Bracteat from Zealand of Bronze

The Wotan bracteate from Zealand.

This Germanic pendant was made after the gold bracteate from Zealand, which dates to the late Iron Age.

The gold bracteate was found in 1852 together with an identical model near Køge in the southeast of the Danish island of Zealand and dated to the Iron Age between 450 and 570 AD.

The special feature of the bracteate from Zealand is the equestrian effigy in the centre of the picture, which shows a figure with a spear depicting the Norse god Wotan / Odin with his horse Sleipnir.

The original bracteate had a surrounding row of runes which, depending on the reading, read: "Hariuha is my name, the traveler. I give protection on the journey" or else "I am called Hariuha. Knowing misfortune, I bring good fortune".

Hariuha probably means Odin or Wotan because in Germanic mythology, Wotan has various epithets which he adopted when he went among the people so as not to be recognised immediately.

The original Zealand bracteate is now in the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen.

Dimensions 3 x 3.5 cm. Available in high-quality bronze or in genuine silver-plated.

A 2 mm thick, black leather strap in 1 m length is included with the Zealand bracteate.

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The term bracteate comes from the Latin word bractea for a thin disc. The Germanic gold bracteates imitated Roman medals with images of emperors, although they differed from these in that they were only minted on one side. Bracteates were mostly worn by the Germanic tribes as lucky amulets and were probably an award for deserving warriors.