Pendant in Viking style Borre depicting a marten.
- Material: bronze
- Size: 1,5 x 3 cm
The Viking Borre style is typical for its ornamentation and motifs, which are often based on animal and intertwined patterns, especially snakes, dragons, birds and bears. The Borre style appears on a variety of objects including jewellery, weapons, vessels, stone tablets and wooden structures. It is named after the Borre site in Norway and is typical of the period around the 9th to 10th centuries
Other styles include Oseberg, Jelling, Mammen, Ringerike and Urnes. Each of these artistic styles has its own characteristics.
Kuns and weasels feature in various myths, legends and folk tales from around the world.
In Croatia, marten pelts were used as currency in the Middle Ages. Today, the currency is the kuna, which is also the Croatian word for marten.
In North America, the Ojibwa Indians have a clan of Kuna called the Waabizheshi Odoodeman. Members of the clan draw spiritual strength from wild martens, focusing particularly on their qualities such as agility and determination.
In the mythology of other tribes, martens are often depicted as happy spirits, brave heroes, and skilled, determined hunters.