Remembering the North in a Modern World - Viking Age Glass Beads in My Everyday Life
My soul has always been Scandinavian in some way. When I first saw these small, colourful glass beads in Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, something about them touched me. But we were very busy with travelling and sightseeing, so I didn’t really look at them closely or read up on them. At that time I was still thinking in a more secular way, but I was "open to Scandinavia in any way I could be" while I was there.
I know that similar beads spread all over the world through trade, yet the Scandinavian ones have a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the landscape, the history or that quiet strength that seems to seep through them from the people who once lived there. Being able to make jewellery like this calms my soul. It feels as if this were the way for the soul living in a body far from Scandinavia to still receive "nourishment" from there - and to pass the finished piece on to someone else who is open to it. I don’t just see pretty decorative elements in them, but harbours, burial mounds, workshops, people who wore these objects on their clothes and around their necks. Through them I feel connected to that land and that time my soul is so strongly tied to.
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It’s important to me that what I make is not just "viking-inspired" fashion, but actually rooted in the past. That’s why I chose beads that are replicas of real grave finds from specific archaeological sites, made by a Swedish family business (Nordlysviking). Each bracelet is built around one archaeological place - e.g. Ribe, Leksand, Birka, Gotland. A kind of link to the northern land, the ancestors and the gods. So if you are interested in these treasures - these spiritual objects - please do keep this function of theirs in mind.
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What would a piece of jewellery look like that could be worn today by someone who is connected to that place - by bloodline, soul, calling, or simply a deep love for the landscape?
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I complemented the glass beads with gemstones. Partly because they beautifully highlight the beads and lighten and balance the overall feel, glass on its own can be quite heavy. And partly because while I’m stringing them, I’m not only placing colours and shapes next to each other but intention as well. :)
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The bracelets are finished with silver-coloured metal findings and an extension chain, so the size is adjustable and can be comfortably fitted to the wrist. At the moment I only have a limited amount of findings in surgical steel, so these pieces are not yet the safest choice for people with metal sensitivities, but in the future I’ll try to pay more attention to that as well.
I string every piece by hand, one by one, so the arrangement of the beads and the patterns in the stones may vary slightly, but that’s exactly what makes each bracelet a truly unique, personal piece of jewellery.
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1. Nordhav/Deep Sea (Northern Sea) - Ribe, Denmark
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Ribe is one of the earliest Scandinavian towns and trading centres of the Viking Age. Frankish, Frisian, Anglo-Saxon, Slavic and even Mediterranean goods arrived in its harbour, including glass ingots and finished beads. Archaeologists have also found traces of bead-making workshops here, with many colourful, striped, dotted and multi-layered beads.
The Ribe replica beads in the Nordhav bracelet evoke this world: colourful, lively, slightly "sea-foamy" beads that carry the atmosphere of waterways, trade routes and harbours.
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Gemstones - green aventurine, larvikite, obsidian
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Green aventurine: the stone of rivers and flow. It can carry that feeling that the current of life moves you, but does not sweep you away - you dare to take new paths while staying true to yourself. It’s often called the "stone of opportunity". Its soft, gentle energy helps you tune into the flow of life, be more open to new paths, connections and situations, and keep your heart calm even in times of change. In the Nordhav bracelet, aventurine reflects the greenish shades of the sea, and beside the Ribe beads it’s as if it said: "dare to set out on new waters, but stay true to who you are."
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Larvikite: a norwegian stone with fine bluish flashes, like moonlight on the water. People often describe its energy as supporting inner attention and intuition, helping deeper self-knowledge, and acting as a protective "filter" stone - what does not serve you, it lets in less. It fits the Viking world especially well: larvikite, as a very northern stone, connects the wearer with images of Scandinavian landscapes, fjords and seas. Next to the Ribe glass replicas, it feels like a bridge between old routes and today’s inner journeys.
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Obsidian: volcanic glass with strong grounding and protective energy. It’s often associated with setting boundaries (what is mine and what is not), releasing old patterns and blocks, and gaining a clearer, more sober view of situations. In this bracelet it sits at the ends like a gate-stone: it holds the boundaries while allowing aventurine and larvikite to do their subtler work.
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Nordhav can carry the energy of water, trade routes and fate - that moment when you "board the ship", whether literally or on an inner journey.
2. Skogsöga/Forest Eyes - Leksand, Sweden
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Leksand lies in today’s Dalarna region in Sweden, by Lake Siljan. The interior of Dalarna is a different world from the harbours: forests, lakes, villages, and strong local traditions. Viking Age graves found in the area have yielded those characteristic "eye beads" on which this bracelet is based. The eye motif is known across the wider Old World (Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cultures) as a protective symbol against evil and the evil eye, so it’s quite possible that in the Scandinavian world it also had a similar, intuitive protective function.
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This bracelet can be a kind of protective, ancestor-connecting piece: eye beads that look outward and an inner axis (jet - rock crystal - aventurine) that reminds you’re not walking alone.
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Gemstones - rock crystal, green aventurine, jet
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Rock crystal: clarity and focus. It’s a good stone if you want to hear signs and messages more clearly or see more clearly what is truly yours and what is not. Rock crystal is often considered a "master stone" - it clears and brings situations into sharper focus, supports concentration and mindful presence, and is also described as an amplifier: it highlights and strengthens whatever you place next to it. In the Skogsöga bracelet, rock crystal is like letting light fall on the stories of old times and on the present as well.
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Green aventurine: in this bracelet too, it brings the energy of flow, new paths and a flexible heart. Green aventurine is the stone of opportunity: it supports you when you start something new, helps you respond more flexibly and openly, and with its gentle, heart-centred calm it smooths out the ups and downs of everyday life. Here it brings the green of the swedish landscape into the bracelet - the calm of forests and meadows.
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Jet: a fossil-origin, deep black stone that is traditionally associated with protection, mourning and the ancestors. It can be a good companion when working with the dísir or with your own ancestors, or when you want to put down old burdens. It helps you keep both feet on the ground while doing inner work.
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In the Skogsöga bracelet, jet adds shadow and depth to the bright glass beads and the rock crystal, as if whispering: "light is only truly strong when it knows the shadow as well."
3. Dísavegur/Queen’s Way - Birka & Gotland, Sweden
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Birka is a Viking Age town on an island in Lake Mälaren, and one of the most thoroughly excavated Scandinavian trading centres. In some of the women’s graves, archaeologists found incredibly rich strings of beads: gemstones, glass beads in many different colours, and metal elements. These beads signalled social status, networks of connection and the reach of trade routes.
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The two silver-foiled Birka replica beads in this bracelet evoke that sparkling, wealthy world. In the centre sits a blue and white striped bead inspired by Gotland: Gotland is an island in the Baltic Sea, famous for its silver hoards and merchants, and many bead finds are linked to it as well. The strong blue striped bead also hints at a passageway between sea and sky. Amber, rock crystal and lapis lazuli add a royal "sun-sea" colour pairing, an elegant yet characterful piece of jewellery.
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The name is no coincidence: Queen’s Way or Dísavegur - it recalls the path of the women whose graves held beads like these: most likely noble, confident, self-possessed women. Dísavegur means "the way of the dísir" - dísir are the ancient female spirits.​
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Gemstones - amber, rock crystal, lapis lazuli
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Amber: fossilised tree resin, filled with sunlight and the memory of ancient forests. It was an important material in the Scandinavian region as well. Warm, protective and full of life joy, it carries vitality, sunlight and echoes of old woods. It gently and subtly supports regeneration. In this bracelet it calls to mind the pieces of amber washed up along the shores of the Baltic Sea, travelling the same routes as the Viking traders.
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Rock crystal: as if it were drawing out the pure intention of the royal road - what you say yes to, what you say no to, and what you choose to claim as your own. It clears and makes your own stories more transparent, helps concentration and mindful presence. It is also known as an amplifier stone, highlighting and strengthening the subtle effects of the stones around it. In the Dísavegur bracelet, rock crystal feels like light flowing onto the royal paths of the past and onto the decisions you make in everyday life.
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Lapis lazuli: a deep royal blue, often associated with dignity, wisdom and honest communication. It creates a beautiful contrast with the sunlight of amber - the meeting of sky and sun, sea and flame. It is the stone of inner dignity, authenticity and the "inner queen", and can support self-expression. Its deep, starry-sky colour is linked to intuition and inner guidance. The Viking Age also had its own "luxury materials", and lapis lazuli fits seamlessly into that world - with its deep blue it can be seen as the colour of sea, sky and power.
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Dísavegur is a reminder that wherever you start from, you have the right to walk your own royal, dignified path - just as the women once did who travelled the waters between Birka and Gotland.
4. Dalarflamma/Leksand Fire - Leksand, Sweden
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For this bracelet I used another Leksand type eye bead, but in a completely different colour palette: a strong red-turquoise/blue-white combination that looks fiery and impulsive at first glance. The eye motif is still there, just in a much sharper, stronger tone, as if this piece didn’t only guard, but also wanted to wake and activate something.
For me Dalarna is the place where I first started to make peace with the colour red - perhaps because there it doesn’t feel aggressive to me. That’s why, alongside the green, foresty Leksand bracelet, it felt natural to create a more fiery-watery version as well. I didn’t want a generic "fire bracelet", but a Leksand piece that echoes the strong, stubborn and yet wise energy I associate with the people and landscape there.
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Gemstones - red jasper, lapis lazuli, rock crystal, amber
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Red jasper: grounding, life-force, fire stone. Red jasper is a stone of stability and vitality. It grounds you, helps you keep both feet on the earth, can strengthen courage and motivation and supports when you set out in a new direction but need persistence to stay on that path. In the Dalarflamma bracelet, jasper brings the fire together with the bright red beads.
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Lapis lazuli: the deep blue of the northern sky, wisdom and inner dignity. It’s also a stone of authenticity: it can support honest communication and self-expression, and its night-sky colour is often linked to intuition and inner guidance. In this bracelet, lapis adds contrast and a queenly depth next to the red tones, as if fire and sea were meeting.
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Rock crystal: clear sight, focus, light. It clears situations and thoughts, can strengthen concentration and presence, and amplifies the subtle effects of the other stones.
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Amber: the amber here is like a tiny sunspot among the reds and blues - a gentle, warm light woven into the stronger, fiery energies. It softens the raw heat of the red jasper and makes what the bracelet sets in motion more human and livable. There is not only strength in it but also joy, warmth and protection. It feels as if it were carrying a quiet "everything will be alright" message from the forests of Dalarna and the pieces of amber washed ashore along the Baltic Sea.
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In this bracelet it’s as if light were being lit between red and blue: it holds and balances the strong colours together. Dalarflamma can be a little "fire-starting" talisman: a good companion when you need to stand your ground in a situation, stand up for something or when it’s time to befriend your own strength. The eye beads keep watch, jasper gets things moving, lapis reminds you of responsibility and rock crystal keeps the whole thing clear.
Further to explore
