Viking Rattle Pendant

Rattle pendant from Staraja Ladoga.

That replica of a Viking  rattle pendant with the representation of two horses is based on a historical find from Russia.

Much Staraja Ladoga's Viking-era jewels are of Finnish origin. Also that horse rattle pendant which was found in burial mound 6 of Zaozere in the southeastern Ladoga area.

Link to the original rattle pendant...

Interestingly, in the same grave, in addition to Finnish horse pendant, also Slavic temple rings and Western Scandinavian bowl brooches from the 10th century were found - this cultural mix is characteristic of the area of Staraja Ladoga.

The rattle is supposed to keep evil spirits and mischief away from the owner. The motif of the two horses often appears among Viking rattle pendants and has its roots in Finnish mythology, the Kalevala, in the struggle of the figures Väinämöinen and Joukahainen. 

The dimensions of the rattle pendant are 6 x 3 cm. 
The Viking horse pendant is made from bronze and also available in genuine silver-plated.

The former fortress town of Staraja Ladoga, near St. Petersburg, was located on an old trade route that ran from the Baltic Sea over the Volga to the Caspian Sea. The oldest finds of Scandinavian origin in this area date back to the middle of the 8th century. Due to the cultural influences mixed due to the trade activity, Swedish, Finnish, Slavic and even Arabic finds are often found side by side in the graves of Staraja Ladoga.