Why Did the Vikings Wear Jewelry?

When the archaeologists started digging up some parts of the Viking areas, they found tons of artifacts. Among those artifacts were jewelry pieces dating back from the Viking age. This opens a question as to why the Vikings wore jewelry at their time. Below are possible answers to this question. 

Viking Payment Way

Well you might know that some places in the world now are having a tendency to use QR codes to make payment. No need to bring wallet or cash along with you when you are out. All you need is to bring along with you a smartphone full of battery. 

Back to the Viking Age, the Vikings once brought some pieces of jewelry with them as payment. Not for scanning, instead they would break jewelry into pieces and exchange those jewelry pieces for goods. 

According to the scholars, what the Vikings often used to make payment is Viking bracelet. 

Viking Faith

It seems like people in the Medieval Age would firmly believe in gods or some kinds of spiritual power. The Vikings were the same. They believed in the Norse gods who were Odin, Thor, Freyr, etc. 

Often, the Vikings would wear jewelry that would remind them of those gods, especially Thor the God of Thunder and Storm. The scholars explained that the reason for Thor's popularity was that in Norse mythology Thor was the one that often gave humanity blessing. 

Viking Trade

Actually, there were some of the Vikings did not resist the power of money. Either money or power was dangerous. It would attract the worse and corrupt the best. Because of the Christian domination, some Vikings decided to wear jewelry resembling Cross. They often wore Mjolnir hammer necklace. While trading with the Christians, they would claim themselves as Christian but when they came back home, the necklace would stand for the Thor worshipping. 

Of course, we could not blame the Vikings for this. They had to change. Without change, they could not survive in the world where Christianity was so dominant.