants and Sacred Symbols

As some of you may of seen, I (Phil) have started a new project, that of making Heathen Pendants. This is something I have for a few years now wished to delve into. I spend much of my time reading ancient works, digging through archaeological reports, trying to better understand our forebears and their beliefs. Whilst this has been an invaluable source of information and given me much to ponder upon, nearly two years ago now I had an urge to get more “hands on”.

Some of you will also know, especially from my earlier writings, the ancient symbols of our ancestors are of special interest to me. A couple of years ago I really delved into this area of our past. I wasn’t satisfied with the copy paste answers most “Heathen” sites were giving on their meanings. Each symbol I looked at, far from being some simplistic meaning, took me on immense journeys. Uncovering the layers and the connections became almost an obsession. I spent months on the symbolic meaning of the Boar alone, from etymology to historic accounts, even studying the animal in its habitat, every time I thought I had cracked it more would appear. This work on the Boar is still ongoing and will be enough for a small book when I am done. This happened with every symbol I looked at, and it was then that I had an urge to work with the symbol in a more practical way.

I wanted to create them, hold them in my hands, “birth” them in a sense. To experience their power at their origin, to see how they made me feel, how they effected my life. I perhaps rather hurriedly managed to scramble the money together for some basic equipment. As with many things I do, I have a tendency to jump in where angels fear to tread. My imagination has a way of making everything seem easy, this I am thankful of as it allows me to act when others over think, but it has its draw backs. Although the principles are simple, its not till you are doing something that you realise there are so many other small things you need to make it actually happen. To cut a long story short though, it has taken me nearly two years to gather all the necessary equipment and feel comfortable enough in my ability to finally bring some of my creations to light.

Apart from Mining and processing the ores, and growing the hemp and turning it into string, the whole process is done by my own hands. I first design and carve the pieces into wax, then using the sand casting method, I smelt the metals and cast the piece. From there I take each piece and clean it up by hand using different grades of sandpaper, then add the patina, knot and string it. Each piece has passed through my hands at every stage of its creation. I have saw it first in my imagination then in its fire form as molten metal, before it becomes what you see now. This has become quite a spiritual experience in of itself.

This spiritual element to the casting process, also highlights another important aspect of religious symbols, that of where they came from. With the popularity of shows like “Vikings” many people have taken an interest in profiting off of this “trend” as they see it. Most of these people are in fact big manufactures, that are just looking to cash in, and are happy to create Heathen symbols alongside Christian ones in a Chinese factory. There are of course real Heathens creating pendants and all manner of beautiful works of art like the work of Krystal, and I would urge everyone reading this to only purchase such sacred imagery and religious pieces from true followers of the faith.

When looking for a pendant to put on public display first, the “Thors Hammer” given its prominence in Heathen communities had obvious appeal. In an age where our ancient symbols are increasingly coming under attack, the “Thors Hammer” being the most recognisable Heathen symbol, becomes a powerful statement of faith and defiance, even before you dig deeper into the history books.

I did not wish to make replicas, as all things are fluid and move through time, I believe that our art and symbols should also be reimagined for our own age. Ironically this lead me back to the history books and archaeological reports, as I wished to garner as much information as I could before crafting one.

As I delved into the historical record of the symbol I was drawn to the Nordic “battle Axe” culture, that most likely has its origins in the late neolithic of the North. This fascinating period of history is, I believe, the origin of much of the “Viking era” and Germanic spirituality in general. At this time “axe” pendants are found that over the ages, I believe, became what we know today as the “Thors Hammer”. Being drawn to this as I was, I decided to take inspiration where it appeared thus my “Hammer” is heavily influenced by these ancient battle axe pendants, ceremonial axes and Nordic Rock carvings. I will be writing a series of articles on this in the very near future, to fully explain this transformation, and delve deeper into the meaning of this most defiant symbol of a proud peoples.

I will in the near future be producing many other pendants, but for now if you are interested in my first offering please click here to find more information.