Viking Jewelry Excavation Revealed Viking Offerings in Water

In Norse mythology, Odin traded his eye into the Well of Mimir for a sip of the holy water of knowledge. Some people cannot understand why Odin made such unfair trade but in fact, he had a reason to do it. If we get to know Odin, we learn how great is his burning desire to have more wisdom. And in the Viking Age, some people still cannot understand why the Vikings threw their valuable jewelry into the water. Generally, it is not "throwing". It is "offering". 

We learn that the Vikings were so much associated with ship and water. The Viking ships were considered to be the sea serpents and without these serpents, there would have had no Viking glory. Being so connected with the waves of the ocean, the Vikings who had a deeply-ingrained belief in the gods always wished for protection from the ocean. 

But after all, the exact reasons why the Vikings made so many offerings into the water remain to be seen. This traditional ritual of the Vikings led the archaeologists to change their archaeological spot into the bed of lakes or rivers. 

Below are some of Viking Jewelry Excavation from the Water

Arm ring found in River Liffey (An Life) - a river in Ireland flowing through the center of Dublin. The ring is noted "The River Liffey, many of the other silver rings found in the river-meadow [or bed?]"

Part of the Viking metalwork from a recent excavation in Blackwater at Shanmullagh. 

The hoard of gold jewelry including 5 arm rings found in low-lying marshland in Vesnoy, Strokestown Demesne in 1849. 

One famous Viking site of worshipping is Tisso Lake. The name of the lake is dedicated to Tyr Norse god of Honor and Sacrifice. The excavation around the Tisso lake revealed the cult of Norse gods, especially God Tyr. 

Archaeologists reported that there was a great number of artifacts found under the bed of the Tisso lake. First, they didn't relate these artifacts to the Viking Age. But after some examination, the archaeologists concluded that such artifacts including weapons and jewelry dated back to the Viking Age. 

Around the lakes were some hills, the archaeologists also excavated hoards of jewelry. The most widely accepted theory about the reason for these hoards is that the Vikings were trying to make a sacrifice for their gods.