A bracteate is a thin hammered metal disk, typically made of gold. Bracteates have a design on one side, that shows through on the other side because of the thinness of the metal.
Bracteates were popular in Northern, and Northeastern Europe from as early as the fifth century, through evolutions of meaning into the 17th century.
During the 17th century, bracteates were often pilgrims’ tokens, gathered by the devout as a token of their pilgrimage. The expression of faith surrounding the 17th-century bracteates is also present in the early bracteates.
Experts cannot specify the meaning or purpose of the earliest bracteates, but they can tell us about the runic legends on the bracteates, and where the bracteates were found.
This information seems to indicate that bracteates were like Religious Medals of Honor for distinguished persons. The oldest known bracteates date back to the early fifth century. The legends on the earliest bracteates are written in early runic alphabets.
Runes are notoriously tricky to read. They convey ideas rather than specific words, can be read forward, and backward, and have different meanings if they are facing up or down. Additionally, there is no unifying runic grammar to indicate subject-verb placement. Rune reading is an art.
The Undley bracteate is at the British Museum. It contains an Anglo-Frisian runic legend surrounding a Roman depiction of the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus on the shoulder of a right-facing Roman soldier in a helmet. One interpretation of the legend is: “howling she-wolf” and “reward to a relative.”
The she-wolf was revered as the mother of Rome, having cared for its founder in her den. The mythology of the she-wolf finds its origin with the Native Hirpini (Samnite Tribe) of Southern Italy and also extends back to ancient Greek sources with a connection to Leto, Apollo’s mother.
Another bracteate was discovered in 2021 and is held by the National Museum of Denmark. It is called the Vindelev bracteate. This gold bracteate is roughly two inches in diameter and contains a proto-Norse runic legend. The legend surrounds a central design containing a Celtic horse on the shoulder of a left-facing man with braids and beads in his hair.
After years of study and attempts to reverse-engineer the meaning of the runes and other symbols, the bracteate says something like, “King Jaga(z),” and, “He is Odin’s man.”
The Vindelev bracteate’s legend supports the hypothesis that ancient bracteates are akin to Religious Medals of Honor for distinguished persons.
Aristically they capture popular iconography of the time, and show us a great deal of the smithing ability of the ancient craftspersons.
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