This pendant seems to fit into the Permian animal style, found throughout Western Russia in the Viking Era. Birds seem to have been of great significance in this culture, with their heads often serving as protective features and their bodice formed into rustling, jangling artifacts like this one. We believe that items like this one were hung from hunting belts and later buried with their owners.
Both Viking men and women enjoyed wearing jewellery as an indicator of wealth and social status, wearing these pieces kept their wealth safe and secure. Jewellery held a second purpose; most Vikings would have preferred their jewellery to have been made from precious metals with the intention to be used as a currency for trade. Depending on the transaction, jewellery many have been broken up to accommodate for a more appropriate price or deal.
