The wolf cross hammer
The wolf cross or wolf hammer is a Viking Age silver piece of jewelry found in Foss, Iceland. The find is best known for scholars debating whether it is a Christian cross or a pagan Thors hammer. The silver cross has three arms of equal length as well as a fourth longer cross arm with an animal head so that the cross can be hung on a necklace through the animal's mouth. The most common interpretation is that it is a wolf's head, which gave it the name wolf cross. The center of the cross is pierced by another cross There are divided opinions as to whether one should interpret the wolf cross as a cross or as a special Icelandic model of Thors hammer. As the find is the only one of its kind, it is difficult to put it in an archaeological and historical context. What suggests it might be a pagan Thors hammer is the similarity to the hammer held by the famous Thor figure from Eyrarland outside Akureyri in northern Iceland. What speaks for it being a Christian cross is that ap...