The singing Odin of Staraya Ladoga

The singing Odin of Staraya Ladoga.

Here you can buy a replica of the so-called Singing Odin of Staraya Ladoga, a striking Viking artefact from the middle of the 8th century.

The Singing Odin of was found in 1975 in a hoard of forging and jewellery tools in the old settlement of Zemlyanoe Ladoga and is now in the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia.

This depiction of Odin is one of the oldest and probably also the clearest ancient "portraits" of the Scandinavian god. The figurine is very sculpturally executed and shows the one-eyed Odin, adorned with raven heads, with his mouth half open as if he were singing.

In this context, it is noteworthy that the Odin from Staraya Ladoga has an angular hollowed-out shaft. It is therefore highly likely that this figurine is a tuning key for a stringed instrument. The Norse father of the gods, Odin, is not only the supreme god of all the gods in Valhalla and the god of wisdom. He is also the patron saint of songwriters.

A very similar horned pendant depicting Odin is also known from Levide on the Swedish island of Gotland and from Funen in Denmark.

Our replica measures 5 x 3.2 cm, similar to the original Odin from Staraya Ladoga.
The rectangular opening in the shaft is 4 mm.

You can buy the pendant in high-quality bronze or genuine silver-plated.
Alternatively, you can also order it in 925 sterling silver (please note delivery time).
Alloy....

The Odin figurine can be worn around the neck as an amulet on the attached ring with the included 1-metre-long leather strap.

However, as the pendant also stands on its own, it can also be placed on an altar as a figurine of the gods. Or it can be used as a tuning key for a stringed instrument such as a lyre or harp with a matching tuning peg.

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The singing Odin of Staraya Ladoga has two horns in the shape of ravens on his head, which shows Odin in the guise of the so-called weapon dancer, as he is known from various finds from the Vendel and Viking Age.

The Edda tells of the first war between the Vanes and the Ases, in which Odin throws his spear over the heads of an assembly of Vanes to start the battle. It is possibly this story on which the depictions of Odin as a "one-eyed weapon dancer" are based.

There are a number of different artefacts from the 5th to 7th centuries depicting Odin as a weapon dancer, from Torslunda, Sutton-Hoo, Ekhammer, Finglesham, Varlsgärde and other sites.