Bronze ring from Lydinge
Ring formed as a worm or snake, AD 200-400. It is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.
Intro
From the Iron Age, there are several types of rings shaped as worms or snakes which, back then, were also considered mysterious animals. A bronze ring dating from c. AD 200-400 was found not far from the village of Lydinge.
At the bidding of the gods
Faith and rituals have shaped life on Funen since antiquity. In the hope of gaining the gods’ favour, Funen’s inhabitants dispatched grave goods to the kingdom of the dead, constructed churches and wore both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses.
Magical animals
Nature and faith have been closely linked since the earliest Stone Age. Back then, people on Funen lived by hunting, fishing and gathering edible plants. They were dependent on nature, which, therefore, became a central part of their religious world. But magical properties have also been attributed to nature much later in history.
This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.