About this objectThis casting mold found at Trendgården in Jutland, Denmark, exemplifies the transition from symbols of old to those of new gods. It contains molds for the hammer of the Norse thunder god, Thor, and for two crosses, a Christian symbol. The appearance of the hammer as Thor's sacred weapon appears quite late in the Viking Age and it has been suggested that it was a response to the appearance of the Christian cross.
The caster here could have been selling the products to two different sets of people, but it is just as likely that many people chose to have symbols of both the old and new gods during this transition period. An example is that of Helge den Magre (Helge the Lean), reputed to be the first Viking settler in around 890 at Eyjafjordur Bay, Iceland. His biography, recorded in the Icelandic book, Landnámabók', tells how, although converted to Christianity, when at sea or in a particularly difficult situations, he would still pray to Thor.
